Products
Primers & Sealers
Primers and sealers for interior, exterior, metal and wood substrates, with guidance on when a primer is required.
Answer
What this covers
Applications
Typical uses
- Sealing new plaster before painting
- Priming metal before an enamel finish
- Priming wood before a finish
- Improving adhesion on difficult or previously coated surfaces
Choosing
What affects the choice
- The surface, and what is already on it
- Its condition — sound, chalking, peeling, damp
- Whether this is new work or a repaint
- Interior or exterior exposure
- The finish you want
- Whether the shade needs tinting
Quantity
How quantity is estimated
Area ÷ coverage × coats, plus any allowance you decide to add. The estimator on the tools page does the arithmetic and shows its working.
Add it
Add to your paint list
Add this to your paint list
Category level is fine. Product, brand and pack are confirmed at quotation.
Product availability, shade and tinting are confirmed at enquiry or counter.
Price
What affects the price
- Primer type
- Substrate
- Solvent or water based
- Coverage
- Quantity
- Pack size
Availability
What affects availability
- Product and brand
- Pack size
- Shade, and whether it is standard or tinted
- Quantity required
- Whether the item is held or ordered
Enquiry
What to send
- The room or area, and what the surface is
- Its condition, and photographs if you can
- Net wall or ceiling area, if you have measured it
- The finish you want
- Shade name or code, if decided
- Whether this is new work or a repaint
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need primer before repainting?
It depends on the surface, its condition and the product system. A sound, previously painted interior wall in good condition may not need it; bare plaster, metal, wood or a failing surface usually does.
Record the surface condition and we will check it against the product system.
Can I skip primer to save money?
Primer affects absorption, adhesion and finish. Whether it can be omitted depends on the substrate and the manufacturer’s system — that is a product question rather than a general one.