12 Comments on “Can Primer Be Used as the Finish Coat When Painting?”

You can follow comments to this article by subscribing to the RSS news feed with your favorite feed reader.

1. Jacky Says:
   December 30th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

   Can a primer be used as the finished coat in a bedroom?

2. Jacky Says:
   December 30th, 2009 at 10:32 pm

   To be more specific…I painted my room with a primer and then a finished coat. After a few thoughts, I realized that I like the colour of the primer more. Is it possible to repaint the room with the primer over the finished paint?

   Thanks

3. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   December 31st, 2009 at 12:14 pm

   Hi Jacky,
   While primer should not be used as a finish coat, you could paint a scrap with it, let it dry, take it to a paint store, and have the color and gloss matched to a finish paint.

4. barbara Says:
   August 25th, 2010 at 9:52 pm

   I stripped my cedar siding to bare wood and then put a coat of oil based primer on it. That was 3 months ago. We have had hot, dry weather since then. What do I need to do to prepare it for painting in the next couple of weeks?

5. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   August 26th, 2010 at 10:03 am

   Hi Barbara,
   Since some outside primers can degrade over time if not painted promptly, read the label carefully (or contact the company that made it) to see if they indicate a time period during which the primer should be topcoated. If your primer has been on longer than that, you might need to apply another coat of primer before topcoating. Good luck with your project.

6. Sara Says:
   October 25th, 2010 at 11:56 pm

   Hello,
   My boyfriend has just painted the bedroom with primer. I am trying to talk him into putting a finish coat over the top, but I don’t have any solids reasons to give him as to why that needs to be done. So I’m hoping for a good explanation of why primer cannot be used as a finish coat. Also, primer was applied to the interior of the downstairs about a year ago. Do we need to prime again, or can we put a finish coat of paint over that?

7. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   October 26th, 2010 at 11:00 am

   Hi Sara,
   Primer is not formulated to be used as the final topcoat, that includes both inside and out. When left uncoated inside, primer will not clean up well when it gets dirty, will have a no sheen, and isn’t available in a range of colors and sheens. As far as covering over year old primer, it would not be as big a consideration inside as out, where the primer would have degraded over time due to exposure to the elements. If your year old interior primer is in good shape and isn’t dirty or stained, you can probably topcoat over it, though it wouldn’t hurt to prime it again. In the future you might want to consider some of the new paints that combine a primer and topcoat in one such as Behr Premium Plus Ultra, which we did a Best New Product segment on. Good luck with your project!

8. Jennifer Says:
   November 13th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

   Exterior latex primer that was applied to our home a few weeks ago is turning yellow. Will the yellowing get worse over time if the topcoat isn’t applied? Other than the yellowing, what other problems can occur if this primer is left uncoated? It may be a while before we can apply the topcoat since the weather is now too cold to paint.

9. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   November 13th, 2010 at 6:39 pm

   Hi Jennifer,
   As Danny’s article above says, primer that is not topcoated over within a few weeks can chalk and degrade over time, resulting in possible failure to adhere properly to the topcoat when it is applied.

10. Dane Brewer Says:
    October 11th, 2011 at 8:12 am

    I am preparing to paint a block wall that has old white paint on it,that is weathered a lot. Do I need to use a primer and if so what kind. This wall is 5ft high and sees a lot of sun and rain
    Thanks
    Dane

11. Arline Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    Hi,
    I am repainting our dining table and chairs to a lighter color.I already applied a coat of primer, however,it looks very thin to me,is it OK to apply another coat of primer?Thanks

12. Charlie Says:
    November 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am

    We replaced the T-11 siding (fir) on one side of our house in early June. We started applying oil-based primer but it got so hot that the primer was the consistency of glue. We tried some additives to thin it out and, over the course of the summer, we got most of the surface covered when weather permitted. (We also had a lot of rain this summer, besides being extrememly hot.) We still have some small areas to cover around where the electric lines, telephone, etc. come into the house – plus some of the grooves in the T-11.

    We looked at the can last night and now we see that we should’ve applied the top coats within 30 days of applying the primer! After reading your advice to Aaron, we understand why but we’re not sure how to proceed from here. Should we go ahead and apply the primer to the remaining raw wood before winter or are we wasting our time and the primer? Will we need to remove and reapply the primer next year before we apply the latex paint we plan to use for the siding? What is your advice? Thanks!

Comments submitted may be edited for clarity and used on Homefront, Today’s Homeowner^®, or posted in articles on dannylipford.com at our discretion. In addition, you may submit questions at our contact page or by calling (800) 946-4420.