Professional Priming

Drywall, Priming & Finish Painting

Professional Priming with Stain-Blocking and Adhesion Primers

Primer selection depends on what's on the wall, not just what's going over it. New drywall gets PVA primer to seal the porous paper and joint compound so the finish coat absorbs evenly. Water stains and smoke damage get shellac or oil-based stain-blocking primer. Without it, the stain bleeds through latex paint regardless of how many coats you apply. Previously glossy surfaces get bonding primer so the new paint has something to adhere to. We make those calls per surface, not per job.

The priming process starts with surface inspection. Knots in wood trim get spot-primed with shellac. Water-stained ceilings — common in Metro Detroit homes that have had a roof or plumbing issue — get full coats of stain-blocking primer, not just the visible stain area. Previously wallpapered surfaces get skim-coated and primed with adhesion-promoting products. We don't move to finish paint until every surface condition has been addressed.

Oakland County homeowners who've had bad paint jobs often describe the same problems: stain bleed-through appearing two weeks after the job was done, uneven sheen where areas absorbed differently, paint peeling in bathrooms within a year. Those failures trace back to priming shortcuts. Doing it right at the primer stage costs less than repainting a room that wasn't prepped properly.