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One question that may run through your mind before painting could be whether you need to prime your house. Some professional painters may insist your home needs a prime, but they may not explain the reason properly. This article will explain why and when you should prime your house before painting.
The post also considers priming considerations for exterior painting projects and house priming services of a residential or commercial painting company. You can read up on interior painting services of painting companies and tips for priming your house before painting. Continue reading for more!
Should You Prime Before House Painting?
Priming plays a role in your interior and exterior painting project. When you use a primer as an initial coating for your paint job, you effectively seal up the underlying surface. As such, other materials that you apply cannot leak or soak into the underlying surface. Thus, your coats of paint can adhere properly to the primer.
In essence, the importance of primer is that it acts as an intermediary between the surface and the paint. It helps protect the surface so the paint can be applied evenly. Moreover, the primer helps ensure that your paint adheres properly to the surface for the long term.
When to Apply Primer for Your Painting Project
There are times when it is particularly important to apply primer before painting. Let us consider certain situations when you should prime your surfaces before painting.
Paint jobs for new and bare surfaces
If you are working on a brand-new surface, it is helpful to coat it with primer before you paint it. Bare surfaces usually have pores and other imperfections that will cause your paint coverage to be uneven. In addition, there will be poor adhesion. Here, priming before painting helps add a smooth and receptive layer for the paint to stick.
When old paint jobs are failing
You may have a previously painted surface of a paint job that is falling off. In this case, you need to remove the old paint before painting. Painting directly over a failing old paint can be very ineffective.
A good and lasting painting job is one where you are sure that you have removed old paint. However, the surface will be primarily bare if you remove the loose paint. In this instance, applying primer before painting makes a lot of sense.
For improved color coverage
You may want to use a lighter color for aesthetic reasons. In this case, a tinted primer will help you cover up the previous darker tone. The primer will make the old, darker paint not bleed through, and your lighter paint will be less likely to soak through.
When Should You Not Prime Before Painting?
While priming has its uses, there are times when it is possible to skip the priming step. This can give you some relief if you're pressed for time and money.
Here are some situations where you may only need to prime after painting:
Your previous paint job is still holding up
If it's still reasonably okay, your previous exterior house paint may not need a primer. You can directly paint over the last job paint if it still adheres to the surface.
The paint already provides a stable and sealed surface for your paint. However, you may likely clean and sand the surfaces lightly before painting over.
When you only need an exterior paint color, refresh
Your painter may have done an excellent job earlier, and your painted surfaces may still be in good condition. As such, it is possible that your exterior surface does not need priming. This is the case if you check your paint surfaces and discover no blemishes or bare spots. In this case, you can refresh the existing paint color.
Priming Considerations for Exterior Painting Projects
Your first consideration for your house painting project may be a long-lasting paint finish. A key to a durable finish is a tight paint-to-surface bond. Here are some priming considerations you should have for exterior paint jobs.
Surface preparation before priming
Good surface preparation goes a long way to ensuring a good prime. This, in turn, ensures the long-lasting finish and effective stickiness of the paint that you wish for. Some activities that a good surface preparation for exterior house painting projects include the following:
- Power washing surfaces
- Scraping
- Sanding
- Removal of weak or peeling substrate
Spot priming for exterior house painting
After surface preparation, the next step is to prime. However, you may not necessarily need a full prime. There are occasions when you can cover specific areas. This is called a spot prime.
Examples of occasions for localized priming include the following:
- To cover patched wood repair
- To cover bare wood
- When you wish to cover imperfections and blemishes.
However, note that you may need a full primer in the following situations:
- Painting over new surfaces
- Slick surfaces that simply need a bonding primer for effective adhesion
- When you wish to change a color from a dark one to a lighter one.
- When switching between paint product types. For example, you may want to replace oil-based paint with latex paint.
When painting masonry
One occasion where you need a primer is when painting masonry. Examples of surfaces for painting masonry include chimneys and brick surfaces. After priming, you can paint masonry over with latex or oil-based paints.
You especially need a primer for painting masonry if you need to cover stains. Examples of such stains include grease, oil, mold, and algae. In addition, brick and stone masonry usually have porous surfaces. A primer helps create the even surface you need for your paint to stick.
When using primer-formulated paints
As a DIY painter, you may not need to apply a new coat of primer before painting because your paint has a primer-formulated component. However, you may compromise your paint job if you do not prime surfaces before applying a topcoat. You need to be sure that your finish coat will bond properly to the substrate surface.
House Priming Services of Painting Companies
You can invite a residential painting company to perform the following priming-related services:
Successful priming of unpainted wood and drywall
Achieving even paint color coverage with unpainted wood and drywalls can be challenging. You will find that the coating of fresh drywall tends to absorb the coating too well. As such, you will need more paint to achieve an even coat.
A residential painter is experienced at applying primers on drywalls and unpainted wood to ease the painting process. Bare exterior wood needs adequate priming to seal the grain and improve paint adhesion. After that, the actual painting can be done.
Priming bare concrete surfaces
Residential painters know how to use masonry primers to prime bare concrete surfaces before painting. Otherwise, the concrete surfaces will cause adhesion problems due to their high PH levels.
Spot priming over stains and glossy surfaces
Your spot priming activity may compromise your overall painting job if you are not careful. A professional painting company is experienced in painting over stubborn stains and glossy surfaces.
Interior Painting Services of Painting Companies
You may need a painting company to help you with different types of interior painting tasks. They can get your house interior painted correctly in a professional way.
Wall painting
Getting a quality painting job for your wall may not be easy if you go the DIY route. This is especially true when you want to repaint your walls with new paint colors. A professional painting company can first fill wall holes, sand the walls, and even perform drywall repairs if needed. After that, they will apply a good primer for a consistent finish.
Cabinet painting
This is also a service that your local painting contractor can offer. They can use primer on wood cabinets to create a barrier. This will help your paint color to be applied with good effect. In addition, the primer will produce good traction for the paint to stick. Good painting companies know the right primer to use for cabinet painting.
Floor coating
You must prime your floors as your final preparatory step for floor coating. Upon final painting, your painting company may apply two coats of primer to improve adhesion, coloration, and floor protection. They will have to give enough time for each coat of paint to dry.
Tips for Priming Your House Before Painting
- You will need a primer to paint over latex paint with oil-based paint. These paints do not easily adhere directly to existing latex paint layers.
- Painting over dark paint colors with lighter paint colors requires multiple coats of light-colored paint. Using a primer here will help you reduce the coats of new paint needed.
- It is cost-saving to choose a primer that is less costly than your paint.
- You will need a painting contractor with lead abatement certification for exterior paint removals suspected of lead.
- You can wash your walls to make the new paint adhere more quickly to the existing paint. An alternative is to get a paint company to use power washing to speed up the process.
- Removing peeling paint and making needed repairs before priming and painting is wise.
- Do wear a respirator or a dust mask when removing peeling paint. You can also put on work gloves and eye protection.
- You may also need to sand your exterior walls so the coats of paint bond well.
- Latex paint is an excellent choice to paint over old paint. Exterior repainted surfaces will likely need an oil-based primer.
- Try to choose a primer color that suits the paint color you want.
- Porous surfaces such as wood and fresh drywall may need drastic color changes. Likewise, stained or glossy surfaces need suitable primers before painting.
Get Help from a Professional Painting Company
This guide on the need to prime your house before painting has discussed when to apply primer for your painting project and when not to prime before painting. Getting a painting company or contractor to help you with various paint jobs is good. They can help paint interior and exterior surfaces and floor coating projects and ensure a long-lasting finish.
