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I have heard conflicting instructions regarding primer on drywall, some saying one and some saying two coats. The bucket of Killz2 itself says reapply after 1 hr, implying two coats are needed (I am sure they want to sell more product). I have also heard varying customer feedback regarding Killz2.

Is it enough to apply just one coat of Killz2 primer on drywall or should I go with two? I have already done some painting with just a single coat and it turned out fine.

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  • 1
    Lather, rinse, repeat! Does says how many times! Seriously though, I've used it quite a few times and once I applied two coats in a really bad bathroom. I think it's a judgement call. Paint is porous so uncovered (by Killz) mildew can still grow behind the paint or through it.
    – Jason
    Jul 22, 2013 at 18:09
  • what does it mean to lather?
    – amphibient
    Jul 22, 2013 at 18:23
  • It's a soap/shampoo joke, apparently a weak one.
    – Jason
    Jul 22, 2013 at 18:23
  • @amphibient in this case it's the act of applying soap suds. "lather, rinse and repeat" is a saying that means "do all the steps over again"
    – wax eagle
    Jul 22, 2013 at 18:24
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    does that mean do two coats?
    – amphibient
    Jul 22, 2013 at 18:57

4 Answers 4

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Yes one coat should be plenty for new drywall, you can get it tinted to be similar to your final paint color also to limit the number of paint coats you need after the primer potentially.

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Well it isn't about how many coats it is about coverage. If all that you see is your white Killz then that is enough for all dry walls.

It is very hard to say 1 vs 2 coats. I paint heavy. One of my coats my be 1.5-2 of another person's. Your paint benefits from primer not the primer that is under the primer.

Now for wet applications (bathrooms mainly) I might put on 2 thick coats of something like killz to act as a greater barrier not to help the painting process.

Note - I have a paint crew that used to work for me. Their paint jobs looks perfect. They used two coats. But their first primer coat was thin (half mine) and there were definitely coverage issues. They were efficient vs my heavy style of just get it over with. They probably got their two coats on faster than my one but they did have to wait for drying time in between... and without the heavy hand theirs looked smoother.

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I apply 2 coats when I'm covering a strong color, or when covering serious stains on the wall. The original Killz is oil based and I've heard that it covers better, but I've had no issues with a single coat over drywall using the water-based Killz2.

However, when I use Killz2 on raw wood, I use 2 coats. That is mostly because I sand in between coats to get a good clean finish.

Bottom line, if you can still see the color or patches of color after the first coat, either coat again, or spot coat.

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On my bathroom that had stains I used two coats... on my other bathrooms that has no stains, I will use two coats - because simply put, bathrooms are things you want to have the safest possible result and that implies all possible barriers between water, steam and drywall ... or they become wetwalls and that ain't no good. On top of that.... you are already up to the neck on the job, might as well go above and beyond to save future trouble. I's say two on bathroms; one very well done in other rooms.

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