You’re not wrong if you think that every painting project is incomplete without applying primer. Whether it’s new drywall, bare metal, old wood or other surfaces, primer is highly recommended for any painting project. Primer is typically used as a consistent base, particularly for topcoats of paint which tend to be sticky, usually designed to adhere well to the surface.
Applying paints directly on the surface without even applying primer results in a few disadvantages. Additional paint coats may be necessary to achieve adequate coverage and the paint might not settle down properly to the original wall. The formulations of a primer are mainly different for different surfaces and it’s one of the things that every Pro Painter has to know.
For this blog, we’ll be discussing the importance of paint primer, including some common types of primer coat available today.
What Makes Primer Coat so Important?
While priming is usually overlooked, it is always considered one of the most vital interior and exterior painting procedures. In fact, primer coats correlate the top color coating with the surface by making any rugged surfaces much smoother. If you’re newly painted wall doesn’t come up as vibrant and pristine as it should be, chances are you had skipped out priming the surface.
Here are some of the advantages of applying primer coat:
- Firstly, primers produce a fine one-coat finish. A single coat of primer combined with a single coat of a typical paint is way better than a double coat paint.
- Primer comes in various accent colors, like a polycyclic topcoat, for example. Regardless of what shades and tints you may use to the walls, the undertone priming will help develop a superior color resonance.
- Applying primer over any surfaces can seal the original material, not letting the paint soak into it. Hence, additional extra coats aren’t required.
- Primer helps to hide cover seams, joints on new drywall. Applying primer also prevents bleed-through from any knots and any natural coloring and blemishes in the bare surface or wood.
- Primer, especially those with stain-blocking properties, can seal over any mold stains or other discoloration. As a result, it prevents stains from showing through the newly-finish paint coats.
- Primer is naturally white yet can be other neutral colors. Hence, it can provide a neutral surface, ensuring that the paint shows its true colors.
- Primer is essentially applied to metal, masonry, and other wood surfaces to properly attach the paint job.
- Lastly, primer gives longevity in any of your painting jobs.
Note: Painting without primer may result in cratering, blistering, blotching. You want to know why? It’s mainly because primer painting can conceal blemishes and smoothens the film perfectly. In many cases, uneven surfaces are hard to paint or incapable of sustaining the paint in the long run. A Pro Painter like you has to determine what may go wrong along with the application procedure. Hence, investing not just in high-quality primers but also in a construction tech like crew scheduler application is crucial to monitoring your painting projects.
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Different Categories of Paint Primers
To know when you must use a primer, you need first to understand what types of primers are available today, including where they are intended to use. The best way to understand their specific purposes is to identify them first through primer categories.
1. Water-based primers
Latex or water-based primers are very significant for blocking stains. These primers are best applied when the surface has many areas filled with paste. They often provide an excellent flexible finish with great cracking resistance. Water-based primers are recommended to use for bare wood and new drywall.
Before applying a water-based primer, make sure to test it in a common area to make sure it doesn’t raise the wood again. Most water-based primers may also be used on masonry, painted metal, brick, and plaster, depending on the specific formula. Generally, a better-quality primer like latex often uses 100% acrylic resins, costing you a little compared to the standard-quality formulas.
2. Oil-based primers
An oil-based primer is usually recommended for surfaces that are most likely to be touched, like windows, cabinets, and doors. Oil-based primers typically require mineral spirits for cleaning up and thinning. They are of excellent use for sealing over problematic woods like cedar, for example. These primers are basically designed to hide the ever-challenging surface issues like crayon, smoke stains and oil-based adhesives.
Delivering your painting services can be hard to manage sometimes, often affecting the completion date. Therefore, you need to invest in the best software solution like Pro Crew Schedule to have better and detailed scheduling of your construction crew’s project and managing.
3. Drywall Primer
New/bare drywall is very porous and often soaking up paint like a sponge. It causes to cover better in a few areas than others, particularly when you’re matching drywall mud joints to the surrounding areas. Any porous surfaces such as drywall mud often cause visible differences in the last sheen of your paint. To help accomplish a very consistent appearance with your final coats, it is a very good idea to use first a primer.
Besides, using a high-quality primer for drywall is much less expensive per gallon. Also, implementing project management for construction when doing tasks and delivering services is crucial while the painting project is ongoing. Ensure to establish a cooperative and collaborative team combined with software solutions to accomplish the best outcome in any of your painting projects.
4. Masonry Primer
There are different reasons why applying a masonry primer is a better idea before you apply paint. Some masonry surfaces may have a much higher pH level, causing adhesion issues, especially if you apply paint directly towards the surface. Only a high-quality masonry primer allows you to carefully paint over a wide range of pH levels without any risk of adhesion loss.
Another issue is called Efflorescence – which are crystalline deposits and unsightly white that may form on the masonry surface. Take note that many masonry primers are efflorescent-resistant. It does a very great job of keeping it from becoming a real issue.
5. Wood Primer
Bare wood is one of the most challenging substrates for a paint coat to adhere to. Long ago, no substitute existed for a slow-drying oil-based primer. That is why most painting jobs take too long to dry, needing more time to soak it straight to the wood surface. The old-fashioned oil primer may still be the best for the application but wood primer is best to topcoat, especially if you don’t want to waste your time.
Oil-based wood primer is a recommended option if you don’t bother for a slow drying time. But if you never wanted any form of hassles and interruptions when painting bare wood, a wood primer is the best choice before applying finish coats. Speaking of interruptions, you and your team of pro painters can more likely focus if you deploy Pro Crew Schedule at work, implementing a more detailed timeline for project.
Expect a harmonious and collaborative platform for everybody, allowing your crew to get real-time updates and all information related to the project.
6. Stain-Blocking primer
There are various types of stain-blocking primers for particular uses. However, some of the most common circumstances where the service is necessary are:
- Painting over top of marker and grease
- Keeping smoke stains and water from bleeding through the finished coat
- Making a dramatic color change, mainly when painting lighter colors over a much darker shade
7. Bonding primer
Some surfaces are particularly slick, posing a unique challenge even for the best primers, especially when trying to achieve a sticky coating. Some leading examples includes ceramic tiles, factory-coated metal sidings, vinyl shutters and plastic, and surfaces with a high gloss finish.
If you select the suitable bonding primer for your actual application, you can more likely get excellent adhesion to the surface’s finish coat. Working as a team can be overwhelming for you and the rest of your crew. This is why using subcontractor scheduling software like Pro Crew Schedule is vital to completing your painting services. Always be practical and wise for the sake of your team’s improvement and the progress of the project.
8. Paint & Primer In-One
These products are one of the most popular trends and newest in the industry. It’s a great idea considered by many. Who doesn’t want to make a painting job much easier by using a certain product that primes while painting?
While the results are amazing in theory, paint and primer have limited applications, especially in testing time. Once again, a good rule of thumb is to always stick to the high-quality manufacturers if you plan to use this product. Make sure to check the label to ensure the product is applicable for the intended use.
Key Takeaways
While some painting projects may not require any primer coat, still you should at least spot-prime all bare surfaces that need to be addressed even before applying the finish. And if you’re coating over any areas that are not painted before, you can follow the tips mentioned above to find the right primer category for your painting projects. You cannot go wrong if you choose the proper primer.
