Primer FAQ
Do you really need to prime before painting?
We get this question a lot!
- Do I need to prime?
- Does it matter if it’s going over a light color?
- What if it’s brand new drywall?
Any good painting representative will say YES!
You do need to prime! But why?
- Adhesion. You need to make sure the subsequent coats of paint will stick and cure properly! It’s possible the existing coat will not be compatible with the paint you’ve selected.
- Color. Even when putting a light color on top of a light color, our eyes are SO perceptive it’s likely you’ll see bleed through of hues or tones!
- Stains & Patch Work. Using a primer before you paint will cover up unsightly stains, marks, and patches made during prepartion.
- New Drywall. New drywall is far too porous to apply paint directly onto. You’ll end up doing more coats than necessary. Using the proper primer sets your surface up to best accept paint in fewer coats.
So which primer should you use?
Recommended Primers
AFM Safecoat Transitional Primer
- Can be used anywhere traditional primer is used
- Use on previously painted walls & raw wood surfaces
- Apply to water stains for stain blocking protection
- Excellent sealer, high performance undercoating
AFM Safecoat Primecoat
- Use on new drywall, drywall compound and unpainted drywall texture.
- Solves telegraphing & joint banding, making for a smoother topcoat
- Excellent sealer, low VOC, formaldehyde free.
AFM Naturals Multipurpose Primer
- Use on previously painted walls, raw wood, fully cured plaster
- Vegetable oil based primer, acrylic free
- Entirely sourced from natural earth based plant and mineral components
- Fully biodegradable.
Starting at: $26.57
Starting at: $64.90
A word on
Smoke Damage
When trying to remediate smoke damage, our best recommendation with your health in mind is to use 100% Pure Shellac to seal the smoke damaged surfaces. Yes, Pure Shellac contains alcohol but If you were to apply something water-based to smoke damage, it could very well likely re-emulsify the smoke smell. Be sure to use 100% PURE SHELLAC, containing only alcohol and the resin of the Lac beetle.
Once the the 100% Pure Shellac has been applied (2 coats) and cured, apply 1-2 coats of AFM Safecoat Transitional Primer to seal the Shellac and to set up the surface for finishing.