During an interior painting in Walnut Creek project, selecting the right color is an important step to turn your vision into reality, whether it is for your home or business.
But first, though, you have to ensure that the surfaces will be cleaned and repaired before applying paint. However, there is another step that you would want to include before applying the topcoat – using a primer.
Depending on the condition of the surface, you can skip priming. While priming doesn’t seem like an essential step, using a quality primer can be extremely beneficial to any paint project.
Why should you prime?
You may not choose to apply a primer, but it will help to prepare and seal the surfaces you’re painting.
- Adding a coat of primer seals the surface so that it will not soak up the topcoat. That way, you don’t have to apply more coats of paint than needed.
- A coat of primer can help hide the flaws of a surface that has already been painted before.
- A coat of primer can help hide knots, joints, seams, or unevenness of the new drywall.
- A coat of primer can prevent the old paint from bleeding through the new topcoat (particularly if you are going to apply a light-colored fresh paint over the old dark-colored one).
- Adding a coat of primer will allow better and stronger adhesion of the new topcoat to the surface, resulting in a long-lasting finish.
Types of primers
- Latex primers – Latex primers are typically used in prepping drywall for painting on softwoods (such as pine). They provide good coverage and help in covering flaws in the surface.
- Oil-based primers – This type of primer is the most widely used type of primer, which can work well with almost all kinds of paints. Oil-based primers can be used to prepare a variety of projects, which range from wood to metal. They work best for surfaces that had been painted previously.
- Shellac primers – This type of primer is ideal for areas that have been damaged by rust, water, or smoke. They are excellent for covering and blocking stains caused by such factors. However, keep in mind that using a shellac primer can take you more work, as it requires denatured alcohol for thinning.
Is it better to use paint with primer in it?
There are paint products on the market that contain primer, so you’re buying a 2-in-1 product. It can save you money compared to purchasing a different paint and primer. It can also save you a lot of time and effort as it requires only one application. However, the results that a paint-primer product provides may not be consistent. It is all right to use this product on new surfaces that may not require separate priming. But if you are trying to cover stains or other flaws, a paint-primer product will likely be a few shades lighter than what is already on the surface. In this case, it is better to prime the surface first before painting.
A primer may not be a requirement for interior painting in Walnut Creek. But if you want to achieve a durable and long-lasting finish, using the primer can undoubtedly do wonders for your paint project.
