we just moved into our first house. Q1) we have a shower in the basement bathroom, just noticed that there's a crack in the ceiling inside the shower (small shower with a glass door, door doesn't go all the way to the ceiling). Just wondering if we need to seal the crack and if so, how should we go about that?! the bathroom does have a fan (I believe it vents outside of the house thought not 100% sure). 2) we plan to paint the bathroom in a dark gray color (SW anonymous) - what type of primer would you suggest? we have zinsser 1-2-3, is that good enough for bathrooms (have one already tinted gray for another room)? what brand of paint would you use for top coats? I've heard good things about SW duration, but am open to other brands too (we have home depot, lows, pittsburg, BM, SW, P&L here). Thanks!

Paints and primers are all designed for varying types of surface conditions. Most homeowner paint and primer products are latex (water) based or alkyd (oil) based. Some are designed to be obsorbed, penitrating into a surface, providing good bonding power for the top coat, while others are designed to sit on top of a surface and bond chemically like higher proforming metal primers. There are many other high preformance epoxy primers for other more harsh coonditions. Primers are often sealers too - usually when applied to new surfaces like drywall, plaster, wood, or CMU they provide a moisture barrier and once top coated, the surface is able to hold out moisture - which is a prime cause of coating failures. Once top coated, the properly prepared and primed surface will provide long lasting service for the homeowner. Drying times to touch or recoat can vary greatly depending on the product being applied. When in doubt, ask you paint store professional which primer is best for your situation and needs.

I have never used that primer, but it seems like a bonding type acrylic primer. There are several on the market and I"m sure it would work decently, but sanding is always recommended. Paint or primer will always stick best to dull and clean surfaces, not shiny ones. Sure there are deglossers you can use and there are always primers that claim they will stick to shiny surfaces well, but sanding is always a step that should not be skipped IMO. Also, the problem with acrylic primers is that if there are any stains (and when you paint over stained trim there always is) the acrylic primers will not kill them...you will always have some bleeding. I prefer BIN by Zinnser because it sticks the best and it will hold back any stains, but it is shellac based so it does stink and it is difficult to work with. You can use the acrylic primer and then spot prime the areas that bleed with a spray can of Kilz or BIN, but many times when I paint over stained trim, the stain bleed through is so widespread it's just not worth it. If you find an acrylic primer that claims it will hold back stains or says 'stain killing' on the can, this is a lie and is done just for marketing purposes. Only oil based or shellac based primers will truly kill stains. Anyway, if you do decide to do it the right way and sand, don't be intimidated....it's really not that big of a deal. Go and buy some 3M sanding blocks, medium grit or fine grit. They also have ones with fine grit on one side and medium grit on the other. All you are interested in doing is dulling the shine...it's not like you are sanding forever trying to remove all the shine, just dull it. You want to apply some pressure, but you are not pressing so hard that this becomes some vigorous activity. An average size window with a frame around it usually takes me under 2 minutes to sand just to give you an idea. Use your available light and you can see that when you do a couple swipes with the sanding block, the sheen has dulled and is ready for primer. Also, sanding is a great way to help loosen dirt from fingerprints or whatever other contaminants have gathered there over the years so it can be dusted away before applying primer. Anything you paint over that is between the paint and the wood may ultimately affect adhesion which is why paint peels so it's very important to get rid of as much of this as you can. Good luck!

Why prime at all? Apply a coat of Duration Exterior (it's odorless) and repaint it with the second coat in spring. Michael