With summer fast approaching Shadi Ammouri, director of product marketing, KILZ offers advice on selecting the right exterior and interior primer.

Benefits of Primer

The purpose of primer is to better prepare a surface for painting. By first laying a primer foundation, you will almost certainly improve the finish and durability of any paint job.

Priming also helps solve a wide range of problems including blocking stains, sealing unwanted odors and minimizing differences due to uneven porosity, sheen and texture.

We especially recommend priming when working with a porous surface or masonry, such as brick, or when painting over a glossy coat to help promote adhesion.

By putting in the proper prep work and priming, you’ll increase the quality and durability of the overall job while improving bonding capabilities, stain-blocking, hiding and flexibility.

Tips on Selecting the Best Primer

When choosing a primer, first inspect the condition of the surface in which you intend to paint and the issues that may prevent you from achieving optimal results (stains, unwanted odors, uneven surfaces, texture differences, and/or issues that could cause adhesion problems).

For standard painting projects, our multi-surface primers like KILZ 2® All-Purpose Primer and KILZ 3® Premium Primer (water-based) or KILZ® Original Interior Primer (oil-based) will do the job.

However, more severe situations may require a primer specially engineered for those cases. For example, to block severe stains, seal and/or block odors, we recommend KILZ Restoration Interior Primer.

When in doubt, we have a handy guide on our website that can help you to select the right primer for the job.