How to Prime Before Painting Textured Walls

Wash the walls with a sponge dipped in soapy water, removing dirt or greasy areas. Rinse the walls with a clean sponge dipped in clear water. Let the walls dry completely.

Repair any gouges, cracks or nail holes with filling paste. Allow to dry according to instructions on the paste. Sand the area so it's flush with the rest of the wall surface. Remove the sanding dust with a tack cloth.

Sand the walls lightly with fine-grit sandpaper if the walls have been painted with gloss or semigloss paint. Sanding helps the primer adhere to the walls. Remove all sanding dust with a tack cloth.

Use painter's tape to cover the molding, doorjambs, window casements and anything else you don't want primed or painted. Tape plastic dropcloths to the floor and over windows to protect them from primer.

Shake the primer can to mix it. Open the can and stir with a wooden paint stick.

Pour a small amount of primer in a small plastic paint container or bowl. Use a paintbrush to outline (cut-in) the walls with primer. Outline the top, bottom, windows, outlets and doorways. Refill your paint container as often as you need. Don't try to carry the can around.

Pour a small amount of primer in the bottom of a clean paint tray. Roll a clean, dry paint roller in the primer a few times until the roller is saturated in primer. The nap of the paint roller should be deeper for textured walls than for untextured ones. The label of the paint roller will indicate if it's designed for textured walls. Roll the roller on the slanted part of the paint tray a few times to eliminate excess primer and keep it from dripping when you pick it up.

Roll the primer onto one textured wall, starting at one corner. Work your way over the entire wall, covering with a thin, even coat of primer. Pour more primer into the paint tray and recharge the paint roller as often as necessary.

Let the textured walls dry completely before applying your first coat of paint.