Exactly What You Are Looking For - Paint Coatings for Each and Every Job
The right kind of coating is vital. If you pick the wrong paint, it won't matter how much effort and money you spend on your project. Too many flawlessly great paint jobs deteriorate too early because poor quality primer and paint were used.
A dependable guideline is to match the existing finish. If you are painting or staining over a latex paint, recoat with latex. You could have all types of choices if the material is uncoated, but you still need to consider local climate, maintenance, and durability to determine the best finish for the job.
How We Improved Our Painting With Primers
Primer is the unsung hero of any quality paint job. It determines how well the finish is protected and exactly how long the paint will last. Knowing when to use primers trips up painters about just as much as which primers to use. Basically, you need to use a primer if you are coating a new or bare surface; changing colors, textures, or finishes; or making a surface more uniform. About the only time you don't have to prime is if you are recoating with the same paint and finish over a sound paint, for example, a flat latex paint over another flat latex paint.
To ensure compatibility, choose a product that's part of a paint system. By paint system I am saying a primer and top coat produced 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 small print, ask to read the spec, or data sheet, on a specific primer. If 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 or any types of bare surfaces. Without first priming a new or reconditioned surface, you will discover that the top coats end up flaking off much earlier than you would expect. While you may use additives such as Emulsabond, don't make the mistake of convinced that primers are optional, or can be made out of diluted paint.
Usually in one coat most primers smooth out surfaces and places that have been scraped and sanded. Sometimes a surface will need a second coating of primer to ensure a level undercoat, but often one is enough. The house pictured below serves as an exemplory case of a job where two applications 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 provide it an even base for the top coats. Some climates almost demand another coating of primer. I've heard of one contractor in Florida who always double primes to ensure that his jobs last. In the event that you live near ocean water, I would recommend that you consider doing the same.
Primers highlight surface conditions by pointing out imperfections such as loose fibers in drywall and raised wood grain in trimming. You might feel that a primer would even out a surface, but if you run your hand over a primed piece of wood trim it always feels abrasive. That's because primer causes out loose grain as it penetrates. After a dried primer has been lightly sanded, the smoothed surface is ready for coats. (Here's a tip: In the event that you tint your primer the colour of the top coat, you can actually quicken the painting process by lowering the number of top coats needed. Tinting is mainly used for color changes, although it's also handy for areas like bare drywall.)
Amazing Way To Use Primers For Interior Wall Space and Ceilings
I recommend using latex primers wherever possible. Ask your paint dealer for advice on the best primer for interior problem areas, including the laundry room and bath, that require a good sealant and a water resistant primer. I've always used alkyd primers in wetter areas of the house, although there are excellent latex primers that seal similarly as well. I prime most drywall interiors with latex, especially the bedrooms, living room, and closets. I spray a latex primer on new construction because new structures have satisfactory vapor barriers. Also, I can paint an oil-based top coat over latex primer.
Older houses call for room-by-room decisions on what primer to make use of. If the home doesn't have a vapor barrier or good ventilation, you will require a primer that seals the surfaces and keeps wetness from getting between your surface and the paint.
Latex stain blockers and sealers will be the answer to priming wet rooms in your residence. These quick drying primers help condition surfaces with water, cigarette smoke, and tannin staining, and they can be recoated very quickly, sometimes within the hour. Pittsburgh's Seal Grip is a superb latex stain blocker with few VOCs and all the features 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. In case your latex has what's known as “good hold" or hiding properties, it will maintain a consistant sheen over primer. You may guarantee compatibility by using a high quality latex stain blocker such as Seal Grip.
With regards to walls, understand that plaster and drywall are different. Plaster is highly alkaline, in particular when it's new, and it can leach alkaline salts if it isn't properly sealed. There are plenty of primers you may use on plaster, depending on its condition and on the top layer and finish you've planned.
Drywall is much less alkaline than plaster. I usually prime drywall with a latex primer, unless the top coatings will be an oil-based paint, in which particular case I'll use an alkyd primer. (I know that we now have perfectly good latex primers for any kind of top coat, but old practices 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.
Improved Primers For Interior Wood
When choosing primer, you should consider the nature and condition of the surface, the kind of paint (alkyd, latex, or epoxy) that is planned for the finish coats, and the sort of finish (flat, semi-gloss, or glossy).
