Exactly What You Are Looking For - Paint Coatings for Every Job
The right type of coating is essential. If you pick the wrong paint, it will not matter how much time and money you may spend on your job. Too many perfectly great paint jobs deteriorate too early because the wrong primer and paint were used.
A dependable rule of thumb is to complement the existing finish. If you're painting or staining over a latex paint, recoat with latex. You could have a myriad of choices if the material is uncoated, nevertheless, you still need to consider environment, maintenance, and durability to determine the best covering for for the project.
Primers Are an Exciting Paint Product
Primer is the unsung hero of any quality paint job. It can determine how well the top surface is protected and how long the paint can last. Knowing when to use primers trips up painters almost nearly as much as which primers to use. Basically, you will need to use a primer if you are coating a fresh or bare surface; changing colors, textures, or finishes; or making a surface more uniform. About the sole time you don't have to prime is when you're recoating with the same paint and finish over a solid paint, for example, a flat latex paint over another flat latex paint.
To ensure compatibility, choose a product that's part of your paint system. By paint system I am saying a primer and top layer produced by the same company. The 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 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 significantly more information than you will ever need and you might need help translating some of the terms and specifications.
Primers form an even foundation for the top coats by penetrating, sealing, and bonding to all types of bare areas. Without first priming a fresh or reconditioned surface, you will discover that the top coatings end up flaking off much sooner than you would expect. Even though you may use additives such as Emulsabond, don't make the mistake of thinking that primers are optional, or can be produced out of diluted paint.
Usually in one coat most primers smooth out surfaces and places which may have been scraped and sanded. Sometimes a surface will require a second coating of primer to ensure a level undercoat, but often one will do. The house pictured below serves as an example of a project 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 provide it a level base for the top layers. Some climates almost demand another layer of primer. I've heard about one contractor in Florida who always double primes to ensure that his work last. If you live close to ocean water, I 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 trim. You might think that a primer would smooth a surface, but if you run your hand over a primed portion of trim it always feels abrasive. That's because primer pushes out loose grain as it penetrates. After a dried primer has been lightly sanded, the smoothed surface is ready for the top. (Here is a tip: In the event that you tint your primer the colour of the finish coat, it is possible to quicken the painting process by minimizing the number of top coats needed. Tinting is mostly used for color changes, although it's also handy for surfaces like bare drywall.)
Primers For Interior Wall Surfaces and Ceilings
I would recommend using latex primers whenever we can. Ask your paint dealer for advice on the best primer for interior trouble spots, including the laundry room and bathroom, that require a good sealant and a water resistant primer. I've always used alkyd primers in wetter parts of the home, although there are great latex primers that seal about as well. I prime most drywall interiors with latex, especially the sleeping rooms, living room, and closets. I usually spray a latex primer on new construction because new buildings have enough vapor barriers. Also, I can paint an oil-based top coating over latex primer.
Older houses require room-by-room decisions on what primer to use. If the home does not have a vapor barrier or good ventilation, you will require a primer that seals the walls and keeps water from getting between the surface and the paint.
Latex stain blockers and sealers can be the answer to priming wet rooms in the house. These quick drying primers help condition areas with water, smoke, and tannin stains, 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 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. If your latex has what's known as “good hold" or hiding properties, it'll maintain a consistant sheen over primer. You can assure compatibility by using a high quality latex stain blocker such as Seal Grip.
When it comes 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 coating and finish that you've planned.
Drywall is a lot less alkaline than plaster. I prime drywall with a latex primer, unless the top coatings 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 any kind of top coating, but old practices are hard to break.) When painting new drywall, I'll sometimes add joint compound to the primer for a little texture. Mixed with primer, joint compound also helps smooth over any sanding marks or roughness.
Primers For Interior Wood
When choosing primer, you should think about the type and condition of the surface, the sort of paint (alkyd, latex, or epoxy) that is planned for the top coats, and the kind of finish (flat, semi-gloss, or glossy).
