Priming drywall: Be sure to buy drywall primer for new drywall. A Wagner Power Roller and the right painting supplies will make the job much quicker

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Priming the walls

FINALLY! All the messy work was done and it was time to for the finishing touches! With about 1000 square to prime and paint, it was not going to be an easy task!

A couple of years ago, when we were painting our main floor, I bought a Wagner Power Roller. For whatever reason, I decided not to use it then, but I figured it was time to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did! I'd estimate that using the Wagner Power Roller allowed me to prime and paint about times faster than using a traditional brush and roller.

Buying primer

Since I was priming over new drywall, I bought a 5 gallon bucket of Olympic latex primer for new drywall at Lowe's. Although, the bucket said it would cover about 400 square feet per gallon, over fresh drywall, I knew I would use much more. Using the power roller tend to use more paint because it just keeps pumping and pumping. Since I've always tended to spread the paint too thin when I did it the 'old fashioned' way, this was a good thing- at least for me.

Using the Wagner Power Roller

The Wagner Power Roller came with an attachment and hose to allow you to connect it directly to a 5 gallon bucket. It uses special roller covers with many small holes to allow the paint to be pumped directly through the roller and onto the walls. You just press the button and let the pump do the work.

Applying the primer was a little tricky at first. It was hard to know exactly how much primer to use. I started in the back corner of the office, because I figured if it was sloppy there, it would be less noticeable. Sure enough, a couple of times I splattered primer all over the floor. Since it was just the bare cement, soon to be carpeted, it was no biggie.

The technique when using the power roller is pretty much the same when using a regular roller. I covered about 3' wide on the walls, and did each 3 foot section in to halves- the top first and then the bottom. I pumped the paint using large "M's" on the wall and then I criss-crossed each with "W's". Then, I shut off the pump and went over it until all of the section was covered. Things moved pretty quickly and I was able to prime the entire basement in one weekend.