For the beginner painters out there, there may be a few things yet to learn about primers. We’ve compiled a few must-knows for you here compiled from wisdom bestowed upon us by the engineers at the Boysen Technical Services Department.
Don’t Skip It
When you’re working on a painting project and starting on a bare surface, the primer comes after surface preparation. After applying primer, you apply your topcoat. But what is it for anyway? Primer plays a key role in ensuring your topcoat sufficiently adheres to the surface you’re painting.
Good adhesion, per Boysen experts, is essential if you want your paint to last a long time as it has a direct effect on the durability of your paint job. With poor adhesion comes a host of painting problems including peeling, flaking, and blistering.
This means simply applying topcoat to a bare surface without a primer is a surefire way to see your paint job deteriorating faster than you want it to. Bottomline: Primer helps your paint stay put for a long time. So, don’t skip it.
Pick the Right One
There are a lot of primers out there. How do you know you’ve got the right one for your project? Here are three things you commonly need to take into account: your surface type, your chosen topcoat paint product, and the color of your topcoat.
First, surface type. There are different types of surfaces—concrete, wood, metal, etc. You have to make sure your primer is formulated for use on what you’re painting.
Second, paint product. Your primer should also be compatible with what you’re applying on top of it—a.k.a. your topcoat. For example, though Boysen Permacoat Latex Flat B-701 is a primer for concrete walls, if you’re planning to apply Boysen Acrytex afterward, that’s not the primer to reach for. Boysen Acrytex has its own primer, Boysen Acrytex Primer, which you should use.
Then, there’s checking if your topcoat needs a colored primer. Take note that some paint colors, typically bright yellows and deep reds, require a colored primer for their true hues to come through.
Look for Added Features
Sometimes, you need a little more from your primer. Here are primers that offer added features that may suit your painting project.
Boysen Acrytex Primer
Watertight primer for concrete exteriors
Painting the outside of your home? The best option for bare concrete exteriors is Boysen Acrytex Primer. The Acrytex line of products is specially formulated to be long-lasting and able to withstand the Philippines’ harsh sunny and rainy days—and the Primer is no different.
Boysen Acrytex Primer is watertight, rigid, and gives a strong foundation for paint. You can apply Boysen Acrytex as a topcoat or choose a water-based paint product like Boysen Permacoat Latex.
Boysen Primeguard
Primer for hard-to-adhere metal surfaces
For hard-to-adhere metal surfaces like stainless steel and aluminum, Boysen Primeguard is an excellent choice. It provides excellent adhesion between the topcoat and the metal surface to help ensure a durable and long-lasting paint job. Of course, it also has reliable rust-inhibiting properties.
Being a water-based metal primer, it has a quicker drying time compared to solvent-based ones. Clean-up is also easy as you only need water. It’s also low odor and non-flammable.
Boysen EcoPrimer
Eco-friendly, lead-safe, and low-VOC primer
Boysen EcoPrimer is safe not just for the environment but for your household’s health as well. Because it’s low in odor, there’s less worry about strong paint chemical smells lingering around the house. As an eco-friendly product, it’s certified as both lead-safe and low VOC.
And, as a primer, it has superb sealing properties for bare substrates and is highly alkali resistant which helps you avoid paint problems like color fading, efflorescence, chalking, and peeling.
Ready to prime? We hope so! If you’re still unsure about something, our technical team will be happy to help. Send an email to ask@myboysen.com or call (02) 8363-9738 local 413 to 418 during office hours for a one-on-one consultation.
