Primers should be painted over within 30 days, with some exceptions. Latex-based primers typically have a shorter drying time, typically 30 minutes or less, depending on factors such as drying time, surface material, temperature, and humidity. Water-based primers can dry to the touch in 1 hour, but require 2 hours before recoating. A full cure takes 24 hours.
Primers can sit overnight before painting, but it is important to choose a high drying temperature. Most primers fully cure after about 24 hours, and after that point, your model will be ready for paint. To top-coat, let it dry for at least 16 hours without rain and no dew. Top-coating should be done on the third day, which usually takes 16-24 hours.
Primers have various time frames for topcoating, with stainblocking primers usually taking less than an hour. Paint primers take about an hour to dry, depending on the type of primer and surface being primed. Latex primers typically dry to the touch in 30 minutes to one hour, but for best results, don’t paint until the primer completely dries, which can take up to 3 hours.
Most primer manufacturers state that primers should be painted over within 30 days, but some may go further. If using a quality epoxy primer, you can wait a month or so before painting. It is essential to choose a high drying temperature and allow the primer to sit for at least 24 hours before painting.
📹 Primer Before Paint: When Is It Necessary & When Is It A Waste?
It’s not always necessary to apply primer before paint. We’ll tell you when you should and when you’re wasting your time and …
Can primer sit too long?
Primer is a paint that can be left on for an extended period of time before painting, but it is important to avoid rushing the process, as this can lead to complications. In the event that priming is conducted without a prolonged period of exposure, it is advisable to place the model(s) in a box to prevent the accumulation of dust. It is inadvisable to utilise plastic bags or coverings, as they may interact adversely with the primer and paint. It is recommended to begin with an insignificant quantity of primer and then gradually increase the amount.
Can I leave primer unpainted for a week?
Water-based primers, based on acrylic resins, are preferred for their quick drying time, brilliant opacity, and lower VOC levels, making them less harmful. They are ideal for bare drywall, new timber, and areas where wood damage has been filled. They also work well on brickwork, rendering, plaster, and metal, maintaining a malleable, crack-resistant layer with good adhesive properties for subsequent painting.
On the other hand, oil-based primers are less frequently applied and are more commonly used on surfaces in frequent contact with hands and fingers, such as doors, wooden sash windows, stairway banisters, and cupboards. Oil-based primers are effective in removing stains and preventing future ones, such as ink, nicotine, and water. Both types of primers offer benefits for various surfaces and can be easily cleaned with water.
What happens if you don’t paint over exterior primer?
Primer is not designed to withstand the elements and should be topcoated within several weeks for proper bonding. If left uncovered, it may deteriorate and chalk, preventing future paint coats from adhering properly. Primer also has a flat sheen, which doesn’t hold up as well to sun, rain, and dirt as satin or glossy paints. Danny Lipford, a home improvement expert and television personality, started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at 21.
He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford. His expertise in home improvement has led him to contribute to popular magazines and websites, and he has made over 200 national television appearances. He is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner. com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.
How long can you leave an undercoat before painting?
The member, who has been a member since September 2020, advises that the undercoat can be left for a few weeks as long as it remains clean and free from marks or stains.
What happens if you paint on primer too soon?
It is recommended that a minimum of 24 hours elapse before the application of paint over primer to prevent the potential for improper adhesion, flaking, and peeling. The time required for paint to dry is contingent upon a number of factors, including the time of year and the temperature of the environment in which the paint is being applied. Additionally, climatic conditions can influence the rate of paint drying and recoating, particularly in the context of time-sensitive interior painting projects.
Is it okay to leave primer unpainted?
Primer, in contrast to paint, is deficient in the essential binders, pigments, and additives that are necessary for the formation of a durable, moisture-resistant barrier. The lack of a protective coating renders unpainted primer susceptible to damage from a variety of environmental factors, including water and UV radiation. This can result in the formation of cracks and fissures, as well as peeling and overall deterioration of the surface. Topcoats provide a protective layer against scratches, stains, and impacts, while primer adheres effectively to the underlying surface.
