For previously painted metal surfaces with a gloss or semi-gloss finish, a best practice is to sand the sheen before priming. This involves using 60-120 grit sandpaper to scuff the shiny surface. In turn, allowing for excellent adhesion.
Why Use a Wall Primer Before Painting
Is priming before painting really necessary? Why is it recommended by experts even when it adds cost and time to your project? Let’s find out that in this article that includes various benefits of priming and also those situations as well when it is not required.
Why prime before painting?
There are specific scenarios when you should use a primer and there are those situations as well when you can skip using it. But first of all, let’s discuss the advantages of priming. It is not just a useless coat of white paint applied under the colored paint. Some of its benefits are mentioned below:
- Brings the paint color back to neutral
- Helps in blocking out stains and odors
- Provides a surface for the paint to stick to
- Helps in sealing pores in unpainted surfaces like drywall and wood
- Helps in covering imperfections like patched or repaired parts of the wall
- Helps in optimizing the surface. Thus, lesser coats of top coat paint are required.
Primer actually saves money and time by providing these benefits. It is cheaper than paint and helps in coating the surface and taking care of several issues. Fewer coats of top coat paint and less time are required for the completion of the project once priming is done.
When to use a primer?
After knowing the benefits of interior and exterior wall primers, you should understand in which painting situations you should use them. These include the following:
New drywall or unpainted wood
These surfaces are quite absorbent. A coating of paint vanishes quickly as it is absorbed into the material. Thus, one ends up putting so many coats on to get a properly covered area. Wasting the costly paint on material absorption makes no sense at all. Primer is pocket-friendly and it fills the pores and makes the surface ready for painting. After priming, only one or two coats of the paint are required.
Major color changes
Painting over the existing color will not give the correct color of the new topcoat in case you are switching to a major color change. The old color will get mixed with the new color and the resulting shade will be a combination of both. But by using the wall primer, you will get the correct color as it will bring the surface back to white to start over. If you are going from a dark color to a light color, then using a primer is even more important.
Painting over glossy or oil-based paints
The new paint requires a surface it can stick to and if you are painting over oil-based or glossy paint, then it will not work. Using a bonding primer would be good as it will adhere to the glossy surface, thereby offering an outer layer. The top coat paint can stick to this layer.
Patched or repaired drywall
Spackle or joint compound is used if you want to repair the drywall. Patches along the wall are created then. If you paint over these patches without priming, then they will stick out as these patches are a different color than the current paint. These imperfections get invisible after priming as it gets all surfaces back to a neutral white. Choosing the right shade of paint is very important to get exactly what you are looking for. Along with that, choosing the best quality wall primer is equally crucial. To help you with this, Sirca is there for you. Its offered Trucare interior and exterior wall primer will give you complete worth for your money.
What Is Primer Paint?
Primer is a base coat used to help treat a surface before applying a topcoat. Accordingly, primer is formulated to ensure maximum adhesion. Better paint adhesion means your paint job lasts longer.
Likewise, primer acts as a sealer for porous surfaces that would otherwise absorb the first few coats of paint.
Lastly, you can use primer as a stain-blocker for walls. This is necessary for surfaces that typically flash through a single coat.
Indeed, there are a number of benefits of priming before painting, and using the right primer at the right time is essential.
In some cases, primer can reduce the number of painting coats needed for proper color coverage. It also strengthens the bond between the surface and topcoat, extending the life of your paint job.
However, there are times when using a primer is not necessary.
When Not To Use Primer
You don’t need to use primer on previously painted surfaces that are in good condition. This goes for both interior and exterior surfaces that are not peeling or chipping.
Likewise, most modern quality exterior and interior paints are self-priming. This means they are formulated to adhere to most previously painted surfaces without the need for a prime coat.
Typical flat or eggshell finishes found on walls and ceilings don’t require primer if they are smooth and clean. However, you should lightly sand and prime before painting over certain gloss finishes or if drywall repairs are required.
Expert Painter Tip:
When buying primer, ask the paint store to tint it to match your desired paint color. Now it’s worth noting that the tinted primer color will look lighter than your final color. Don’t worry, the tinted primer will simply help your next few coats of paint retain the new color better. Most importantly, this will come in handy when painting over a dark color with a lighter shade.
While primers are generally less expensive than paint, avoid substituting a prime coat for a full coat of paint. Given this fact, why not just buy the cheaper primer and use it as one of your coats of paint?
Whether you tint the primer color or not, it does not replace an extra coat of paint. Remember, primer is formulated to act as the glue for the paint to stick to and not to hide or cover colors.
Let’s say that a new wall color needs two coats of paint to cover. You won’t be able to get away with one tinted primer coat and one top coat of paint. In this scenario, you’ll probably need a second top paint coat anyways.
Next time, skip the tinted prime coat and budget for two topcoats of quality self-priming latex paint.
Paint and Primer In One
You’ve likely seen paint and primer in one product offerings from Behr, Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore. Let’s be clear, “paint and primer in one” is simply a clever marketing label to sell expensive paint.
Likewise, buying a primer and paint in one versus a gallon of decent quality “normal” paint won’t save you time or money. Here are a few reasons why.
Pros and Cons of Primers & Paint In One
Let’s start with the cons of “primer and paint in one”. First, most quality residential paint products made within the last ten years are already self-priming. This means that “normal” paint will easily bond to most previously painted surfaces already.
This can backfire when you use a “primer & paint in one” products in lieu of a specialized primer. We’ll go through each of these situations in the next section of this article.
Best Paint-and-Primer-In-One Scenario
But wouldn’t buying a primer and paint in one save me time and money on a second coat?
Honestly, I’ve yet to meet someone who has used it to cover in one coat where two coats would be needed.
The Typical Priming Process For Homeowners:
- You buy the best paint-and-primer-in-one thinking it will naturally cover in one coat. Plus, think of all the time and money you’ll save by skipping the 2nd coat.
- After you finish your first coat, you’ll see the old color flashing through the new coat of paint. At this point, you begrudgingly realize that a second coat was needed all along.
- Next, you’ll drive back to Home Depot, Lowes, or Walmart to purchase more of the product. In the end, the paint manufacturers get richer and you feel duped.
The moral of the story, skip the paint and primer in one and buy high-quality paint instead.
As a rule of thumb, budget for at least two coats. One pro tip to save money on larger projects is to buy the paint in 5-gallon buckets if possible.
Typically, five-gallon buckets of paint cost less than individual gallons and you’ll be saving the environment from extra packaging materials. If your project is really massive, you’ll want to buy 5 gallon primer paint as well!
