Stairway Accent Wall with KILZ® PVA Primer


This post is sponsored by Kilz but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

The dreaded nail pop – when your new house starts to “settle” and drywall nails (or screws) start to “pop” out from the wall. That is what led to our affectionately nicknamed “polka dot wall”.

Chris attacked every nail pop in our hallway with drywall compound to create a smooth finished surface, unfortunately there were so many we quickly realized the entire wall would need to be repainted.

Well! If I’m going to climb a ladder and paint a 12’ wall in a stairwell, I’m going to have some fun with it!

The first step when painting a wall that has had significant drywall repair is to use the right primer. When we did our main floor renovation a few years ago I did a lot of research on the best primer for new drywall and drywall repairs – that’s when we started using KILZ® PVA primer.

Primer is especially important for projects like this accent wall because there are so many different surfaces that will absorb paint differently – we have new unfinished drywall, drywall compound and previously primed & painted drywall.

The KILZ® PVA primer creates a uniform base coat to make sure this accent wall looks flawless when done.

Before priming, prep your surface area by wiping down the wall slightly damp sponge to remove any dust that might be on the surface. Apply painter’s tape to any areas you want to protect.

Once the wall is completely dry and no dust or dirt remains its time to prime! Start by cutting in the edges using a small brush or edging tool.

Then use a roller to apply to the bulk of the wall.

Follow the guidelines on your can of primer to determine how long to wait before painting – do not ignore this as you want the primer to be completely dry!

When you’re ready to paint, follow the same process by cutting in the edges and then rolling on the colour, applying one or two coats as needed.

Once you’re done, stand back and admire your work!

Our new almost black accent wall adds a touch of drama to our mostly white main floor and is a great first impression in our entry. The KILZ® PVA primer did an excellent job hiding all the drywall repair – goodbye polka dot wall, I will not miss you!

Creating an accent wall is a fun and easy project that you can complete in a weekend. Where would you add one in your home?

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