Get matched with top interior painters in Santa Rosa, TX

Yes, with some primers, you can prime and paint on the same day. It depends on how long your primer takes to fully dry. Some can dry within an hour while others may take a fully 24 hours.

Painting over cracks without repairing them first will simply lead to needing to fix them later. They will reappear in short order. Usually, just a bit of spackle and a putty knife before painting will do the trick. However, if there are significant cracks, find the source of the problem and fix it before moving forward.

It’s best to remove wallpaper rather than paint over it. You should only paint over wallpaper if removing it would damage the wall, the surface is relatively smooth, or there are minimal problem areas—such as slight peeling and lifted seams—that you can fix easily. Painting over wallpaper can save time, but it can create more problems if the wallpaper is in poor condition and you don’t properly prep the area for painting. Depending on the state of the wallpaper, color, and textures could show through, and moisture from the paint could loosen the adhesive, causing unsightly bubbling.

The answer to whether you need to clean the walls before painting depends largely on the condition of the existing finish and your desired results. You can often get away with painting bedroom and living room walls with just a dusting and some high-quality paint. However, the best results come from doing all of the prep steps first, including a gentle cleaning.