Don't go nuts on me yet! We're cleaning an inherited house, cleaning all the walls and ceilings. Money is non-existent. Is it ok to prime with Kilz and leave it that way til we get the money to paint?

MrsD...
Welllll...as you're cleaning and all, make sure you get all cleaning & repairs done b4 priming an area.
* You don't want a bunch of dust getting back on a newly primed wall and affecting how the paint will adhere.
* Get out the shopvac right b4 priming to vacuum walls & ceiling...wouldn't hurt to get dust off floor too, to avoid the "Pigpen"-effect (from Peanuts fame!).

How long to leave primer on???
After a month, most primers are too "brittle"/dried-out to hold a topcoat decently.
>>> If you can, I'd wait until the you can prime/paint within a couple weeks.
>>> What's the condition of your walls? Any wallpaper comin' down?? Age of home/existing walls???

(Darn it...I should've waited 'till Moon chimed in here...;))

Faron

Thank you Faron. I contacted Kilz technical support and they agreed: no longer than one month or the primer begins to deteriorate. So cross your fingers the ceiling cleans up really well, as we may be leaving it that way for alittle while.

Ooh ooh (waves hand) I'll chime in here! :D
Faron knows paint.
Faron wears a tie.
A paint-smart man wearing a tie is worth listening to ;) How's that?
(Feel the same about our Michael, but I know he's lurking here somewhere with razor in hand ready to make me look like Telly Savalas, so I'm flying under the radar for a bit with him ;)

Ace is having a great paint sale this weekend (their brand only) B1G1 Free. That comes to about $9.50/gal. Not bad! (I just painted a rental bathroom with it, not bad paint to work with, either.) Hope that's not just a local sale?

Also, lots of folks in Home Dec forum (before Paint forum was formed) swear by Wal-mart paint. You can search the boards for more info on that, know there are posts floating around. I think it goes for about $11/gal? Can't vouch for it, have never used it.

Last but not least, don't hesitate to ask for a contractor's discount. When we had to paint our home right after we bought it, we painted inside and out. Local independent paint store knew we were going to be purchasing a lot (the owner came out and looked at the exterior to give us some advice, the painted cedar siding was a real mess). We got a 20% discount on all the paint/sundries we bought from them. So if I'm doing a big paint job, I've since learned to ask for a contactor's discount ;) I found independent dealers will readily give one for multi gallon purchases. Big box like HD and Lowe's, not so much. I needed 5 gallons of Bullseye primer recently and my local Ace didn't have that size when I inquired, but they gave me a discount on each gallon can I bought.

Oh, one last tip. If you're doing lots of rehabbing, don't forget your local Habitat for Humanity store if you have one. You can get new doors, windows (including Pella and Anderson), vanities, sinks, etc. for a song. (Overstock, older inventory, etc. from local building suppliers.) It's a win/win situation ;)

Thanks moonshadow for the tips. Plan A: clean and cross fingers. Daughter's graduation party is tomorrow, maybe Sunday will have extra $$$. I'm on disability so money is tight. Picking which room gets priority, family room: where tv and computers will go - therefore, that's where we will occupy most often. 17 yr old sons room has to be totally complete before he can occupy - asthma and "17". 18 yr old daughter doesn't mind living in a war zone (her bedroom has always been one). We scrubbed the heck out of the bathroom, and it came out fine. The kitchen's copper plated tin ceiling will get cleaned and go on the 5 yr plan for restoration. The worst ceiling: the upstairs toilet seal let go and they never fixed it, just never used it again - so the plaster let go - we're hanging fabric on rods to drape down like a fake ceiling to cover it up til we can afford to do it right. My DH replaced the toilet and seal, and the ceiling damage is only cosmetic - thank goodness. So we will continue cleaning, crossing fingers, and then prime and paint when have the $$$. Thanks everyone.

All you need is free paint.

Start calling some of the older, larger painting companies in your area and tell them you are looking for free paint. They will jump at the chance to get rid of the leftovers. I usually have over a thousand gallons laying around just waiting for a chance to get rid of it. Once overage paint is returned to my shop, it is now hazardous waste. I have to pay to have it recycled and the chance of that happening is very slim.

Just don't ask if they have any 'white' - they use that every day.

randymeyer made me think of another option: the "oops" cans. Custom mixes that didn't come out quite right for the customer. My local BM dealer and Home Depot sell them for $5/gallon. Some colors are obnoxious, some are really nice though.

randymeyer, do you have a Habitat Re-Store near you? They'll take your paint, you get a tax write off for charity, and the purchaser gets a whopping discount on your donated paint. ;)

here is another vote for habitat for humanity. I just got 10 pieces of base cabinet and one wall cab, all sizes, from 36" sink to 15" drawer base. very nice quality, good sliders, lovely wood finish for $260.00. they have bathroom stuff too and they may have ideas of other places that have recycled cabinets. Here in California, there is a group called the Reuse People that work very much like habitat for humanity and have lots of reusable stuff. I'm now looking for a range hoods. I had to go many saturdays before i struck gold, but it was well worth it.

for free paint, try your county hazardous waste collection site. Many counties collect paint and give it away so that people can use up what has already been started instead of starting a bunch of new cans that have to be collected.