What happens if you leave primer unpainted?
Primer, in contrast to paint, is devoid of the essential binders, pigments, and additives that are necessary for the formation of a durable, moisture-resistant barrier. The lack of a protective coating renders unpainted primer susceptible to damage from a variety of environmental factors, including water and UV radiation. This can result in the formation of cracks and fissures, as well as peeling and overall deterioration of the surface. Topcoats provide a protective layer against scratches, stains, and impacts, while primer adheres effectively to the underlying surface.
How long can I leave primer before painting?
The typical drying time for latex primers is between 30 minutes and an hour. However, for optimal results, it is recommended to wait for the primer to completely dry, which can take up to three hours, depending on temperature and humidity.
How long is too long for a primer?
The size of a primer is crucial for amplifying DNA fragments. Short primers are used for small, simple DNA fragments, while long primers are used for eukaryotic genomic DNA samples. Short primers produce inaccurate, nonspecific DNA amplification products, while long primers result in slower hybridizing rates. The DNA fragment should be within 1-10 kB in size. The primer’s structure should be simple, without internal secondary structure, and avoid primer-primer annealing, which disrupts the amplification process.
If unsure about a nucleotide position, a mixed site can be included, and a nucleotide-based molecular insert (inosine) can be used for broader pairing capabilities. Primers should generally have the following properties.
How long does exterior primer take to cure?
Primer typically drys quickly, but it takes at least 30-60 minutes to cure before adding the next coat. It takes at least 3 hours before adding another coat or removing the new color. The first coat of exterior paint should be fully dry to the touch, which can take 3-10 hours. For latex-based paint, the first coat should dry for 3 to 5 hours before adding the next coat. Latex paint typically drys in 1-3 hours, but it’s crucial to ensure the previous coat is fully dried before adding the next one.
How long can exterior primer go unpainted?
FPE Oil Primer/Undercoat is a high-performance, tintable primer suitable for both interior and exterior wooden surfaces. It can remain unpainted for up to twelve months before painting, making it an ideal foundation for the HOLLANDLAC, ECO, and Eurolux House Paint systems. For fiberglass doors, one coat of Oil Primer/Undercoat must be applied over Key Primer, as Hollandlac Brilliant 98 or Satin is the desired topcoat. This primer is a separate item that must be purchased in addition to the Dutch Door Kit.
It is essential for new, unpainted surfaces to receive HOLLANDLAC Enamel or Swedish Putty, and is particularly recommended for exterior substrates in poor condition. The use of Oil Primer/Undercoat makes paint application easier, faster, and more economical, ensuring maximum adhesion and longevity of the finish coat. It also prevents moisture penetration and ensures uniform opacity of finish coats.
📹 How to get perfect primer before painting your car!
In this episode, I share with you how to mix apply block and sand primer in order to prepare your primer perfectly for paint. I’ll also …
As a professional painter I appreciate the article. Good information. One thing I would add is always prime over previously painted surfaces if that surface was painted with an oil-based finish coat and you are planning on painting over it with a latex finish coat. This situation happens a lot with woodwork. The paint on my sister’s woodwork was peeling off only a few months after she had her entire house painted. The people she hired painted over her woodwork with a water-based latex paint without checking to make sure the original finish was oil-based. Turns out it was. I went around and took several days to scrape off the latex finish, priming it, and then applying a latex finish coat. Luckily it was a one-floor home. Also, some people may ask why you would prime over a previously-painted wall area simply because it was a dark color. If you plan on changing the color to a lighter one, priming once (or even twice in some extreme circumstances such as going from a navy blue to an off-white) will likely save you money as most primers are relatively cheap compared to quality finish coats. So one coat of primer and two coats of finish paint will cost less than three coats of finish paint.
We cleaned our walls in our new house before painting (gave it ample time to dry as well) we painted emerald interior paint from SW. It started bubbling and we could peel off of the still wet SW paint and the existing paint on the wall was coming up with it as well. Showing another paint layer behind all of that. We think the paint existing on the wall is a very cheap paint and or didn’t bond well to the paint before it. What SW primer would you recommend before we paint with their emerald paint? We have the extreme bond primer already that we used to prom our trim (a SW worker recommended it for the trim).
