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Is it normal for painters to just prime the walls without cleaning the dust off the drywall that's just put up?

Probably normal, and I have done it, but it is best to at least dry wipe it down before priming. The dust is pretty much absorbed into the primer. The final coat of latex wall paint rolled on will mask any imperfections caused by not wiping down.

Most places a texture is added before priming and that also masks the dust. Untextured drywall will usually show seams to one degree or another. It is very difficult to install drywall perfectly, which is why most of it is textured.

Is there some reason you are asking? Did a drywall job done for you come out looking bad?

Most places a texture is added before priming and that also masks the dust. Untextured drywall will usually show seams to one degree or another. It is very difficult to install drywall perfectly, which is why most of it is textured.[/quote]

Bob - thanks for your quick response.
Our painter primed the walls last week. When I asked if he was going to wipe down the walls, he said no, they usually don't. They just prime over it. They double primed the "textured" ceiling, however.

What do you mean the drywall is usually textured? It's not on the walls. Never heard of that.
He will be back to paint when we're ready, after doors, trim, are up. Do they usually roll that coat? or spray? For some reason I thought he said they would be spraying. (It's in a basement being finished.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nance425,

Regional thing to some degree, but everywhere I have lived, both walls and ceilings were textured. For new work in SoCA the typical texture was orange peel. Here the typical is skip trowel.

From what I have seen, popcorn texture on ceilings is universally hated and seldom done on new work, particularly in bathrooms. Knockdown texture collects dust badly and I dislike it for that reason.

Some painters spray everything but it is difficult to control the overspray even with an airless gun. Just recently a neighbor's place was painted throughout and the pro painters used powered rollers, mainly because different colors were used in different rooms.

We once had the ceilings painted in our smaller place in SoCA and the painter used an airless sprayer; it was out in his van and he just ran the hose inside. That was for popcorn texture.

Later when I removed the popcorn, I painted with a roller.

Hey there, Bob -
The ceiling is textured like old-fashioned popcorn but smoothed down...like little warts.
The walls are a smooth dry wall.
Why is there a worry of overspray when nothing else is painted in the basement? Here's some pics of the basement...a big job.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nance425,