My dad told me to prime the whole wall before painting stripes and I should have listened

I was painting a navy blue accent wall with thin white stripes in my kid's room. My dad, who painted houses for 20 years, said to prime the entire wall first, not just the stripe lines. I figured I could save time and just prime the stripes. After 3 coats of navy, the color looked blotchy and the stripes bled. I had to sand it all down last weekend, prime the whole thing, and start over. Now it looks perfect, but it cost me an extra day and a quart of paint. Has anyone else had a primer fail that set you back?

3 comments

3 Comments

paigewood9h ago

Primer isn't just about making paint stick, it's about creating a uniform surface. If you only prime the stripes, you get different levels of paint absorption on the same wall. The unprimed parts suck up more paint, which is why your navy went blotchy. Your dad had the right idea for a smooth, even base.

wadeyoung18d ago

Learned that lesson painting my own kitchen cabinets.

ryan_smith3718d ago

Remember it's all about the prep work and good paint. Sanding and cleaning them right makes a huge difference. That's what makes it last.