Lesson 8
Choosing the Right Primer
Choose a primer by the job it has to do, grip, seal, block or protect, so you can prime a surface this lesson never mentions.
Four jobs a primer can do
A primer is the layer between a surface and its paint that does a job the paint can't do on its own. There are four jobs.
- Grip: give paint something to hold on a slick surface, such as old gloss.
- Seal: stop a thirsty surface, such as new plaster or bare filler, drinking the paint, or bind a slightly powdery one.
- Block: stop stains in the surface coming up through the paint.
- Protect: stop bare metal rusting under the paint.
Pick a primer by the job, not by the word "primer" on the tin. If the surface doesn't need any of the four, you may not need one at all.
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