Paint Tip Tuesday-Primers

Many people have asked me over time what is a primer and when do they need to use one. This is one of the most common questions that people have in regards to paint. Lets start with the basics.

A primer is an undercoat to be put on before painting your finish coats. There are many different variations for different substrates ranging from drywall primer to primer for metal, aged alkyd, so on and so forth. First thing you need to do is identify your substrate. For an example lets keep it simple and take drywall. You want to paint a few walls in your home. The color is dark and you're not sure if using multiple coats of paint is the way to go or if you need a primer.

To go from dark to light you should use a primer. Two reasons for this is primer is meant to act as a sealer or a blocker. This helps to seal that color in so once you apply your topcoat you should only have to do two coats of your finish. The second reason is cost. Many primers especially multi-surface primers can cost less than half that of a gallon of paint. Why use more coats of a costlier product when you really should be using a primer in fhte first place? You'll have more money you can allocate to other projects around your home.

Specialty primers are a different story. Specialty primers can cost as much as a gallon of paint but they are meant to be used for their intended purposes. Take last weeks paint tip example, a rusted fence. You wouldn't want to put a multi-surface primer on a rusted fence as it doesn't have any components in the paint to assist with the main issue; the rust. You need to purchase a rust inhibitive primer. Remember when you go to your local paint store tell them as much as you can about your project so they can give you the right recommendation for your project. You'll be grateful for the time saved and your wallet will thank you.