Entering the final stretch of my basement finish. We had the drywall finished and sanded professionally. I cleaned every inch of the walls before applying primer (vac and damp cloth). My wife bought some 2 in 1 paint/primer and that caused me to pause. I went back and got 3 gallons of the drywall primer/sealer and explained why I thought we should use it.

It's applied now and I have a concern. I can clearly see the mudded joints contrasting with the bare drywall. When I run my hands across the joints the difference is less obvious. I would say it all has a similar "texture" but the visual is more striking. We did not tint the primer so it's bright white--according to the primer coverage we did not put it on light.

My understanding is that the primer/sealer we used is to provide a more even surface for the paint to adhere to. We will be covering with at least two coats of light grey (eggshell) 2 in 1 paint and primer. Should I be concerned about still being able to clearly see those joints through the primer? I haven't been able to find much discussion about this aspect of the painting process.

Thanks!

 

It's been talked about here on any DIY website many times.
It's not an issue, as long as you do not now see any areas that got missed when sanding, air bubbles, runs, flaws your ready for paint.

 

Different primers have different jobs but most primers aren't formulated for coverage or complete hiding of the underlying substrate - there job is to seal the substrate. As long as you coated all of the drywall - it's ready for the top coat. I like to scuff sand the primer before proceding as that both promotes good adhesion and will highlight any defects in either the drywall or the primer's application. Obviously you'd reprime any areas that you need to add mud to.

btw - you were right not to trust the primer in the paint for the initial coat, a separate dedicated prime is the correct way to go!