Prime and paint. Those are two words that seem to go hand in hand in the painting world. When you are excited to see that new color go up on your walls, it can be tempting to bypass the primer and go straight to painting. And unless you’ve encountered serious problems from skipping this step, you might be wondering what primer is good for and if you really need to use it.
What Primer Is For
Primer and paint serve two entirely different functions. Primer’s main purpose is to prepare a surface for paint, while paint is intended to give that surface a specific color and sheen. Primer works in these ways:
- Seals a porous surface
- Creates the ideal surface for paint to bond to
- Blocks stains and/or odors (depending on the formulation)
When Should You Use Primer?
Is it always necessary to use primer though? Answering these questions will help you determine whether or not you can safely skip this step.
- Are you painting a previously unpainted surface such as new drywall, wood, masonry, etc.?
- Do your walls need patching?
- Are there marks or stains that could potentially bleed through your paint?
- Are you making a significant change in color?
- Are you painting over a surface with a higher level of sheen or significantly changing the level of sheen?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you should apply primer prior to painting. Skipping it may result in poor adhesion, an uneven finish, or your surface requiring extra coats. When your walls only need some minor patching you can get away with spot priming the sanded patch. Just be sure to feather the edges of your primer to prevent any hard lines from showing up.
