Take The Headache Out of Finding Paint Coatings for Each and Every Job
The right kind of coating is essential. If you select the incorrect paint, it will not matter how much effort and money you may spend on your project. Too many perfectly great paint jobs deteriorate too soon because poor quality primer and paint were used.
A dependable rule of thumb is to match the existing layer of paint. If you're painting or staining over a latex paint, recoat with latex. You could have a variety of choices if the surface is uncoated, but you still need to consider climate, maintenance, and strength to determine the best covering for the work.
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 exactly how long the paint will last. Knowing when to use primers screws up painters about nearly as much as which primers to work with. Basically, you will 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 sole time you don't need to prime is when you're 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 your paint system. By paint system I mean a primer and top coating made by the same company. Labels of better paints always recommend specific primers and top coatings for various materials and conditions. If you don't want to deal with reading the small print, ask to view the spec, or data sheet, on a particular 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 may ever need and you may want help translating a few of the terms and specifications.
Primers form a solid base for the top coats by penetrating, sealing, and bonding to all or any types of bare surfaces. Without first priming a fresh or reconditioned surface, you'll find that the top finish ends up flaking off much earlier than you'll 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 have been scraped and sanded. Sometimes a surface will need a second coating of primer to ensure a smooth undercoat, but often one will do. The home pictured below serves as an example of a project where two layers 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 coat of primer. I've heard of one contractor in Florida who always double primes to guarantee that his work last. In the event that you live close to salt water, I 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 trimming. You might feel that a primer would even out a surface, but if you run your hand over a primed portion of wood trim it always feels rough. That's because primer forces out loose grain as it penetrates. After a dried primer has been lightly sanded, the smoothed surface is ready for the top. (Here's a tip: If you tint your primer the colour of the top coat, it is possible to quicken the painting process by minimizing the amount of top coats needed. Tinting is mostly used for color changes, although it's also handy for surfaces like bare drywall.)
Improve Your Priming For Interior Walls and Ceilings
I recommend using latex primers wherever possible. Ask your paint dealer for advice on the best primer for interior trouble spots, like 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 home, although there are excellent latex primers that seal similarly as well. I prime most drywall interiors with latex, especially the bed rooms, living room, and closets. I spray a latex primer on new construction because new properties have sufficient vapor barriers. Also, I could paint an oil-based top coating over latex primer.
Older houses require room-by-room decisions on what primer to utilize. If the residence doesn't have a vapor barrier or good ventilation, you will require a primer that seals the walls and keeps moisture content from getting between your surface and the paint.
Latex stain blockers and sealers can be the response to priming wet rooms in the house. These quick drying primers help condition areas with water, cigarette smoke, and tannin staining, plus 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 advantages of an oil-based stain blocker. Quick drying alkyd primers such as Kilz have pigmented shellac (with high VOCs) that also serves 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 can assure compatibility by utilizing a high quality latex stain blocker such as Seal Grip.
With regards to walls, remember that plaster and drywall are different. Plaster is highly alkaline, especially when it's new, and it can leach alkaline salts if it isn't properly sealed. There are various primers you may use on plaster, depending on its condition and on the top layer 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 know that there are perfectly good latex primers for just about any type of top coat, but old habits are hard to let go of.) When painting new drywall, I will sometimes add joint compound to the primer for a little texture. Blended with primer, joint compound also helps even out over any sanding markings or roughness.
Amazing Primers For Interior Wood
When selecting primer, you should consider the type and condition of the surface, the type of paint (alkyd, latex, or epoxy) that is planned for the finish coats, and the sort 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 restrooms and kitchens, may call for a breathable latex primer if you cannot prime all over the wood. If you can completely prime the wood before it goes up, an alkyd primer will protect almost all of the wood trim from water. Assess conditions like these carefully and seek the advice of a specialist if your job has many different variables
Priming Solution For Exterior Applications
Even though I favor latex paint for the outside, I still choose to use alkyd primers on exterior wood. They simply do a 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), particularly if I have access to the siding and trim before it is attached to the building. It's always better 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 period, even if the timber 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 pretty porous, so you might 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 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 coats. 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. Having less grain or anything resembling a porous surface makes hardboards such as Masonite difficult to bond to. In case the wood is new then pressure wash and rinse it. If water still beads up, wash it again to remove all the wax. Seal new hardboard with a specially formulated 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.
Amazing Primers For Metals
Every metallic should be cleaned of oil, grease, rust, or any other residue before you prime it, therefore the primer gets thorough attachment with the area. Most metal areas can be cleaned with a good thinner. Galvanized metals sometimes come from the factory with a stabilizer that can be tough to eliminate, and could need more than just thinner. Check with your paint store if you need to be sure a primer will work on new galvanized steel surfaces.
There are primers for every kind of metal. Ferrous metals, manufactured from iron and steel, should be primed with a rust inhibitor. Rust is almost impossible to totally remove if you don't sandblast it, and even then small pockets of rust can stay that will grow back again under an unsealed surface or the incorrect primer. Rust inhibitors totally seal the outer layer from contact with air. Some companies make reference 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 experienced good luck 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 steel. Older galvanized metal can be primed with a rust inhibitor like those mentioned above.
As with any top coat, the additional time the primer is able to flow and contact the surface, the better the adhesion. Quick setting primers don't flow much whatsoever and stay right where they're painted, for good or for bad. A clean surface is especially important when you use an instant drying primer. Remember that some paint manufacturers recommend cleaning metals (and most other surfaces) with a thinner, while other companies recommend 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 mixture of vinegar and water. Vinegar is an all-purpose, inexpensive cleaner that will also etch a metallic 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 utilized to completely clean galvanized metals, because the vinegar will harm the galvanizing.
Amazing Primers For Masonry
Be it 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 resolved for alkali-resistant primers and sealers to help. New masonry must 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 could be applied on masonry that is a week old. Stucco, which is actually tinted mortar and filled with lime, is a great 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 success adding Emulsabond to the latex for extra adhesion. I recommend it for many masonry applications.
Etching with muriatic acid used to be the only procedure 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 container of muriatic acid, that could be just fine. (If it etches cement, imagine how well it etches epidermis!) Etching requires a bucket, hose, brush, gloves, and complete eye and skin protection, remember a respirator, in particular when you combine the acid with the water. Important: Add the acid to water, not the other way around. If you add water to acid it will splash and burn anything it contacts. And blend 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 a chore. You need to keep them well preserved and recoat them regularly, before they need to be completely redone. Concrete flooring in really sad shape 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 floor is in good shape, prep the surface and remove any trace of grease or wax with a good thinner.
For new concrete floors, I would recommend a concrete stain made 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. Cement stain penetrates and seals without requiring scraping or sandblasting, and resists fading much better than a top covering like latex.
Older, pre-painted cement floors have to be repainted with an identical top overcoat, whether latex or alkyd. A latex top coat is best applied over a standard concrete sealer, but Emulsabond also is effective. An oil-based top coating requires an oil-based enamel or epoxy concrete conditioner. I'd add Penetrol to the primer for a longer lasting bond.
Sound Quality Painting
824 90th Dr SE suite B
Lake Stevens WA 98258
(425) 512-7400
Painting Contractors Lake Stevens
Exterior Painters Lake Stevens
Interior Painters Lake Stevens
Painting Services Lake Stevens
Exterior House Painters Lake Stevens
Exterior Painting Lake Stevens
Interior Painting Lake Stevens
