Primers are a crucial part of the exterior house painting process, but not all projects require a full prime. Sometimes, only a spot prime is needed to cover specific areas, such as bare wood, new wood, and scraped old paint. The general rule is to prime first and then caulk, as caulk will stick better to porous surfaces.
Primers are not always necessary in every painting project, but understanding the available primers and their benefits is essential. In general, primers are not needed when re-painting a surface in good condition. A local Sherwin-Williams paint expert can provide additional information on primer usage.
Primers prep the painting surface and seal any stains, ensuring paint adhesion. Masonry walls can be primed with a thinned solution of water-based masonry paint. Handyguy Brian advises priming when painting over glossy paint to help new paint adhere to the surface well. Priming is an easy way to put a coat of paint on a surface.
Priming is generally recommended for residential exterior and interior painting, especially if coating a new surface or previously painted surfaces. Primers seal loose paper to the wall and prevent paper from absorbing moisture in the caulk. Oil primers are typically used for exterior surfaces, while cedar can last longer.
Priming walls first is essential for mud joints to absorb paint and take several coats over mudded areas. Most painting contractors use caulk first, creating a more seamless finish than bare caulk. Priming before texture gives the texture a better bond, but a second coat of primer should be applied over it.
📹 Watch This Before You Paint Your House’s Exterior – Spencer Colgan
This video provides a tip for anyone painting the exterior of a house. The speaker recommends using a bonding agent, like Perma Crete, to ensure the paint adheres well to the surface. This step is especially important for surfaces that feel chalky or have a film after power washing.
How many coats of primer over joint compound?
Primer is a base coat that is applied before the final coats of paint, preparing the surface for better adhesion and coverage. The number of coats needed depends on factors like the color, paint type, and the condition of the walls or surface being painted. However, two coats are typically used for most projects. Understanding when and how many coats of primer are necessary before painting is crucial for a successful project.
How many times do you prime a wall before painting?
For most painting projects, you will need two coats of primer. Apply liberally and let it dry fully before applying the final coat of interior paint. For dark or brightly colored walls, 2-3 coats of primer are recommended to ensure a good bond between the new paint and the wall and cover up any previous colors, especially red, orange, or outdated colors. For more painting advice, click the link provided.
How do I prep for exterior painting?
The exterior painting preparation process is crucial for health and safety reasons, as well as ensuring the new paint job looks good and lasts. To prepare a house for exterior painting, follow these basic steps: remove contaminants, wash the home, make any needed repairs, remove peeling paint, and prime the walls.
If you suspect lead paint, don’t try to scrape or sand it off, and don’t do any washing. A certified contractor must handle the removal of the paint before starting. Test the paint before proceeding with any further exterior painting prep.
A common contaminant, especially in humid areas, is mold or mildew. Look for black, green, or brown stains with a fuzzy appearance. If unsure, apply common bleach to the stain. Use bleach or another EPA-registered microbiocide or fungicide to remove mold and mildew. Look for cleaners and degreasers that can remove grime, grease, and oil.
What happens if you don’t prime exterior wood before painting?
A primer is crucial when painting a wooden surface, as wood is highly absorbent, similar to canvas. It is essential to prepare the surface before painting to prevent dull colors and fill in small gaps and cracks. Primer should be applied first on most surfaces to even out blemishes and achieve a smooth finish. It enhances sharpness and allows paint to stick to the surface, leading to higher durability for years.
It is essential to apply primer to the surface you plan to paint, regardless of experience, as it is a necessary step in painting, regardless of whether you are a beginner or a professional. It is essential to avoid painting untreated wood, as the color will lose its intended sharpness.
Can I paint over old exterior paint?
Before painting over old exterior paint, it’s crucial to assess the condition and type of the existing paint. If the paint is in good condition and adheres properly, a prime may not be necessary. However, if the paint is peeling, chalking, or flaking, it’s best to prime it before applying a new coat. Primer creates a smooth surface, promotes better adhesion between the old and new paint layers, and can block stains, especially if the old paint has water or rust stains.
Can you put compound on top of primer?
Myron Ferguson, who is commonly referred to as “That Drywall Guy,” describes his experience of incorporating a small quantity of mud into his primer prior to painting walls and ceilings. This method, as he reports, results in a more refined and even surface finish. This is due to the addition of drywall compound to the primer, which facilitates the creation of a more uniform and even surface.
Do you apply joint compound before or after primer?
Before painting, it is common to repair or patch walls with spackle or joint compound. If these repairs are small, you can apply a light coat of regular paint on those areas, known as “spot priming”. If you already have primer, use a little primer on those patch areas. If you are using the same or similar color, you don’t need to prime the whole wall.
