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Guide to the Best Paint Primers for Every Project
Posted:
April 25, 2024
Categories:
Paint
Applying a layer of top-quality primer is an important step in any paint project. Primers improve paint adhesion, minimize peeling, and ensure color precision. It might be tempting to skip this step for the sake of convenience, but priming first is well worth the effort. Choose the right primer to make sure your hard work pays off for years to come!
Interior Paint Primers
Painting interior walls, cabinets, and doors are popular home improvement projects that can transform a home’s atmosphere. Whether you’ve already picked out the perfect colors and paint products or you’re just getting started, read on for tips on the best interior primers for all types of surfaces.
Best Interior Primers at a Glance
New Drywall: INSL-X Aqua Lock Plus Primer or Coronado PVA Primer
Previously Painted Drywall: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer
Water-Damaged or Marker-Stained Drywall: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer
Smoke Stains and Smells: Zinsser Allprime Shellac-Based Primer
Cabinets or Doors: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer
Stained Wood Cabinets or Doors: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer
Plastic, Tile, or Glossy Surfaces: INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Best Primer for New Drywall
INSL-X Aqua Lock Plus Primer
Formula Type: 100% Acrylic
Recommended because: strong sealing properties are ideal for priming and sealing porous drywall
New, unpainted drywall is porous, and must be primed and sealed for color consistency and adhesion of the top coat. If you don’t prime new drywall, you can see dull or shiny spots on the surface after painting — and you might run into issues with bubbling or peeling.
Our paint pros recommend INSL-X Aqua Lock Plus Primer as the best drywall primer. This multi-purpose, acrylic, water-based primer/sealer features outstanding sealing properties perfect for priming new drywall. It adheres to interior and exterior surfaces and can be top-coated with latex or oil-based coatings. Alternatively, use Coronado PVA Primer/Finish for a spray-ready primer suitable for high-volume production.
Best Primer for Painted Drywall
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: the premium acrylic coating hides major color changes
Painting over previously painted drywall is a relatively straightforward project — affording a large, flat surface area that is quickly covered using a paint roller. But one of the major challenges in a drywall project is taking the previous paint job into account. The paint pros at Ring’s End recommend applying a coat of Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer before painting over painted drywall. This acrylic primer is formulated to accommodate major color changes and even features a mildew-resistant coating for homes that experience high humidity.
Best Primer for Walls with Water Damage or Marker Stains
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer
Formula: Alkyd
Recommended because: this product features excellent adhesion, sealing, and stain-blocking properties
Acrylic primers may be the go-to for projects with quick turnaround times and/or major color changes, but nothing beats an oil-based primer for covering stains. For drywall with water stains or damage from markers or crayons, use Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer — an oil-based, alkyd primer with superior stain-blocking properties.
Best Primer for Smoke Stains and Smells
Zinsser Allprime Shellac-Based Primer
Formula: Shellac
Recommended because: this primer features both strong stain and odor-blocking properties
To block both smoke stains and smells, we recommend applying a shellac-based primer like Zinsser Allprime Shellac-Base Primer Stain Blocker. This heavy-duty primer permanently seals severe odors and stains such as those caused by water, fire, or smoke damage. While an alkyd primer successfully blocks the stain itself, a quality shellac primer has odor-blocking properties to suppress the most persistent smells.
Best Primer for Cabinets or Doors
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product hides previous paint colors for maximum color precision
Kitchen cabinets and other interior doors require a high-quality primer that will help maximize the lifespan of the paint job and ensure color precision. An acrylic primer like Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer is a great choice for paint projects that involve a major color change. Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer successfully blocks stains, scuff marks, and other damage to interior woodwork.
Remember that to successfully repaint cabinets, you need them to be very clean and dull. The previous coating will need to be sanded down so the new coats of primer and paint will adhere properly. If you don’t know what was previously applied to your coated cabinets, use INSL-X Stix Waterborne Bonding Primer for maximum adhesion.
Best Primer for Stained Wood Cabinets or Doors
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer
Formula: Alkyd
Recommended because: this product features excellent adhesion, sealing, and stain blocking properties
When painting over previously stained wood, you want to be absolutely sure that the old stain will not bleed into the new paint job. For maximum sealing and stain-blocking, apply an oil-based primer like Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose Primer over stained wood. This alkyd primer creates a smooth, thick coating that dries slowly and penetrates the wood for ultimate protection.
Best Primer for Plastic, Tile, or Glossy Surfaces
INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product features excellent adhesion on difficult surfaces
At some point during your home renovation or home improvement projects, you will encounter materials that are too difficult to paint with normal paint and primer products. These include smooth surfaces such as tile and plastic — as well as previously painted surfaces that have a slick, glossy finish. For projects like these, we recommend a high-quality bonding primer like INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer. Formulated for maximum adhesion, this interior and exterior-rated primer forms a strong bond with the most difficult substrates.
