Universal Primers - part 1
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Same-day priming and painting is a must for most painting projects (at least for professional painters), and the quicker the recoat, the better.
Bonders
These primers are “bonding primers” used to promote adhesion to hard-to-grip-to surfaces. With most of the better universal primers, dulling the surface prior to priming is not required for adequate adhesion.
It is important however, that the surface to which the primer is going to be applied be clean, or the primer may be repelled by surface contamination and not adhere properly. Surface cleanliness is extremely important with the latex bonding primers.
Dulling or deglossing by sanding or other means will improve the adhesion of a bonding primer to a substrate, and is sometimes recommended for certain substrates and applications (see product label for recommendations). See also Glossy Surface Primers
Sealers
A primer that seals will prevent the finish paint from soaking into the raw or unsealed substrate.
Sealing a substrate ensures sheen uniformity, and prevents the paint from drying off too quickly, which can lead to lap marks and poor leveling.
Good sealing properties makes universal primers a preferred choice for enamel undercoating.
Smooth leveling is also a requirement for enamel work, and the shellac and new generation waterborne universal primers flow out very smoothly allowing for a sprayed-on look - with the right enamel top coat.
The Three Types of Universal Primers
There are three types of universal primers: oil based, waterbased and shellac based versions, each type processes the three universal primer attributes (bonding, sealing and stain blocking), but each have different strengths and weaknesses.
Pigmented Shellac Universal Primer
Shellac primer, is a favorite of mine for a variety of reasons, two of which are it's quick dry and strong adhesion. Shellac primer will dry in about 15 - 30 minutes, making for very quick recoating and it bonds strongly to almost anything. The shellac primer I recommend is Zinsser's BIN primer.
BIN can be top coated with latex or oil paints. Brushes and tools can be cleaned up with ammonia and water (see How to Clean a Paint Brush).
Undercoater and Stain Blocker
Shellac is the best of the universal primers for sealing porous substrates and the best for enamel "hold-out" and providing uniformity when top coating with sheen paints. BIN is probably the best stain blocker too.The quick dry and alcohol solvent base makes it a good choice for blocking a wide variety of stains.
A limitation of shellac primers in general is that they lack exterior durability and are suitable for interior priming only.
Knot Sealer
You may use BIN as as spot primer for exterior (or interior) wood trim knots. When used as a knot sealer, I like to re-spot-prime over shellac with an oil primer. The oil primer protects the shellac and provides for a second stain seal over the knot also. See Sealing Wood Knots.
Glossy Surface Primer
Shellac has very good adhesion to glossy surfaces but unlike oil which is a little forgiving, the surface must be very clean in order for shellac to develop adhesion. A good cleaning with a pre-paint cleaner like Krud Kutter (allow the surface to dry) will usually suffice prior to priming with BIN.
If the substrate you are painting is a little dusty or chalky, you will need to remove this dust with a vacuum, dust brush or some other cleaning method as BIN will not "wet" or bind through a loose substrate.
See Emulsa-Bond for exterior chalky substrate priming or Oil based primer for other substrates that are lightly chalky.
Related Articles: Kilz, Coverstain and Xim 400 Primers
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Universal primers are basic surface preparation products which most painters keep on their truck and use frequently.
These primers are known as "universal" primers, which means that they are good for almost any priming situation.
One of the qualities that makes the universal primers so useful is the fast dry, quick recoat capability.
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Stain Blockers
Stain blockers lock in stains and prevent them from migrating into the finish paint. The stain blocking capabilities of each of the universal primer types is different depending on the type of stain. Water based stain blockers for example, do not work well with water soluble stains, whereas shellac or oil stain blockers will seal water soluble stains effectively. It is important to use the right primer for the right stain blocking task.
My Favorite Universal Primer Brands
Zinsser is my favorite brand of universal primer. Zinsser makes an oil (Coverstain), latex (123 Bullseye) and shellac (BIN) universal primer versions..
Zinsser primers are known for their excellent adhesion, fast dry and good stain kill properties.
Another brand of high performing universal primers is XIM brand.
Known for their exceptional adhesion when used according to the manufacture's label and instructions, this brand will usually cost a bit more than Zinsser primers, but for high performance needs - this is the brand I would use in those situations.
Universal Primers
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