A free paint tool
The right primer
for the problem.
Pick what you are dealing with. We will name the primer that solves it, how to use it, and the mistakes to avoid.
Primer is the cheapest tin on the job and the one most often skipped. When a stain comes back or paint lifts off a door, the wrong primer, or none, is usually why.
Primers
Questions
we get asked.
- What is the difference between a primer and an undercoat?
- Primer makes the surface ready to take paint: it seals, blocks or bonds. Undercoat goes on top of primer, or over existing paint, to build colour and give a smooth base for the top coat.
- Can I use emulsion as a primer?
- Only on new plaster, as a thinned mist coat. It will not block stains, seal knots or bond to glossy surfaces.
- Why do stains come back through emulsion?
- Water stains, nicotine and tannins dissolve in water based paint and travel up into the new coat. An oil based or shellac stain blocker seals them in.
- Is a universal primer good enough?
- Many are good on sound surfaces. For stains, galvanised metal, laminate or fresh cement, use a primer that names that problem on the tin.
Rather leave it to us
We fix the cause,
not just the mark.
Stains, rust and peeling all have a cause. We deal with that first, then use the primer that matches it.
Practical painting advice for Fife homes.