DO YOU NEED TO PRIME BEFORE PAINTING?
Do You Need To Prime Before Painting?
One Of The Most Important Steps In The Painting Process Is Analyzing The Job And Understanding What Exactly Needs To Be Done To Ensure A Proper And High Quality Finish. One Of The Most Common Questions We Get As A Painting Company Is If It Is Necessary To Prime Before Painting And The Answer Is… It Depends.
Knowing Whether Or Not A Surface Needs To Be Primed Before It Is Painted Is Critical To A Good Paint Job. If You Are Unsure Whether Or Not You Should Prime Before Painting It Is Always Smart To Err On The Side Of Caution And Prime Because Skipping This Step On A Surface Needing Primer Will Cause Massive Headaches And Cost A Lot More Money To Fix. In This Article We Wanted To Break Down Two Things. First, The Different Kinds Of Primer And What They Do For You Topcoat And Second, How To Spot A Surface That Would Need To Be Primed Before Painting.
First Lets Begin By Explaining The Different Kinds Of Primer. There Are Several Kinds Of Primers From Several Different Companies That Each Claim Special Properties But In General All Primers Can Be Broken Down Into Two Categories. 1.) Bonding Primer And 2.) Blocking Primer. Let’s Start With A Bonding Primer, A Bonding Primer Does Exactly What It Sounds Like, It Bonds Two Surfaces Together That On Their Own Would Not Adhere To Each Other. For Example, If You Are Painting An Exterior And The Fascia Boards Of The Entire House Had Been Replaced, A Simple Topcoat Of Paint, No Matter How High Of Quality, Will Not Be Able To Adhere To The Raw Wood For The Long Term, Therefore We Need To Use A Bonding Primer That Will Stick To The Raw Wood Of The House AND Stick To The Top Coat Of Paint We Are Applying Over It. If You Are Experiencing Peeling Paint And Underneath The Paint You See The Raw Materials (Wood, Stucco, Drywall, Etc.) It Is Almost Certain That The Last Time It Was Painted The Raw Surface Was Not Primed. Raw Surfaces Painted But Not Primed Is A Major Problem Because Simply Touching Those Peeling Areas Up With Paint Will Not Fix The Problem And Putting A Top Coat Of Paint On The Poorly Prepared Surface Will Most Likely Accelerate The Process Of Peeling Due To The Topcoat Adhering Well To The Old Top Coat But The Old Top Coat Not Adhering To The Surface Of The Structure. The Proper Way To Fix A Problem Like This Is To Scrape As Much Of The Poorly Applied Paint Off, Sand Down The Edges Of The Remaining Paint To Get Rid Of Any Noticeable Edges, And Prime The Entire Surface Including The Areas Where The Old Paint Did Not Scrape Off. For Different Surfaces There Are Different Kinds Of Bonding Primers That We Will Not Discuss In This Blog, But If You Are Seeing Any Of These Issues Please Call Us And We An Diagnose The Problem Or At Least Help You Understand What Is The Best Product To Use For Your Specific Situation. As A General Rule Of Thumb If It Hasn’t Been Properly Painted Before, The Surface Will Need To Be Primed Before Painting.
Blocking Primers Are Used For A Much Simpler Problem. A Blocking Primer Is Used To Cover Up Strong Colors, Stains, And Odors On The Surface Being Painted To Ensure That Nothing Shines Through The New Topcoat. We Will Discuss The Different Kinds Of Bases Of Primers And When To Use Them In A Different Post But For Now Just Know That If There Is A Strong Color, Stain, Or Odor In The House That This Kind Of Primer Must Be Used To Ensure A Smooth And Full Topcoat. When Deciding Whether Or Not You Need To Use A Blocking Primer For Your Paint Job First Take A Look At The Color You Currently Have. Is It A Deep Color Like A Dark Grey, Black, Navy, Etc.? All Of These Colors Are Going To Be Very Difficult To Cover With Just Paint And A Blocking Primer Would Be Needed To Cover These Colors Up Before Applying A Topcoat. Another Thing You Must Consider Is What Color Are You Wanting To Paint Onto That Surface? Is It A Light Color Like A White, Yellow, Or Sky Blue? If That Is The Case, Regardless Of The Current Color Of The Surface You Would Want To Use Blocking Primer To Make Sure That The New Topcoat Covers Evenly. Apart From Strong Paint Colors, It Is Vital That You Inspect The Surfaces Being Painted For Any Stains Or Odors. Many People Wrongly Think That Stains Or Even Odors Will Be Covered Up When They Paint But Rarely Is That The Case. Stains From Smoking, Water Damage, Scuffs From A Busy House Will All Leave Your Paint Flashing And Looking Different From The Rest Of The Surface If Not Primed. It Will Also Most Likely Start To Show Through The Topcoat Shortly After Painting. Just Like With Bonding Primers, The Solution To Problems Like These Are Not To Add More Coats Of Paint, But To Properly Prime These Areas Of Concern And Once Dry, Apply The Top Coat Of Paint. There Are Many Different Kinds Of Blocking Primers Recommended For Different Circumstances So If You Are Experiencing Any Issues Please Call Us And We Will Point You In The Right Direction For The Proper Kind Of Primer.
Deep Colors
Walls with deep colors will need to be primed in order to cover them up properly before painting.
Preparation Is 90% Of Painting. If Done Properly You Can Enjoy Your Paint Job For Years To Come But If Such A Vital Step As Priming A Surface In Need Is Skipped You Will Most Definitely Have Problems Throughout The Years Until The Issue Is Properly Addressed. At Julius Painters We Make It A Point To Explain To All Of Our Customers At The Time Of The Quote What Exactly The House Needs And What Is The Recommended Product For The Situation. We Want To Make Sure Everyone Understands What The Issue Is And How We Are Going To Fix It. Please Reach Out To Us With Any Question On Your Painting Needs, We Offer Free Analysis And Quotes To Everywhere In The Valley And Will Always Help You Even If You Are Just Calling To Ask Us Questions About Painting!