Hey KimC! Yes...IDEALLY...do a thorough scuff-sand with 100-grit paper! It's the BEST way-period. Also YES...Latex primers are perfect over Oil paints (AFTER SANDING!). It's done all the time. You CAN use an Oil primer as well...AFTER SANDING! >>> Obviously, Latex topcoats are ideal over either type of primer. Sanding, in a sense, creates the "broom finish" that you need on sidewalks, so they're not slippery. Why don't you slip on broom-finish sidewalks?? Obviously it's because of the "surface-profile" that's created. SAME IDEA for scuff-sanding a smooth finish Oil (or ANY glossy) paint. You create a profiled surface that your new Latex primer can grip VERY well. In turn, your paint topcoats bond very well to the new primer. >>> Result?? * A paint/primer film that's bonded well, BOTH physically (from sanding), AND chemically (the paint-to-primer bond). * Thus, you have a paintjob that'll stand up to the hard-knocks of real life! * Make sure you're using at least a Satin-sheen paint! Faron

I've always used BIN, alcohol based primer by Zinsser. I recommend that for best results on the initial step. After priming, 100% acrylic latex is fine. If you want the cut edges to be smooth and uniform in appearance, coat the edges with a thin coat of drywall compound or heavy spackle. Sand the compound smooth, then prime and paint. Michael

It's discouraging that a paint store would give out advice that you don't need to sand. I don't think that an oil based primer is going to grip any better than a latex one either. If we were really going for adhesion, we would use BIN which is shellac based. Also, priming the oil based paint layer before painting with latex is not nearly as important as sanding it. I paint latex over oil all the time without a primer, but I do that because I know how to sand. Some homeowners may not know how to sand properly, so using a bonding primer is just an added safeguard. The best thing you can do is sand, then dust away the sanding dust and prime, then apply two topcoats. I would not mess around with the oil based priemr either. Just use a good bonding all acrylic primer like Fresh Start, Zinnser 123, C2 One, etc.

HU. Yeah never worked with the stuff before. I did use years ago when I brushed on a top coat on a shelf built years ago, and I didn’t like it then. I should have thinned it when I brushed as I look back on it. Stuff is hard as a rock on that shelf. Spoke to another pro painter and he suggested oil base or a shellac and obviously I had to chose the oil base. Never again! It will always be a shellac in the environment I live in.