Benefits of Using A Primer During Your Exterior Painting Project.

If you’re considering repainting your home in Warsaw or Columbia City, Indiana, you might be wondering if you must really use that primer. Some homeowners and DIY painters tend to skip the primer in an effort to save on time and money –is it really worth it? Is it ok if a professional painting contractor like Matthews’ Painting skips the primer?

Well, exterior painting, as you may already know, is the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade the looks and value of your property. It offers protection to your siding against harsh exterior weather conditions such as rainfall, UV rays, and temperature fluctuations. For some homeowners, skipping the primer means saving time and the money that would have otherwise gone into buying those extra gallons –but is that really the case?

Most people don’t understand or underestimate the benefits of using a primer during exterior painting, and the consequences of skipping it when you really need one. To help you appreciate why you need a primer, here are some key benefits of priming.

1. Primers Block Stains.

Many paints, such as water stains, marker, crayon, lipstick, or nicotine, are quite stubborn and tend to bleed through most paint coats. A primer acts as a stain blocker, sealing in the stains and preventing them from messing up your paint job. This may not show right away, but once the paint dries, you will regret having skipped the primer.

Additionally, if you’re transitioning from a darker to a lighter color, you might find it difficult covering up the old paint color without a primer. A primer is developed exactly for this kind of situation. By tinting it with a bit of your new paint, it will seal off the old dark paint color and allow for a smooth color transition.

2. Priming Makes Paint Colors Richer.

By sealing off all the previous colors, discolorations, surface imperfections, and all sorts of stains, the primer allows your paint to show its true vibrant color. In other words, if you’re looking for that beautiful, flawless final finish, I suggest you don’t skip the primer.

3. The Primer Allows You Paint Anything.

Some surfaces such as plastic or vinyl do not just hold paint –so if you try painting them without a primer, they simply won’t stick. Primers are formulated for tenacious paint adhesion to all surfaces, allowing you to paint anything –pretty much. Want to paint ceramic tiles? Cool, just start by priming.

4. Primers Make Your Paint Job Last Longer.

Using a primer minimizes the chances of your paint cracking, blistering, or peeling, which is a rather common challenge to many painters. This means your paint will last longer and you don’t have to repaint too often.

4. Priming Saves You Time and Money

Contrary to popular belief, priming ultimately saves you lots of money and time. As earlier mentioned, primers are designed to block stains and old paint colors. If you tint your primer appropriately, you will end up needing only one coat of the primer and a coat of paint for clean, relatively ‘new’ surfaces. Dark to light paint color translation might require at least three coats of paint if you’re not using a primer as your first coat.

By using fewer paint coats, you will be saving the time required to apply multiple coats and money needed for those extra paint cans. If it’s DIY painting, you can request the paint store to tint the primer for you.

Bottom Line

Home exterior painting is one of the most difficult painting projects you will ever engage in and a DIY painter. While using a primer is not a guarantee of a perfect paint job, it will go a long in making your work much easier and more beautiful.

At Matthew’s Painting, we understand the importance of proper surface preparation prior to exterior painting, including using a primer. If you need any professional help repainting your home, our highly experienced team can help.

We’ve completed over 1,000 residential painting projects in the areas of Warsaw, Syracuse, Lake Tippecanoe area, Winona Lake area, Columbia City, Indiana, and surrounding Indiana cities. Book a FREE estimate below or give us a call at 574-834-3575, if you need any additional information.