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Oil vs. acrylic exterior primer

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I was advised to use an oil primer on my exterior wood porch which is a mishmash of different surfaces including epoxy wood fill + hardener (Abatron) and about 1/2 of it is wood with various degrees of original lead paint ranging from very little just in the pores of the wood to a solid layer.

My inclination is to get an all purpose oil primer vs. the "long oil," since there isnt a lot of totally new or exposed wood.... but then in the meantime, other people have been telling me that oil based primer is too stiff and will just keep recracking where the original first coat cracked, and Ive heard a couple of stories about the oil takign forever to harden and/or the latex paint above it failing.

But Im confused because I thought oil primer was supposed to go over old oil based paint - is that no longer true?

At this point I just want to go with whatever is most likely to give me good results. But what is that - in your opinion?

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Comments (6)

PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
7 years ago
Cover stain(Zinsser) is all you need. Top coat with whatever you want, 100% acrylic latex would be best.
Debbie Downer
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Thx Christopher, actually Im a Zinsser fan - its very helpful when someone recommends something that Im kinda leaning towards anyway! How much time do I have between putting primer on and getting finish coat on ?
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Read the can of B-I-N. If I recall correctly it is not supposed to be used for painting entire walls. Zinsser makes good primers. They are the maker of B-I-N. I called them and asked which primer to use for each project (Walls, bare wood, etc.). They were helpful and I was happy with the result. You know the first question anyone will want to know is " What are you painting?" Makes a big difference in which primer will work...BIG difference. Yes, I used the wrong primer for a specific project once, horrible results. Incidentally call any manufacturer; they should help. Not so necessarily with the local paint person at HD or Lowes.
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just lift the lid, stick the hose in the, and fill it up. I usually count to about 30 seconds. The argon itself is so inexpensive, I'm not concerned with whether ten seconds is enough or 30 seconds is too much. The above method works as well with using thinner. I just prefer to not to do that since I don't like adding thinner to oil paints. And I don't want to always have to decant. From my experience thinner changes the sheen on oil paints. I prefer penetrol for making it flow better. And there is an oil spar varnish I use, which absolutely will not mix with paint thinner. And there is an interior oil varnish I use that the thinner will not just sit on top, it will mix readily with that resin.. I've tried the bloxygen stuff, but found that the cans really have very little product in them. When my argon tank is empty, I can fill it for less than twenty dollars and have at least 500 dollars worth of argon for what bloxygen charges.
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The traditional answer is that an oil based primer should be used because tannin is water soluble. However, some of the new acrylic, water based primers, such as Kilz Premium, will stop tannin bleed, provided that 18 hours of cure time is given before top coating with a water based paint. Some of the new "paint and primer" paints are also stain blocking. Two coats of the paint itself will stop tannin bleed, but again, only after an overnight cure time before applying the finish coat. And yes, water based paints can be applied over a thoroughly dried oil based primer.
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PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
7 years ago
An hour, under ideal conditions
Debbie Downer
Original Author
7 years ago
Next question! Whats the longest I can wait before putting paint on over primer? Have the primer up and now its looking like rain on and off for the next week. Argh!

How OCD do I have to be about getting every little pinhole filled in - the surface is old and not perfectly smooth so I fussed with trying to work paint into all those tiny holes and crevices but there are a bunch more - the downside of a quick drying primer is that it dries almost too fast. Thinking of going back with a stiffer brush and slightly thinned primer and working it into the holes better? Or can I assume that the top coat will take care of it? I really want to do a top notch job here and not have to do it again for a long time.

THX!!!!!
sambah006
7 years ago
10 to 14 days max for best results. Sooner the better.

You should have had a can of penetrol to use with the primer. If this coverstain is what I'm thinking it is, that stuff is STIFF.

The longevity of a paint job is determined 80% by the quality of prep, 10% material, and 10% skill.

If you are using water borne paint, and the wood to be painted is dry, and you have a long enough window to paint in before it rains you should be okay. Call the paint tech line as ask them how soon after you paint, can the surface get rained on.
PRO
Paint sales at Home Depot
7 years ago
In general, the benefit of acrylic (latex) paints and primers is that they are more elastomeric and they breathe better. Oil products dry to a more brittle film and get more so with age. Oil products also form a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is what you don't want on the exterior of your house! This is why acrylic products were a quantum leap over oil paints as exterior house paints. Houses of old peeled because the moisture trapped in the stud cavities could not work its way out to the exterior. The vapor pressure just forced the paint right of the wood! Acrylics shed rain water, but allow interior vapor to pass through to the outside.

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