Frequently I prime interior trim with an exterior alkyd primer, which seals new wood and replaces lost moisture in older wood. There are also good water-based enamel primers for interior wood. Special conditions, like the high moisture common in bath rooms and kitchens, may call for a breathable latex primer if you cannot prime all around the wood. If you can completely apply primer the wood before it is attached in place, an alkyd primer will protect almost all of the wood trim from dampness. Assess conditions like these carefully and seek the advice of a specialist if your project has many different variables
Improved Exterior Primers
Even though I favor latex paint for the outside, I still would prefer to use alkyd primers on exterior wood. They simply do a much better job of priming bare wood. I'll use an alkyd primer if I know that the house does not have any major internal vapor problems and that the wood is in good condition (which usually means that it's new), especially if I had access to the siding and trim before it is attached to the building. It's always better to seal all over the wood (however, not the ends) to provide each piece its own 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 light detergent, and follow this with a good rinsing. Redwood and cedar are fairly porous, so you may need to wait a day or two to let them dry out. There are a good chance that more tannin resin will seep to the outside, so avoid priming with latex because the resin will bleed through. Instead, use two coats of any alkyd primer/sealer, and use high quality latex for the final coats. Any staining that occurs after that can usually be washed off with special timber 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 bond to. If 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 created hardboard primer/sealer, such as Pittsburgh Paints Permanizer Plus Wood Stabilizer. When mixed with a top coat, Emulsabond makes a great hardboard primer. These and other high quality sealers also work well on aluminum or vinyl siding, plywood veneers, textured wood, and other composite sidings.
Improved Metal Primers
Every metallic should be cleaned of oil, grease, rust, or any other residue before you prime it, so the primer gets thorough attachment with the surface. Most metal areas can be cleaned with a good thinner. Galvanized metals sometimes come from the factory with a stabilizer that may be tough to remove, and may need more than just thinner. Check with your paint store if you want to be certain a primer will continue to work on new galvanized metallic surfaces.
You can find primers for each kind of metal. Ferrous metals, manufactured from iron and steel, should be primed with a rust inhibitor. Rust is nearly impossible to totally remove unless you sandblast it, and even then small pockets of rust can remain that will grow again under an unsealed surface or the incorrect primer. Rust inhibitors totally seal the surface from exposure to air. Some companies make reference to these primers as direct-to-rust or direct-to-metal (DTM) primers. Smaller projects 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 specific primer for new galvanized metal. Older galvanized material can be primed with a rust inhibitor like those mentioned above.
Much like any top coat, the additional time the primer has 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 applied, for better or for worse. A clean surface is particularly important when using an instant drying primer. Remember that some paint manufacturers recommend cleaning metals (and most other surfaces) with a thinner, while other companies suggest against using almost any solvent cleaner. Read the directions carefully.
A vintage technique that still works well for cleaning new or old metals is washing the surface with a one-to-one mix of vinegar and water. Vinegar is an all-purpose, inexpensive cleaner that will also etch a metal material if combined at that ratio. Etching metal works like sanding wood. It provides surface "teeth" for better adhesion. That same ratio is handy for new rain gutters or uncoated aluminum siding. However, it should not be used to completely clean galvanized metals, because the vinegar will damage the galvanizing.
Amazing Primers For Masonry
Whether it's inside or out, masonry usually requires a primer or sealer that will resist water and alkalis. Alkalis are salts that leach out as time passes, leaving a chalky stain called efflorescence. The cause of the efflorescence, usually water, must be fixed for alkali-resistant primers and sealers to help. New masonry has to cure for 3 months before you prime and paint it, especially if it is highly alkaline, like stucco.
Sherwin Williams has a masonry primer called Loxon that withstands alkalinity up to pH 13; it can be painted on masonry that is seven days old. Stucco, which is basically tinted mortar and packed with lime, is a great 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 designed for oil-based paint. Additionally you can add this primer to cured masonry with a latex top layer, 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 many masonry applications.
Etching with muriatic acid used to be the only procedure to speed up the curing time of concrete. You can still etch if you are so willing, although if I never see another box of muriatic acid, that could be just fine. (If it etches concrete, imagine how well it etches skin!) Etching requires a bucket, hose, brush, gloves, and complete eye and skin protection, remember a respirator, particularly when you blend the acid with the water. Important: Add the acid to the water, not the other way around. In the event that you add water to acid it will splash and burn up anything it contacts. And combine it in the proper ratio, usually 1:3. Be 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 cement floors can be considered a chore. It's best to keep them well preserved and recoat them regularly, before they need to be completely redone. Cement flooring surfaces in really bad shape should be sandblasted, or you may use a new system called Peel-Away that makes prepping masonry a lttle bit easier (it's still no picnic). If the floor is in good shape, prep the area and remove any trace of grease or wax with a good thinner.
For new cement floors, I would recommend a cement stain created by H&C or Okon; they come in water based and silicone acrylic. My preference is the water based stain, since silicone is a wax that eventually will wash off. Concrete stain penetrates and seals without requiring scraping or sandblasting, and resists fading much better than a top coating like latex.
Older, pre-painted concrete floors need to be repainted with a similar top coat, whether latex or alkyd. A latex top coat is best applied over a typical concrete sealer, but Emulsabond also is effective. 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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