So I've got a guy coming in next week to mud and tape my basement, then I'm going to paint the ceiling and he's going to do a knockdown texture on it.

He tells me that two coats of primer on the ceiling will be enough and he'll just spray the texture on and that's it... I would like to use actual ceiling paint because I think that it is much whiter than primer, which seems to almost have a yellowish tint to it.

So my question is: Is one coat of primer and two coats of ceiling paint good enough for fresh drywall, or are two coats of primer recommended, then the two coats of ceiling paint?

Thanks!

If you're doing two coats of paint, then one coat of primer is plenty.

Just painted mines, 1 coat of primer and 1 coat of paint was all that was needed. Then again, it depends on the color.

I have the same ceiling and my dry wall people used one coat of primer and one coat of gloss white over the knockdown. It looks awesome.

One coat of primer would be enough, however you may want to consider two coats prior to the top coat. One coat before the texture and one after. The benefit of primer is that it seals the drywall / mud and provides a more uniform top coat. You can do a "light" base coat of primer prior to the texture. Don't worry too much about how it looks, just get the sheetrock sealed. After the texture is applied, the second coat of primer should be applied as you normally would.

Most people don't do this, but to me it's worth the extra effort.

Tom

One coat of primer would be enough, however you may want to consider two coats prior to the top coat. One coat before the texture and one after. The benefit of primer is that it seals the drywall / mud and provides a more uniform top coat. You can do a "light" base coat of primer prior to the texture. Don't worry too much about how it looks, just get the sheetrock sealed. After the texture is applied, the second coat of primer should be applied as you normally would.

Most people don't do this, but to me it's worth the extra effort.

Tom

Tom:

So you would use primer as a finish coat for the ceiling, rather than ceiling paint?

I want my basement to look exactly like my upstairs, and upstairs there is no paint over the knockdown mud. I agree that painting over the whole works would probably give the best results, as the mud would definitely discolor over time moreso than paint, but I can always paint over when that happens.

Talking to the kid at the paint store:

Me: "Do you think that one coat of primer and two coats of ceiling paint would be enough for the ceiling before knockdown texture?"

Kid: "Uh, yeah...that should be good."

That's why I come here.... :D

I have the same ceiling and my dry wall people used one coat of primer and one coat of gloss white over the knockdown. It looks awesome.


Gloss white for the ceiling?! I would love to see a picture if you could, I've only seen ceilings in flat white, ever.

"So you would use primer as a finish coat for the ceiling, rather than ceiling paint?" No, I would use a "normal" paint as my finish coat. For my upstairs, I used an off-white. For the basement, I used a color one or two tints less then my walls (beige / tan).

I don't like a "ceiling paint" white look. I prefer to have the ceiling blend in more with the walls, it tends to make the room look warmer. I have 9' ceilings, so that helps. I would not do that with 8' most likely, since the darker ceiling will tend to make it look more closed in.

Tom