With so many different primers to choose from, how do you know the difference between each one and which one is right for you?
- PVA – Drywall and Wallboard: Although any latex paint can be used over raw drywall, the first coat will only be used to seal and absorb, essentially a sacrificial coat. PVA is a cost-effective, the first coat that saves money and seals the wallboard to prepare two finish paint coats.
- Oil-based – Raw Wood /Stain-Blocking: Using oil over raw wood helps block the natural tannin bleed from wood. Oil is also used when going from a stained surface to a painted surface.
- Shellac: Shellac has been used for centuries to seal the wood and other surfaces. Perfect for interior paint jobs as shellac-based primers are possibly the best stain-blocking primers. They work well on severe water and smoke damage to walls and surfaces — they even seal in smells from smoke damage. They also are excellent at preventing normal water, rust, smoke stains, and wood tannins from bleeding through the new paint. They work well on wood, metal, plaster, and even plastic and are fast-drying and highly adhesive. They also can be used with both oil-based and latex paints.
- Bonding: When you’ve got a challenging surface—whether it’s a slick substrate or a compromised one—a bonding or adhesive primer is the go-to product of choice. Highly engineered, it’s a coating that promotes adhesion to the surface or existing coating and the new coat that you want to apply. A bonding primer is also used to encapsulate surfaces with lead paint present.
- Fiberglass: UMA’s advanced technology has both primer and adhesive-like properties. A quick-drying, white bonding primer/sealer that provides excellent adhesion, and it can be tinted. For tough-to-paint surfaces: glass, tile, Formica, metals, plastics, wood, and other construction materials including Kynar® and silicone polyester pre-coated siding.