Comments on: Homeowner’s Guide to Paint Primer

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:55:32 +0000

Hi John, It's a good idea to get as much of the wallpaper adhesive off the walls as possible before refinishing. You can spray on a wallpaper remover to take it off. If the walls feel rough after they are dry, sand them lightly with medium sandpaper (120 grit) until smooth before priming and painting. If there is no residue or staining from the wallpaper glue on the walls, latex wall primer should be fine. Oil or shellac based primers have much better stainblocking abilities, so use on of them if you have residue still on the walls that might bleed through. Watch our videos on How to Remove Wallpaper and Removing Wallpaper to find out more. Good luck with your project!

By: John Nason

John Nason — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:14:33 +0000

i just removed wallpaper from a bathroom and noticed that the adhesive from the wallpaper is still on the walls, dry but still on. Should the adhesive be washed off/removed before I prime, or can I apply primer over the surface as is?
Would latex or oil/shellac be the choice?

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:34:11 +0000

Hi Flo, Wood stains are designed to penetrate into the wood, rather than cover over a nonporous surface like paint. For stains to work properly you need to remove all of the old finish and sand the surface down. There are some finishes available that are basically a lightly tinted varnish, such as Minwax Polyshades that can build up color on top of the wood, but the more coats you apply, the more opaque the wood grain will become. Good luck with your project!

By: Flo Sedillo

Flo Sedillo — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:02:37 +0000

I have oak cabinets im trying to refinish. They were previously painted with paint. I have removed most of the paint however some paint still remins in the corners and crevases of the wood. When i try to stain the wood, The stain (im going dark) is not coating those spots well, where the residual paint is. I was going to try some more liquid type paint remover to remove some more paint. Is their a primer i can put on the wood and then stain on top of that. I would like to see a more even finish. What can I do?

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:28:27 +0000

How many coats of Kilz Clean Start should be used? I’m covering over a wall of dark, dark green. I’ve applied one coat and it didn’t cover very well. Not sure, since it is a sealer, if one coat will be enough or if the wall should be completely “WHITE” before painting.
Help!

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:53:48 +0000

Hi Jess,
Read the instructions on the can to be sure, but generally you can apply an oil-based paint over a latex primer, though personally if I’m planning on topcoating with oil-based paint, I would use an oil-based primer as well. Good luck with your project!

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:12:53 +0000

Hi Wayne,
I would try sanding the border decorations down a bit with a sanding block and medium (120 grit) sandpaper to smooth the surface, then prime over it with a stain blocking primer to keep the colors from bleeding through. Good luck with your project!

By: Wayne

Wayne — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:09:11 +0000

Just moved into first house two weeks ago, ready to start painting, at least a few rooms. Specifically two small children’s bedrooms that unfortunately have painted aqua colored stars as a border in one room and what can only Very described as multi colored twister circles in the other! Both room’s walls are white with the above mentioned border treatment, stars and circles are about 5-8 inches hifh. Help with our colorful problem!

By: jess pfleegor

jess pfleegor — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:52:33 +0000

Can I put a water based primer on an xterior door then cover it w/ an oil based topcoat?

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:05:22 +0000

Hi Kelsey,
You didn’t mess up, primer is formulated so other paints will adhere well to them, so it’s fine to put oil-based primer over latex paint then apply another coat of latex paint on top. Where you can go wrong is trying to paint over glossy oil-based trim enamel with latex paint. If you don’t sand and prime the oil-based enamel first, The latex paint won’t adhere well and can chip and peel easily. Good luck with your project!