When house painting in Pleasant Hill, many people wonder if they need to use a primer before applying a coat of paint. You and other people may be tempted not to use a primer and go straight to painting instead. However, a primer has several benefits which will help you in painting surfaces, as well as make surfaces a lot more appealing and durable.
The number one benefit of using a primer is that it will make the paint adhere faster. Keep in mind that all paint will not bond well to all surfaces. For instance, you’ve moved into an existing home. When you start house painting, you haven’t decided on which type of paint you’re going to use. With a coat of primer, it will make it easier to decide what paint you’re going to choose because a primed surface will have a better chance that the paint will adhere properly. This is especially important if you are using a faux finish for your walls.
If the walls have cracks, flaws, or crevices on the surface, or areas that need to be repaired, you will want to use a primer to adequately seal the surfaces to be painted. If you want a smoother and more even finish, use a primer to achieve that kind of result after you have spackled and sanded down the spackle.
When you decide to paint on wood surfaces, a primer is recommended before you apply paint. In general, wood has grain which enables it to absorb moisture. When only paint is applied on bare wood, it will absorb the moisture in the paint which will cause the grains to swell. The result is puckering, wrinkling, or peeling paint. But if you apply a primer first before coating it over with paint, the primer creates a watertight seal which will bar the paint’s moisture from entering the grain. You can expect undamaged wood and a smoother paint finish.
Another problem when you apply a coat of paint directly over bare wood, the grains can still show through and you’ll end up applying more coats of paint to cover the unsightly grains. When you paint the surface with a primer first, you will need fewer layers of paint to achieve the solid surface. Another benefit of primer: it is generally less costly than paint; so using a primer will reduce the cost of painting the interior and exterior of the house.
If you decide to paint a lighter shade of paint over a darker surface, you will need to paint the surface with a primer first before you start adding the lighter paint. The primer prepares any surface for a cleaner top and smoother finish. A primer allows you to cover nearly any color of paint.
So it is absolutely necessary to use a primer whenever you embark on painting your Pleasant Hill home? The answer depends. If you’re approaching a professional residential paint contractor like Custom Painting, Inc. you may ask the question if priming is necessary. If it is, then you can start house painting in Pleasant Hill.