For major wall color changes, a good primer with strong “hide” qualities is recommended to save time and money. For oil-based or glossy paints, scuffing the walls with sandpaper or a sanding block can achieve a good surface for new paint to adhere. If you are changing colors, you can use the primer without scuffing, but additional sanding won’t hurt. If you don’t need to prime due to a major color change, it is cheaper to scuff the walls.
Do I need to prime before exterior painting?
Primer is a crucial component in the exterior house painting process, creating a strong foundation for paint and ensuring maximum performance. However, it’s not always necessary to use a full prime, as a “spot prime” can be used to cover specific areas, such as repairs, bare wood, or blemishes. Spot primes are ideal for areas like patched wood, rot-replaced siding, or knots that keep bleeding through paint.
How do you prepare exterior wood before painting?
To ensure a long-lasting exterior paint job, follow these seven steps:
Clean the siding by hosing it down, scraping and sanding it, filling and repairing damaged areas, protecting doors, windows, and lights, applying stain blocking primer, caulking seams and cracks, and applying exterior paint.
Repaint wood siding every 3-5 years, depending on the climate, to maintain its appearance and prevent deterioration.
Choose new exterior paint colors carefully, as rushing or skipping crucial steps can compromise the time and expense invested in the project.
Hose down the siding by keeping the pressure low on a pressure washer to avoid damaging the wood and driving water into cracks and crevices.
Use cleaning agents designed for wood siding, follow package instructions carefully, wear protective gear, and allow the siding to dry before proceeding to the next step.
By following these steps, you can ensure a visually appealing and long-lasting exterior paint job that enhances your home’s value and curb appeal.
Do you prime a whole wall or just patches?
Prime the wall before applying paint to ensure better color blend and adhesion. Use high-quality latex primer and let it dry completely before applying paint to the touch-up area. Use the same paint and color, shaking the can before opening and stirring if necessary. Thin down the paint if it thickens over time. Use flat and lower-sheen paints for touch-ups to avoid noticeable differences in sheen, as they are easier to maintain without highlighting the touch-up.
Can I use paint with primer over joint compound?
Porous materials like tile, glass, or new cabinets or furniture need to be sealed with a pH-matched primer before applying paint. This prevents the need for multiple coats of paint, saving time, money, and energy. For hard, smooth surfaces like tile, glass, or furniture, a bonding primer is necessary to stick to the surface, preventing the paint from scraping off with a fingernail. This ensures a solid, long-lasting color coat.
📹 Priming Drywall – What You Need to Know
This video explains why using a primer sealer on fresh drywall is more cost-effective than using paint and primer in one product. The speaker, Paul, explains that primer sealers contain polyvinyl acrylics which soak into the pores of the drywall, creating a smooth surface for paint to adhere to. This results in fewer coats of paint being needed, ultimately saving money.
Priming drywall is a crucial step in achieving a flawless finish for your walls. Not only does it provide a smooth surface for paint application, but it also seals the porous material, enhancing paint adhesion and durability. Understanding the essentials of priming can make all the difference in your DIY projects or professional endeavors. From choosing the right primer to proper application techniques, this article covers everything you need to know to ensure your drywall looks its best. Don’t skip this vital step in the painting process!
painted for 15 years and you are spot on. Unfortunately when people buy new holmes the builder hires the cheapest painters they can find and the painter has to supply the paint. When this happens the painter will put two coats of the cheapest flat paint on the wall right over the drywall. I always hated that, felt like it was a crappy job. I loved it when the owner would contract us outright and pay the extra and we would prime the drywall with a primer first then put two coats of quality paint over it. Gotta say ive been doing alot of painting lately and absolutely hate how they have changed the paint, it leaves you zero time to work the paint. The drying time is ridiculous. I prefer a paint that takes longer to dry so you can spread it and get a beautiful finish. Top it off the paint nowadays destroys your brushes to boot.
– PVA is an acronym for Poly Vinyl Acetate. – PVA Primers deposit a rubbery synthetic polymer that seals over any tiny holes in the surface you apply it to, creating a solid surface for the paint to adhere to. It’s precisely this poly vinyl acetate that separates PVA primer from paint. It will adhere much better to porous surfaces rather than simply being absorbed like paint. However, it won’t cover over stains or colors in the base material and it is generally not a good wood sealer. – PVA Primer and Drywall Primer are both PVA primers and are exactly the same. The ONLY reason for the labeling difference is for marketing. Drywall Primer creates an exclusive association to drywall, and thus the best product to use for drywall. PVA Primer does not create that exclusive association, but same primer is also the best primer for brick, masonry, plaster, stucco, and some even throw in wood. A manufacturer could sell the same product in two different containers.