@2:45 “use this primer, otherwise you’ll be using 4 or 5 coats of paint” ????? c’mon man !!!! not true ….. you should prime raw wood so the paint sticks to the wood, NOT so you don’t have to paint it 4 or 5 times …. I could put 2 coats of paint on raw wood and it will cover …. but it won’t STICK !!!!! Raw wood gets primed so the paint will stick, and I have used Behr Ultra on raw wood (Ultra is “paint and primer”) and it worked well, it acted like a solid color stain on first coat, 2nd coat covered just fine ….. Having said that, not ALL paints that say “Paint and primer” work like that, so I pretty much always prime raw wood generally speaking
Thank you! I have old, original basement windows of my 70’s house (not egress!) and they allow plenty of light in and anyways I hate the idea of replacing them. I’ve tried primers from Home Depot and Menards cheaper exterior primers to zinzer and all primers have peeled off sometimes within months. So after having the siding replaced and new upstairs windows installed I decided to tackle this once again but doing it the right way with sanding or prepping first. I started on just one first to get familiar with the process and sanded one window removing all the original leftover paint which wasn’t much left and freshened the old wood which some was rotting. I used Bondo’s wood hardner/restorer next going with 4 coats in total applying every 2 min anywhere the wood was softer than other spots and that made a big difference and definitely worked to harden the wood again. This wood was really soft below the glass which makes sense but this product worked perfectly. Then I moved onto Bondo’s wood filler which dried almost immediately because of the heat but I eventually filled places where the wood had rotted away or there were holes, etc. and after waiting a few hrs I finally put on my first coat of SW’s exterior oil-based wood primer and it seemed to take better than zinzers primer. Probably sanding and removing dirty, rotting wood was the biggest help but I think I’ll add one more coat of this primer and I’ll top coat or paint with SW’s Direct to Metal exterior paint I had left over from painting the metal doors.
I painted wood and the paint did not stick after 1 month of curing. Everyone seems to talk about hiding the woodgrain, but I want the woodgrain. After 3 coats of paint, I still had the wood grain look, but the peeling killed my project. I feel I need a primer, but not to hide wood grain. Is this possible?
What SW latex primer would you use for remodel where there is a combination of existing painted drywall, drywall patching and new drywall? The multipurpose? PVA? Or a combination of both (or maybe the PVA on all the new drywall and patches and then the multipurpose over everything once the PVA dries? Thanks.
When I first moved into my house over 20 years ago I did not know better and I painted my living room and dinning room with oil based paint. By the second time I painted with regular paint I noticed that in some areas the paint peeled. Now I know why, the second time I painted it was not with oil based paint but if you touch my walls it seems like I never painted with a different paint because you can feel how slippery the wall is. I need to paint again and I want to know what kind of primer should I use. I think something to cover the oil base paint because it feels like it is still on the walls.
And on top of that the stupid people that I paint for refuse to spend any more money on paint and then this necessary, so always using the cheapest paints and it’s the worst thing you can ever do to paint with, but they don’t seem to get it through their head if they spent 20 more dollars on a gallon of paint, it would take literally an hour or two less of me, trying to put it down the damn walls
Primer is a waste of time and money. If The primer dries in on naval lead, and your topcoats will dry in on evenly. It makes no sense unless you’re gonna put a second go to primer on now you’re at four coats of paint by your paint put it on the walls make it two coats possibly three and it’ll all be even it’s still amount of time, putting one to two coats of primer or one or two coats of paint. It may even save you time and money. It’s a joke primer is a joke never use it never had a problem.
Great upload Sir! I am just the regular diy guy trying to get away with murder, I guess, compared to a pro painter. I do it this way: ‘ Clean your surface with bathroom cleaner and Scotch brite. Sand with 600 grit. Clean with window cleaner. Clean with water. Dry the water off with paper. Add primer. 4 layers. Then paint. Lol. Pinstripe on the background paint. Add nitrocellulose lacquer. 3 layers. But as you may understand, I look at this to learn even more. And before even adding primer is where I am cheating. But this article helps! Thx!
