My secret time-saver weapon…again

A couple readers came up with this most fantastic idea of reusing a few of my old posts until I get to feeling better.  This one is highly applicable to any paint project, so for those of you who haven't read it, I hope it's useful.  I've added a few new primer tidbits at the end of the post as well.

My secret time-saver weapon is none other than my Kilz spray primer.  It's pricey - like 5 x the price of the stuff in the gallon, but for me it's totally worth it.  (I've actually gone through 8 cans within the last week!)

This spray primer can be sanded within 30 minutes of applying and then quickly painted over.  If I roll on the other non-aerosol type, I have to wait until the next day to sand and paint.  It dries to the touch within 30 minutes, but clumps like crazy if you try to sand it within 12 hours.  If any of you have applied oil-based primer, you also know that it's difficult to work with and requires quite a bit of elbow grease to sand smooth.  Not my spray Kilz - it sprays smooth and only needs a light sand with a 220 grit paper.

Because of its hefty price tag {$5-$6 a can}, I try to skimp where and I can and only prime the tops of low usage furniture, such as these end tables; the body does fine with a light sand.  If I'm working with wood that has a tendency to bleed, then the entire piece has to be primed to prevent the tannin from coming through the paint.  Your regular old water-based primer won't block tannin bleed... and neither will re-applying your paint over and over - believe me, I've tried.

I roll on 2 coats of oil-based primer if I'm working with a grainy wood like oak and I want to fill in some of the wood grain.  It doesn't get rid of it, but it definitely reduces it.

It worked like a charm on my oak dining room table.

Try it on your next project - you'll never go back to rolling primer again...I promise.

The key to a quality paint job is how well the paint adheres to whatever it is you are painting.  Who cares if your paint job is smooth if the paint scratches off because the surface wasn't prepped correctly?  Sanding helps grip the primer and primer helps grip the paint.  

There are many types of primer.  Oil-based has the highest adhesion properties and blocks all tannin bleed, so it is the one I use most frequently.  

Occasionally to cut costs, I'll spray Zinnsser's water based primer through my spray gun.  It works passably well, but doesn't block tannin, so I end up spot spraying my Kilz on bleed through spots where needed.  The water based primer also requires two coats to achieve the same coverage as oil.  Why don't you spray oil-based primer through your gun, you ask?  Because I hate cleaning it out and I try to avoid paint thinner wherever I can.

If something's not clear don't hesitate to leave a question is the comments section.  Make sure to leave your email address as well.