Exactly What You Are Looking For - Paint Coatings for Each and Every Job
The right kind of coating is vital. If you select the incorrect paint, it won't matter how much effort and money you spend on your project. Too many perfectly great paint projects deteriorate too soon because poor quality primer and paint were used.
A dependable guideline is to match the existing covering. If you're painting or staining over a latex paint, recoat with latex. You may have all types of choices if the surface is uncoated, but you still need to consider climate, maintenance, and durability to find the best covering for the job.
Primers Are an Exciting Paint Product
Primer is the unsung hero of any quality paint job. It can determine how well the finish is protected and how long the paint will last. Knowing when to use primers messes up painters about just as much as which primers to make use of. Basically, you need to use a primer when you are covering a fresh or bare surface; changing colors, textures, or finishes; or making a surface more even. About the sole time you don't need to prime is if you are recoating with the same paint and finish over a solid paint, for example, a flat latex paint over another flat latex paint.
To make sure of compatibility, choose something that's part of your paint system. By paint system I am saying a primer and top layer manufactured by the same company. Labels of better paints always recommend specific primers and top coats for various materials and conditions. Unless you want to deal with reading the fine print, ask to view the spec, or data sheet, on a specific primer. In case a spec sheet isn't available, ask to see what's known as a “specifier’s guide,” although these guides probably have more information than you will ever need and you may want help translating a few of the terms and specifications.
Primers form a good foundation for the top coats by penetrating, sealing, and bonding to all types of bare surfaces. Without first priming a new or reconditioned surface, you'll find that the top coatings end up flaking off much sooner than you'll expect. While you may use additives such as Emulsabond, don't make the error of thinking that primers are optional, or can be produced out of diluted paint.
Usually in a single coat most primers smooth out surfaces and places that have been scraped and sanded. Sometimes a surface will need a second coat of primer to ensure an even undercoat, but often one will do. The house pictured below serves as an example of a job where two coats of primer were used. The bare wood siding was primed with an oil-based primer for extra adhesion. Then, a latex primer was applied over all the siding to give it a smooth base for the top coats. Some climates almost demand another layer of primer. I've heard about one contractor in Florida who always double primes to guarantee that his jobs last. If you live near to salt water, I would recommend that you take into account doing the same.
Primers highlight surface conditions by pointing out imperfections such as loose fibers in drywall and raised wood grain in trim. You might feel that a primer would smooth a surface, but if you run your hand over a primed portion of trim it always feels rough. That's because primer makes out loose grain as it penetrates. After a dried primer has been lightly sanded, the smoothed surface is ready for coats. (Here is a tip: In the event that you tint your primer the colour of the finish coat, you can actually quicken the painting process by minimizing the number of top layers needed. Tinting is mainly used for color changes, although it is also handy for surfaces like bare drywall.)
Improve Your Priming For Interior Walls and Ceilings
I would recommend using latex primers wherever possible. Ask your paint dealer for advice on the best primer for interior trouble spots, including the laundry room and shower, that need a good sealant and a water resistant primer. I've always used alkyd primers in wetter areas of the house, although there are great latex primers that seal equally well. I prime most drywall interiors with latex, especially the bed rooms, living room, and closets. I usually spray a latex primer on new construction because new structures have satisfactory vapor barriers. Also, I can paint an oil-based top layer over latex primer.
Older houses call for room-by-room decisions on what primer to work with. If the house doesn't have a vapor barrier or good ventilation, you will need a primer that seals the wall surfaces and keeps moisture from getting between your surface and the paint.
Latex stain blockers and sealers might be the response to priming wet rooms inside your home. These quick drying primers help condition areas with water, cigarette smoke, and tannin spots, and they can be recoated rapidly, sometimes within the hour. Pittsburgh's Seal Grip is a great latex stain blocker with few VOCs and all of the advantages of an oil-based stain blocker. Quick drying alkyd primers such as Kilz have pigmented shellac (with high VOCs) that also acts as a stain killer and sealer, but I don't recommend these for latex top coats, the shellac might show through the latex. If your latex has what's known as “good hold" or hiding properties, it will maintain a consistant sheen over primer. You can guarantee compatibility by utilizing a high quality latex stain blocker such as Seal Grip.