Exterior Paint Primers
Weather exposure and temperature fluctuations make it essential to prime before painting exterior surfaces. Whether you’re painting wood surfaces or working with fabricated materials, the following exterior primers are formulated to give you long-lasting results.
Best Exterior Primers at a Glance
Fiber Cement or Hardboard Siding: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer
Vinyl or PVC: INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Exterior Wood: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Exterior Wood Primer
Non-Galvanized Metal: Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Clean Metal Primer or Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Rusty Metal Primer
Galvanized Metal: INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Masonry, Brick, or Stone: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer or
INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Best Primer for Fiber Cement Boards or Hardboard Siding
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product is ideal for major color changes and adheres well to a variety of substrates
The right primer for your house exterior will depend on the siding material and whether or not it was previously painted. Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer is a multi-purpose primer that performs well on both interior and exterior surfaces. If your house exterior is comprised of fiber cement boards or hardboard siding, this mildew-resistant acrylic primer will create an adhesive base layer and let you successfully accomplish a major color change.
If your house has vinyl siding or a different material that was previously painted with a glossy finish, you’ll want to use a primer formulated for hard-to-coat surfaces, also called a “bonding primer.” Bonding primers are necessary to ensure coats of paint will adhere to difficult substrates. See below for our recommended primer for Vinyl or PVC siding.
Best Primer for Vinyl or PVC
INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product achieves maximum adhesion on difficult surfaces
Vinyl or PVC surfaces are especially difficult for paint to adhere to properly, making your coat of primer all the more important. For these types of projects, we recommend applying INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer. This versatile product is designed for maximum adhesion on the most difficult substrates, and is rated for both interior and exterior use. (Note that it is never recommended to paint drastic color changes on vinyl, as the vinyl can get too hot and cause the coating to fail — even with the best primer.)
Best Primer for Exterior Wood
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Exterior Wood Primer
Formula: Alkyd
Recommended because: this primer performs well on tannin-rich woods, providing excellent stain suppression and penetration
Exterior wood surfaces such as wood siding, decking, doors, or shutters require high-quality wood primer for paint to adhere properly and perform well under weather exposure. We recommend an exterior oil-based primer that will successfully block stains and tannin-bleeding. A high-quality alkyd wood primer like Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Exterior Wood Primer penetrates the porous surface, sealing it against the elements and suppressing stains.
Best Primer for Non-Galvanized Metal
Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Primer
Formula: Modified Alkyd
Recommended because: this product features rust-inhibiting properties that protect bare metal surfaces
Before painting ferrous or non-ferrous metal surfaces, apply a direct-to-metal (DTM) primer with rust-inhibitive properties. Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Clean Metal Primer is a DTM primer for bare, painted, or lightly rusted metal, while Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Rusty Metal Primer can be applied to heavily rusted bare metal surfaces. Note that these products are not intended for use on galvanized metals. For galvanized metal, see our primer recommendation below. For metal surfaces that have been painted and are in good condition, simply use a self-priming paint or an all-purpose primer. If the previous paint job is glossy, use INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer for maximum adhesion.
Best Primer for Galvanized Metal
INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product features excellent adhesion on difficult surfaces
Before painting galvanized metals, we recommend applying INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer. This acrylic-urethane primer and sealer offers unparalleled adhesion for glossy, hard-to-coat surfaces like galvanized steel. For metal surfaces that are not galvanized, see our above recommendations for ferrous and non-ferrous metals. For metal surfaces that have been painted and are in good condition, simply use a self-priming paint or an all-purpose primer. If the previous paint job is glossy, use INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer for maximum adhesion.
Best Primer for Masonry
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer
Formula: Acrylic
Recommended because: this product is ideal for major color changes and adheres well to a variety of substrates
Prime brick, stone, and other masonry with a high-quality acrylic primer like Benjamin Moore Fresh Start High-Hiding Primer. This all-purpose primer is ideal for accomplishing major color changes, and is rated for both interior and exterior use — with a mildew-resistant coating and superior adhesion to a wide range of substrates. You can also apply INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer on masonry materials with great results.
Alkyd vs. Acrylic Primers
Oil-based/alkyd primers are appreciated for their smooth, durable finishes that effectively cover deep stains. These primers dry slowly and feature superior leveling, making them easy to work with. Modern oil-based primers still clean up with solvents, but feature low-VOC (volatile organic compound) formulas compared with traditional oil-based products.
Acrylic primers are water-based primers that work well on a variety of substrates, clean up with soap and water, and dry quickly. This type of primer is a go-to, multipurpose product ideal for major color changes, surfaces that don’t have significant damage, and projects that require quick turnaround.
Shop Quality Paint Primers for Any Project at Ring’s End
Whether you’re a homeowner or professional painter, we’re confident you’ll find the right products for any project — interior, exterior, or both — among our extensive collection of paints and primers here at Ring’s End.
If you have remaining questions about whether or not you should use primer, how much to use, and what kind — contact the paint experts at Ring’s End using our online chat or by texting (203)-PRO HELP. We’ll be happy to help!