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John Sez:
By John Harris, Belcaro Paint, Paint Chemist
We recommend using the RIGHT primer when you need to:
- Seal a porous surface
- Help the paint stick to a hard, slick surface
- Inhibit rusting on steel or iron
- Hold back a bleedable stain
- Fill tiny pores in some types of wood
- Change from one color of paint to another color
This last recommendation for priming often meets with some resistance from our customers. There are some colors of paint that are more transparent than paint manufacturers prefer however now that lead has been removed from paint, the only pigments available to achieve these colors are more transparent. The darker and deeper reds, yellow, and oranges, and colors that have a lot of these colors in them are the bad actors with respect to coverage or “hide”. To achieve the desired color, we often recommend a primer that we tint to a color closer to the final color selected. Applying these poor hiding colors over white will require several more coats of paint than needed if applied over a tinted primer.
Most paint manufacturers will show some type of symbol on the color chip in their fandeck to indicate which of their colors require a tinted primer.
Even if you have not selected a low hide paint color, it is usually a good idea to have some colorant added to your primer to approximate the final color of your paint.
Different primers are made to preform different objectives. The label will tell you the specific purpose of each primer. One primer may not be right for your project. If you are uncertain about priming, let us know so we may advise if one is necessary and which primer would be best for you.
Belcaro Paint & Decorating Center, Inc.
5475 Leetsdale Dr., Denver, CO 80246 303-757-5435
or
209 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton CO 80120 303-703-4487
email us
Belcaro website
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