Read on to learn how to determine when self-priming paint should and shouldn’t be used.
What Is Self-Priming Paint?
Paint and primer in one is a paint with primer mixed into it.
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It allows you to entirely eliminate the priming step from your painting process.
This key in of paint product is sold under a variety of names including paint-primer.
What Is Paint and Primer in One?
First, you use a thin-bodied white or tinted primer.
Second, you use thicker-bodied latex paintwhich delivers the true paint color and outer protection that you need.
Paint andprimerin one is a thicker paint that builds higher to give you a sturdier coat of paint.
How Self-Priming Paint Works
Self-priming paint is thicker than normal, non-priming paint.
The paint industry term for this is “build.”
Primer is thin so that it will more readily soak into porous surfaces.
Primer is not color, nor is it even a protective coat.
Painting thecolor coatis near-instant gratification, while priming is drudge work that eventually gets covered up.
In this situation, you definitely want to use a primer first.
Primer helps bring the surface closer to perfection.
Ideally, all surfaces should be patched, primed once or twice, thenpainted twiceagain.
But realistically, it may be possible to cut out the priming step.
Clean, dry, and fairly low-porous surfaces in good condition may not need any priming.
This describes the walls in a typical interior living room, bedroom, dining room, or hallway.
Will Paint and Primer in One Save Money?
Self-priming paint is restricted to the more expensive premium paint lines.
This is important to note because this immediately drives up costs.
You cannot go cheap with self-priming paint, even on a per-gallon basis.
The self-priming quality is usually mentioned secondarily.
To confirm, you’re able to usually find technical specifications for paints on manufacturers' sites.