With regards to walls, remember that plaster and drywall will vary. Plaster is highly alkaline, particularly when it's new, and it can leach alkaline salts if it is not properly sealed. There are plenty of primers you can use on plaster, depending on its condition and on the top coat and finish that you've planned.
Drywall is a lot less alkaline than plaster. I usually prime drywall with a latex primer, unless the top coats will be an oil-based paint, in which case I'll use an alkyd primer. (I understand that there are perfectly good latex primers for just about any kind of top coat, but old patterns are hard to let go of.) When painting new drywall, I'll sometimes add joint compound to the primer for a little texture. Mixed with primer, joint compound also helps even out over any sanding marks or roughness.
Primers For Interior Wood – Safely
When choosing primer, you should think about the nature and condition of the surface, the kind of paint (alkyd, latex, or epoxy) that is planned for the finish coats, and the kind of finish (flat, semi-gloss, or glossy).
Frequently I prime interior trim with an exterior alkyd primer, which seals new wood and replaces lost dampness in older wood. There are also good water-based enamel primers for interior wood. Special conditions, including the high moisture common in bathing rooms and kitchens, may require a breathable latex primer if you cannot prime all around the wood. When you can completely prime the wood before it goes up, an alkyd primer will protect almost all of the trim from dampness. Assess conditions like these carefully and seek the advice of a specialist if your job has many different variables
Improved Exterior Primers
Even though I favor latex paint for the outside, I still prefer to use alkyd primers on exterior wood. They simply do an improved job of priming bare wood. I'll use an alkyd primer if I know that the house has no major internal vapor problems and that the wood is in good shape (which usually means that it is new), particularly if I have access to the siding and trim before it is attached to the building. It's always best to seal all over the wood (but not the ends) to provide each piece its vapor barrier.
New redwood and cedar siding, as well as hardboard siding, needs special attention. Redwood and cedar will bleed tannins for a long time, even if the wood has air-dried for months. Before priming, you should wash out the tannin with a gentle detergent, and follow this with a good rinsing. Redwood and cedar are fairly porous, so you might need to hold back a day or two to let them dry out. There are a good chance that more tannin resin will seep to the surface, so avoid priming with latex because the resin will bleed through. Instead, use two coats of an alkyd primer/sealer, and use high quality latex for the top coatings. Any staining that happens after that can usually be washed off with special hardwood cleaners.
Hardboard siding, new or already coated, presents a special challenge. The lack of grain or anything resembling a porous surface makes hardboards such as Masonite difficult to adhere to. When the wood is new then pressure wash and rinse it. If water still beads up, wash it again to eliminate all the wax. Seal new hardboard with a specially produced hardboard primer/sealer, such as Pittsburgh Paints Permanizer Plus Wood Stabilizer. When mixed with a top coating, Emulsabond makes a great hardboard primer. These and other high quality sealers also work very well on aluminum or vinyl siding, plywood veneers, textured wood, and other composite sidings.
Primers For Metals Applications
Every metal should be cleaned of oil, grease, rust, or any other residue before you prime it, so the primer gets thorough contact with the area. Most metal surfaces can be cleaned with a good thinner. Galvanized metals sometimes come from the factory with a stabilizer that may be tough to remove, and could need more than simply thinner. Check with your paint store if you need to be certain a primer will work on new galvanized metal surfaces.
You will find primers for each kind of metal. Ferrous metals, made of iron and steel, should be primed with a rust inhibitor. Rust is almost impossible to completely remove if you don't sandblast it, and even then small pockets of rust can remain that will grow back again under an unsealed surface or the incorrect primer. Rust inhibitors totally seal the surface from exposure to air. Some companies refer to these primers as direct-to-rust or direct-to-metal (DTM) primers. Smaller jobs like handrails can be primed with aerosol rust inhibitors such as Pratt & Lambert's Effecto Spray Enamel, which I've got success using.