Most often 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, such as the high moisture common in bath rooms and kitchens, may call for a breathable latex primer if you can't prime all over the wood. If you can completely prime the wood before it is attached in place, an alkyd primer will protect the majority of the wood trim from wetness. Assess conditions like these carefully and seek the advice of a professional if your job has many different variables
Method For Priming Exteriors
Even though I prefer latex paint for the outside, I still choose 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 shape (which usually means that it is new), particularly if I have access to the siding and wood trim before it is attached to the building. It's always best to seal all over the wood (however, not the ends) to give 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 lumber has air-dried for a few 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 might need to wait a day or two to let them dry out. There's 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 coatings of any alkyd primer/sealer, and use high quality latex for the final coats. Any staining that happens after that can usually be washed off with special timber cleaners.
Hardboard siding, new or already coated, presents a particular challenge. Having less grain or anything resembling a porous surface makes hardboards such as Masonite difficult to adhere to. In the event 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 blended with a top coat, Emulsabond makes a great hardboard primer. These and other high quality sealers also work very well on metal or vinyl siding, plywood veneers, textured wood, and other composite sidings.
Primers For Metals Applications
Every steel 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 eliminate, and could need more than just thinner. Check with your paint store if you wish to be certain a primer will continue to work on new galvanized metal surfaces.
There are primers for each kind of metal. Ferrous metals, manufactured from 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 outer layer 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 had good luck using.
Other metals, including copper, aluminum, bronze, and brass, should be covered 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 previously.
As with any top coat, the more 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 good or for bad. A clean surface is especially important when using a quick drying primer. Remember that some paint manufacturers recommend cleaning metals (and most other surfaces) with a thinner, while others advise against using any type 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 steel material if blended at that ratio. Etching metal works like sanding wood. It gives the surface "teeth" for better adhesion. That same ratio is helpful for new rain gutters or uncoated aluminum siding. However, it should not be used to clean galvanized metals, because the vinegar will harm the galvanizing.
Priming Solution For Masonry Applications
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 source of the efflorescence, usually moisture, must be cured for alkali-resistant primers and sealers to help. New masonry must cure for 3 months 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 can be applied on masonry that is seven days old. Stucco, which is actually colored mortar and full of lime, is a perfect surface for Loxon, as is new plaster or poured concrete. Pittsburgh Paints also offers 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 layer, but it's important that you utilize latex only on low alkaline masonry. In these circumstances I've had good luck adding Emulsabond to the latex for extra adhesion. I would recommend it for most masonry applications.
Etching with muriatic acid used to be the only procedure to speed up the drying time of concrete. You could still etch if you are so willing, although if I never see another container of muriatic acid, that could be just fine. (If it etches concrete, imagine how well it etches epidermis!) Etching takes a bucket, hose, brush, gloves, and complete eye and skin protection, don't forget a respirator, particularly when you combine the acid with the water. Important: Add the acid to the water, not the other way around. In the event that you add drinking water to acid it will splash and burn up anything it contacts. And combine it in the proper ratio, usually 1:3. 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. You need to keep them well managed and recoat them regularly, before they need to be completely redone. Concrete surfaces in really sad condition should be sandblasted, or you may use a fresh system called Peel-Away which makes prepping masonry somewhat easier (it's still no picnic). If the surface is in good condition, prep the area and remove any trace of grease or wax with a good thinner.
For new cement floors, I recommend a cement stain manufactured by H&C or Okon; they come in water based and silicone acrylic. My choice is water based stain, since silicon is a wax that eventually will wash off. Concrete stain penetrates and seals without requiring scraping or sandblasting, and resists fading better than a top finish like latex.
Older, pre-painted concrete floors have to be repainted with an identical top overcoat, whether latex or alkyd. A latex top coating is best applied over a typical concrete sealer, but Emulsabond also works well. An oil-based top coating 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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