I use sealers on all the old cars I do. Already learned my lesson on paint reactions. On an overall paint job I sometimes use the Speedokote 1 k sealer and it leaves a nice smooth surface for the paint to bond to. I go over the surface and tack it if I feel any dust, I hit it with one of those sanding pads lightly. Current job is a 65 Corvair that had the original single stage on it. What a work out this car is giving me!
Hi, could you give me a bit of help, I bought a car that has been repainted all under the hood area and it had a few chips in the paint so I started to repair it but then I found that the entire paint was just peeling off and had not stuck to the surface at all so I used a paint scraper and just remover every bit of the paint back to the original Black paint underneath as the car was originally Black but now I am wondering why the paint did not stick so I can do it again without the same problems. Can you give me any advice as to what to do now. Thanks.
I realized I made an oopsie after I did it, so I was sanding a spoiler for my car and got carried away with sanding, I did not have 600 grit sand paper and skipped from 500 to 800 and then wet sanded it with 800 to finish off, that was before primer, I realized I was sanding like I was prepping for paint instead of primer, is it okay to apply primer after sanding with such fine grit?
Great article as always. The cubitron II is awesome nice to see you using it. I love the uniform scratch. If you use any on the DA I noticed the vacuum hole hook and loop is way better than the mesh. The mesh on the DA seems to get its edges deformed and the amount of actual abrasive on the disk is less due to the mesh. The vacuum performance is great with just the holed disk. I imagine doing a few panels per job they would last you a while after hand blocking it out to 180-240! Thanks for the article Chris.
Interesting article Chris, I like using sealer as it gives a uniform colour to apply your base but the issue I often have is that I get dieback in the clear after it’s fully cured, I’m not sure if dieback is the correct term but straight after applying the clear it looks great but the next day it looks textured like the sealer has pinched back but this only happens when using sealer, any suggestions to stop this would be appreciated👍John UK
What is recommended for a Good flexible primer sealer for plastic bumpers? I have the Seymour PBE Flexible Primer and SEM Flexible Primer Surfacer and they work GREAT! but im looking for Primer Sealers out of a can that I can use next… Either a 1k or 2k but definitely prefer a 2k can that either is activated by moisture in the air, or has a 2 part chamber system inside the can… Any recommendations!
Not sure where you found the Gunbudd but my man Tony sells them. I’m one of his oldest VIP’s at Learnautobodyandpaint. I’m no pro but pretty well read so a couple others and I train newbies even if we’re somewheat new ourselves. Did you buy any Atom guns? I gifted on away but I still have the tiny X16… Tony is a good man.
Coming from woodworking it’s hard to wrap my brain around a 320 scratch for primer. I was always taught the bigger the scratch the better the grab. I see new vehicles with paint falling off in chunks and can’t help but think they need a bigger scratch. Gm vans have been falling off for years now I see white Hyundais with paint falling off.
Really like your articles a lot. Do you have any articles on what to do if you run into issues after you have finished your body work, like how to deal with pinholes found in body filler areas after primer? Or how to handle deep scratches in the body filler that were not filled by the high build primer? I’m a newbie at this body work and trying to learn how to handle mess ups after I’ve made them
Early on in the article you talk about the importance of sanding up to 320 grit. And if you don’t, the materials will shrink in the sun and anything courser than 320 grit will show through. I had a weird situation where I put a wheel well on a rusted pick up truck about 15 years ago. Instead of my usual welding, I was experimenting with Eastwood’s blind rivet and panel adhesive. I thought it would prevent rust at the seam. Years later, I noticed you could see almost perfectly where the wheel arch replacement panel and original body sheet metal met. In addition to that, You could see where each rivet was perfectly. What would’ve caused that? I usually wet sand up to 1000 grit before shooting Paint. It looked great for years.