Why You Need A Primer & Undercoat When Repainting Your Home
Some things in life go better together. Wine and cheese. Lock and key. And, of course, primer and undercoat when painting your home!
While we all know that adding colour is the best and most cost-effective way of giving your home an instant facelift, you may be confused over whether a primer and an undercoat are really necessary. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Read on…
DO I NEED A PRIMER?
Whether or not to apply a paint primer before the colour coat can seem like an impossible decision and some believe priming before painting is a wasted effort. But, and here’s the catch, it’ll take you just as long slapping on layer after layer of topcoat if you’re painting on a surface that is less than ideal.
General Rule Of Thumb
You need a primer if:
– The surface is porous
– You’re painting new drywall and want to hide joints, knots, or seams
– The surface has an odour
– The previous/existing coat is glossy
– The surface was previously painted with an oil-based paint
– You’re painting light-coloured paint over darker colours
– The surface is stained
Convinced A Primer Is The Way To Go?
Try Plascon TradePro Water-Based Primer – a water-based primer for masonry surfaces. Suitable for priming new interior and exterior cement plaster, concrete, porous brickwork, and various building boards.
APPEARANCE: Smooth Matt Finish
APPLICATION: Interior and Exterior
THEORETICAL SPREAD RATE: 8 m2/ℓ
PACKAGING: 5 ℓ and 20 ℓ
DO I NEED AN UNDERCOAT?
Just like primers, undercoats provide a smooth, uniform, even surface for topcoats. An undercoat can also provide better coverage and hiding power than just applying extra topcoats. If you’re painting an existing surface that has been painted before, an undercoat can mean the difference between a paint job you’re proud of, and a paint job you can’t bear to look at.
General Rule Of Thumb
You need an undercoat if you want to:
– Seal unpainted surfaces
– Cover small imperfections
– Ensure even coverage and avoid discoloured spots
– Block intense underlying colours from shining through the topcoat
Convinced an undercoat is the way to go?
Try Plascon TradePro Undercoat is an alkyd-based undercoat for general interior and exterior use. Provides good adhesion to most types of primers and maybe over-coated by a variety of alkyd and emulsion-based topcoat systems.
APPEARANCE: Matt Finish
APPLICATION: Interior and Exterior
THEORETICAL SPREAD RATE: 14 m2/ℓ
PACKAGING: 5 ℓ and 20 ℓ
HOW TO APPLY PAINT PRIMER AND UNDERCOAT
While we salute you and your love for DIY, for drywall, badly stained walls, or high gloss paint, Paint Club recommends bringing in a professional paint company for the job. Otherwise, you can apply paint primer and undercoat without expert help, as you would ordinary paint.
You will need:
– Plascon TradePro Water-Based Primer
– Plascon TradePro Undercoat
– A roller or a brush
– Mineral spirits to clean paint spills and splashes
– Filler and filling knife
– Sandpaper
– Sugar Soap
– Sponge
– Masking tape
– Drop sheets
THE PROCESS IN EIGHT EASY STEPS
- Before you begin, prepare the walls by cleaning with a damp cloth and filling any cracks and gaps.
- Stir the primer from the bottom of the can to reintegrate any chemical separation and pour into a paint tray.
- Use masking tape along any edges you don’t want to paint, including trims or windows, and lay drop sheets on the ground.
- Use a paintbrush to apply the primer around the wall’s edges and switch to a paint roller for larger areas.
- Ensure proper dry time before painting over the primer so that it has time to cure to the wall properly.
- Next, apply the undercoat in the same manner in which you applied the primer.
- If the undercoat dries thin or in a way that still reveals the surface underneath, apply a second coat and let it dry.
- Once your undercoat is completely dry, you’re ready to apply the topcoat.
Author: Paint Expert