Other metals, including copper, aluminum, bronze, and brass, should be layered with zinc-chromate primer. Some paint companies have a particular primer for new galvanized metal. Older galvanized material can be primed with a rust inhibitor like those mentioned previously.
Much like any top coating, the additional time the primer is able to flow and contact the surface, the better the adhesion. Quick setting primers don't flow much in any way and stay right where they're painted, for good or for bad. A clean surface is particularly important when you use an instant drying primer. Note that some paint manufacturers recommend cleaning metals (and most other surfaces) with a thinner, while others advise against using any kind of solvent cleaner. Read the directions carefully.
An old technique that still is effective for cleaning new or old metals is washing the outer layer with a one-to-one mix of vinegar and water. Vinegar is an all-purpose, inexpensive cleaner that will also etch a metallic material if combined at that ratio. Etching metal works like sanding wood. It gives the surface "teeth" for better adhesion. That same ratio is useful for new rain gutters or uncoated aluminum siding. However, it should not be utilized to clean galvanized metals, because the vinegar will harm the galvanizing.
Improved Masonry Primers
Whether it's inside or out, masonry usually requires a primer or sealer that will resist moisture and alkalis. Alkalis are salts that leach out as time passes, leaving a chalky stain called efflorescence. The cause of the efflorescence, usually moisture, must be fixed for alkali-resistant primers and sealers to help. New masonry has to cure for 90 days before you apply primer and paint it, especially if it's highly alkaline, like stucco.
Sherwin Williams has a masonry primer called Loxon that withstands alkalinity up to pH 13; it could be painted on masonry that is a week old. Stucco, which is actually colored mortar and packed with lime, is an ideal surface for Loxon, as is new plaster or poured concrete. Pittsburgh Paints can provide a primer for new, high-alkaline masonry, called Speedhide Alkali Resistant Primer; it's made for oil-based paint. You also can add this primer to cured masonry with a latex top coating, but it is important that you use latex only on low alkaline masonry. In these situations I've had success adding Emulsabond to the latex for extra adhesion. I would recommend it for nearly all masonry applications.
Etching with muriatic acid used to be the only way to speed up the curing time of cement. You are able to still etch if you are so inclined, although if I never see another box of muriatic acid, that would be just fine. (If it etches cement, imagine how well it etches skin!) Etching takes a bucket, hose, brush, gloves, and complete eye and skin protection, don't forget a respirator, especially when you mix the acid with the water. Important: Add the acid to water, not the other way around. In the event that you add water to acid it'll splash and burn up anything it contacts. And blend it in the correct ratio, usually one to three. Make sure you have brushes, sponges, towels, and least one 5 gallon bucket of clean water for emergencies, and another 5 gallon bucket for rinsing.
Reconditioning older, peeling concrete floors can be a chore. It's best to keep them well preserved and recoat them regularly, before they have to be completely redone. Cement surfaces in really bad shape should be sandblasted, or you may use a fresh system called Peel-Away that makes prepping masonry a lttle bit easier (it's still no picnic). If the surface is in good condition, prep the surface and remove any trace of grease or wax with a good thinner.
For new concrete floors, I would recommend a cement stain manufactured by H&C or Okon; they come in water based and silicone acrylic. My choice is the water based stain, since silicon is a wax that eventually will wash off. Concrete stain penetrates and seals without needing scraping or sandblasting, and resists fading better than a top covering like latex.
Older, pre-painted concrete floors have to be repainted with a similar top coating, whether latex or alkyd. A latex top coat is best applied over a standard concrete sealer, but Emulsabond also works well. An oil-based top coat requires an oil-based enamel or epoxy concrete conditioner. I would add Penetrol to the primer for a longer lasting bond.
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