What is primer paint and is it necessary when it comes to painting walls or concrete, metal and wood surfaces? In this article we share some of the primer paint tips, and why in some cases we cannot paint without primer or sealer paint. Primer sealer paint is not just essential for walls and drywalls but also generally useful for painting other parts of the house including roofs and floors. When you engage painting services in Singapore, be sure to examine the condition of your walls, ceiling, and doors, etc, especially if the flat or house is not new. Let your painting contractor know that priming is an essential step that should not be missed.

Why is primer paint necessary?

The Purpose of primer paint

The whole purpose of primer paint or sealer primer is mainly for improved bonding between the top coat finishing paint and the substrate with the help of the in-between primer sealer undercoat. Paint sealers aids in the surface preparation of the underlying bare substrate by sealing the surface so that the subsequent coats of paint will not sink into the deformities of the substrate such as cracks, holes or pits that can be due to flaky dried paint.

As masonry surfaces are often of irregular uniformity, for cement or stone substrates such as concrete floor, sealer paint will help in better adhesion from the masonry paint top coat. For roof, sealer paint acrylic coating is essential in waterproofing and sealing or repairing leaks.

When are primers and sealers required?

Primers and sealers are also necessary in different circumstances apart from just for better adhesion. Primer paint or sealer paint is also necessary under the following circumstances:

• When the existing colour of the paint finish is too dark to be repainted over for good coverage, you’ll need a primer sealer to be painted over the current paint layer, before painting a layer of white paint over it. This is then followed by painting the finishing layer of selected colour of paint.
• When the current paint finish is oil-based but the new paint layer over it is a water-based paint, you’ll need to apply acrylic paint sealer (water-based) over the existing oil-based paint finish first, before applying the final water-based top coat paint over it for better adhesion.
• When there are existing surface imperfections such as pits, cracks, holes or flakes, you will need sealer paint to seal these flaws up to prime the surface before any coat of paint finish can be applied so that the paint can last longer
• If the current wall paint is of semi or high-gloss finish, you’ll require a primer sealer undercoat before applying matt paint finish over it.