Serious question, why does everyone skip the primer step on drywall patches?

I've been fixing small holes in my walls for a while now, and I keep seeing people online just mud, sand, and paint. I did that for three patches in my hallway and every single one showed a shiny spot or a color difference after a month. My buddy who paints houses in Toledo told me flat out, 'If you don't seal the mud with a proper primer, the paint soaks in different and it will flash.' He was right. I went back, used a basic PVA primer on those spots, repainted, and now you can't tell they were ever there. It adds one extra step and maybe 30 minutes of dry time, but it fixes the problem for good. Has anyone else had this happen, or found a different primer that works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

claireo676d ago

Ugh, I learned this the hard way too! That mud just drinks up the paint and leaves a dull spot. A quick coat of any basic primer seals it up perfectly and saves you a second trip to the paint store.

benlewis6d ago

Yeah, that "drinks up the paint" thing is so real. I had a spot on my old baseboard that I just kept painting over, and it never looked right until I finally listened to the advice claireo67 is giving. It was like a little thirsty patch that never matched the sheen. A cheap can of spray primer fixed it in two minutes. Now I just keep one on the shelf for any drywall repair or spackle spot.