The reason you want a primer sealer is to seal the surface so humidity does not travel into the drywall compound and reactivate later and cause peeling. The primer grips the surface so later on you do not have peeling over the multi surfaces like old paint, sanded compound or scraped popcorn ceilings. When you prime and seal surfaces prior to finishing on existing surfaces you will use less mud and it will flow better on the work. Fresh drywall will not work well with paint and primers . It does not adhere well to sanded compound. I use “PPG Gripper” formerly “Glidden Gripper”…for me it has worked well.
Paint and primer in one is literally for idiots, first off primer is a sealer and can soak into a surface, Paint is a topcoat with no properties of primer, having both those properties in one can is impossible, glad you did address how much more expensive it would be to use, the idea with all in one is more for changing colors however I still haven’t found any paint that actually is one coat coverage like they claim on the can.
I purchased a rehab that the previous owners had hired out. The Sheetrock was only two years old. I hired someone to paint the house. He didn’t know much about painting, which I didn’t realize when I spoke to him originally. I found out after he had put down two coats of paint and the coverage was terrible. He figured out that the contractor DIDN’T use ANY sealer, but just white flat. Ugh! A Very expensive mistake!
This article reminds me of when I used to travel to Jamaica with my family several times a year. The children loved it. Especially, chasing the baby animal and waking up early to go out with their grandfather to feed the animals. They are all professionals now and give back to Jamaica in many ways. Bless up to you and your family.
Got a question man,, i skim coated my bathtoom wall with some all purpuse joint compund to get a smmoth looking wall to cover the old ugly texture. I did it, the wall is now smooth,, took me forever, but its not bad. I painted the wall with a valspar stain blocker /primer/waterbase. So when it dried i scratch it with my nail to see if it bonded and it peel off, almost all of it. I took off most of the peel, resanded, re-skim coated and now the wall is looking smooth again,,,, i also did a test on a extra piece of drywall i had,,, the valsoar adhered good to tje drywall . However when i skim coated the test drywall piece the valspar primer didnt hold on to the skim coat….. i dusted the piece well,, lightly went over it with a damp cloth to try to remove any dust….. still didnt hold. You have any recommendation for a primer that i can use,tjat i can buy at lowes or home depot…. what you think?
i bought the kilz drywall primer and after i had it at home on directions it says don’t use for priming under glossy finishes you have to use kilz 2 so if i am painting a bathroom with something like eggshell or satin the step below semigloss would this work for that i want a waterproof mold resistant top coat.
Thanks for this article. I’ve been tearing my hair out, first time drywaller trying to figure out if I could take the “easy” route and just use the paint+primer on new drywall, I did an entire room, 3 walls plus the ceiling so I have a lot. I’ll be grabbing a can of the drywall primer. I’m far from perfect too so maybe it’ll help hide some of the tiny pinholes and whatnot that I’ll have missed.
Most House builders (i.e., General Contractors) use basic paint to prime with. Of course it’s cheap. And it’s subpar! I did drywall for 20 years professionally. Honesty….that’s what I’ve seen. Make sure to watch your general house contractor who builds your house. Cooky cutter houses by BIG BUILDERS do this. AND YOU WILL NEVER KNOW until it’s way toooo late. Sorry. Just the way it is. BE WISE
Hey Paul, I had a ceiling patch done. It was about a 5 ft seam crack. They did the work texture looked perfect. After I painted 2 coats flat no primer it really is noticeable. Is this because of flashing due to no primer? It is knock down texture. Patch seems to be pretty flat, they built out pretty good 1.5 – 2ft Thanks in advance .
So glad that I found your article, and just in time. About to conquer a project where the drywall wasn’t primed originally, causing the paint to peel off, as well as the taped joints. Such an ugly mess that resulted years later, from lazy/unskilled drywallers. This is a tall recessed area in a bathroom that leads to a skylight. The bathroom also houses the washer and dryer, no doubt causing even more issues with heat and humidity. Do you have any more recommendations that would apply to this type of sheetrock repair, where constant humidity is an issue? Also, we are in south Georgia, two minutes from the Florida line, where heat is always an issue!
I disagree with this. We should look at “primer” as a process not a product. Pva does not seal drywall or mud at all. What it does is equalizes the absorbtion of paint into the paper and mud. If you splash a bit of water onto a surface primed with Pva, the water does not bead, it soaks in. This is proff right before your eyes that it is not sealed. Most actual wall paints do a better job of sealing drywall than all drywall specific primers do. You can see and feel the difference when you are applying yoir first and second coats of finish paint. The first coat sinks in and dries really fast. That is not a sealed surface. The second top coat actually sits on the surface, this is a sealed surface. I’ve been painting for 29 years and have tried and tested dozens and dozens of primers from Pva, to acrylic to shellac. Pva has no place in an efficient drywall painting system. Zero, none…waste of time and a huge waste of paint when doing your first top coat. Anyways, just my 2 cents on a subject I have been studying for the majority of my life.