Zinsser Primers and sealers have been playing a major role in the world of DIY for quite sometime now.  Of course, Zinsser have developed a reputation for introducing new tools to help with a whole range of decorating problems. Today we’re going to have a look at how you can use their primers and sealers when redecorating.

What is primer?
There are a range of products designed to prepare walls and other surfaces for decoration, these products are known as primers. Zinsser offer a range of specialized primers that perform different jobs.

Zinsser Cover Stain Primer
If a surface is stained with water marks, nicotine, graffiti, rust or mildew, then painting straight over them is likely to lead to the stains showing or leaching through. Using Zinsser Cover Stain Primer first will lock in the stains and prevent them from spreading to fresh layers of paint or wallpaper.

Zinsser Peel Stop Primer
Zinsser Peel Stop Primer is designed to shore up flaking, cracked or peeling paint. It will smooth and flatten the surface so that you can apply a new layer of paint over it. It is extremely versatile, and will work on plaster, wood, cement, metal and external surfaces.

Zinsser BullsEye 123 Primer
If you have damps walls, whether inside or out, use Zinsser BullsEye 123 Primer to seal in stains caused by mould to prevent them leaching to new layers of paint or wallpaper. It’s non-toxic (most mould remedies aren’t) and will also prevent future mould growing in the same spot.

Zinsser BullsEye 123 Plus Primer
A stronger version of the above product that can be used on almost all surfaces affected by mould to seal in mildew.

What is sealer?
Porous surfaces like plaster, plasterboard, wallpaper, lining paper and filler may absorb paint if it is applied directly to them. To prevent this happening, it’s best to apply sealer first. This fills in the porous cavities and makes the surface ready for painting.  Zinsser Gardz is Zinsser’s specialist sealer product.