When it comes to decorating, one of the most important tasks is sealing and priming walls and other surfaces ready for painting. There are a wide range of different primers and sealers available and choosing the right one can be difficult. We’ve therefore provided an overview of ten different varieties to help you choose the right one for your home.
1 – Aluminium Wood Primers
Aluminium wood primers are used to seal and prime oil hardwoods ready for painting. They are applied directly to surfaces like chipboard, hardboard and plywood and typically take around six hours to dry.
2 – Calcium Plumbate
Calcium plumbate is used by professionals to prime external metal surfaces and is a popular choice for outside metal fixtures and fittings. It is recommended specifically for ferrous metals (i.e. those containing iron) and can help prevent rusting from occurring. This type of primer takes a little longer to dry, typically around eight hours depending on the conditions.
3 – Chromate Primer
Chromate primers have been specifically designed to help prevent corrosion of metals and is particularly well suited to use on aluminium surfaces. This type of primer takes around ten hours to dry and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
4 – General Purpose Primers
Probably the most common type of primer are general purpose primers like Zinsser primer. These are suitable for sealing any porous surface like plaster, hardboard, plywood or concrete. They are intended for indoor use and can be used on walls and ceiling. The majority of general purpose primers are quick drying in around four hours.
5 – Knotting Primer
Knotting primer is another specialist primer which has been designed specifically for use on natural woods. This type of primer helps to prevent the knots in wood from leaking and discolouring your paintwork. Depending on the brand, knotting primer generally dries in around three hours.
6 – PVA Bonding Agent
PVA bonding agent is another multi-purpose sealer which has been designed for use on a wide range of materials. It works especially well on concrete, brick and cement rendering and is therefore perfect for external use. This sealer also takes around three hours to dry.
7 – Red Oxide
Red Oxide is a specialist primer which has been specifically designed for use on ferrous metals. This primer is only suitable for indoor use and helps to prevent corrosion. It generally takes around four hours to dry depending on the brand.
8 –Stabilising Primers
Stabilising primers have been developed for use on surfaces which are prone to flakiness or powdering. This type of primer is well suited to fibre board, concrete, plaster, plasterboard, stone and cement rendering, and is perfect for external use. Depending on the conditions, stabilising primers take around three hours to dry.
9 – Water Repellent Primers
Water repellent primers have been designed specifically for preventing water from penetrating surfaces. This type of primer works well on external surfaces and is ideal for use on brick, cement, stone and concrete. Depending on the brand and conditions, water repellent primers usually dry in less than an hour.
10 – Wood Primers
Wood primers have been designed to help seal a variety of woods including hardboard, plywood and chipboard. They are used to prevent paint like Zinsser paint from soaking into the wood. Designed for indoor use, wood primers usually take around four hours to dry fully.
There are a wide range of primers on the market each offering solutions for different surfaces so now you know the different types, choose the right one for your needs today.
