# exterior primer



## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

I am new here and do mostly interior work. I am currently doing my hown home and was about to buy the primer RX from sherwin w but was told by their corporate office to use oil base primer on my old bare cedar and remaining old paint. Originally I was told that Primer RX from SW will lock down the peeling but then they were concerned with the latex primer and bleedthrough on the bare wood areas. I would like to use one great primer for both issues. The wood is 88 years old tho. I have scraped about half the house. Peeling, alligator and chalking. What is the best primer for the left on old paint and the bare cedar that now shows.... Thanks Guys


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

glenk2007 said:


> I am new here and do mostly interior work. I am currently doing my hown home and was about to buy the primer RX from sherwin w but was told by their corporate office to use oil base primer on my old bare cedar and remaining old paint. Originally I was told that Primer RX from SW will lock down the peeling but then they were concerned with the latex primer and bleedthrough on the bare wood areas. I would like to use one great primer for both issues. The wood is 88 years old tho. I have scraped about half the house. Peeling, alligator and chalking. What is the best primer for the left on old paint and the bare cedar that now shows.... Thanks Guys


I would certainly use the oil primer on the bare wood. We have get to find a water-borne primer that stops tannin bleed long term.


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

Oil primer, then the primeRx if you want to even out the surface to show less of the imperfections. Bewarned, you must put it on very heavy, most people do not, to have any noticeable effect. Two coats might be needed. I like the product for priming eaves that I have scraped. I mix the primeRx with problock so I can have color.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

I have gone over a lot of old cedar with peel bond, and when we used a high quality paint like duration or aura rarely had problems with bleeding. It can be hit or miss. It is a drag to have to use two different kinds of primers. I have also had good luck on weathered and beaten siding using Ppg Permanizer plus followed by a 100% acrylic stain blocking primer like BM 046 or Smart prime / 123plus


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

Thanks Guys for your pro opinions. It sounds like oil is the way. Does it seal better than latex. I hear others say Zinseer 123 bullseye. Zinseer says it will hold the bleeding in bare cedar and is good for chalking...Remember the wood is 88 years old and it doesn't even look red anymore..What does anyone think?


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

MikeCalifornia said:


> Oil primer, then the primeRx if you want to even out the surface to show less of the imperfections. Bewarned, you must put it on very heavy, most people do not, to have any noticeable effect. Two coats might be needed. I like the product for priming eaves that I have scraped. I mix the primeRx with problock so I can have color.


Hi Mike, I plan on these two steps. But why the oil first? Sherwin also told me to Rx the stuck on paint areas first then oil prime over everything. Is your method better?


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## rosespainting (Mar 16, 2014)

glenk2007 said:


> Hi Mike, I plan on these two steps. But why the oil first? Sherwin also told me to Rx the stuck on paint areas first then oil prime over everything. Is your method better?


Oil should be used first. If you use oil paint or primer over latex / water based paint, it will fail. 

I use Cover Stain primer on everything that has not been painted. It is oil based interior/exterior primer, and it works great.


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## Slopmeyer (Aug 2, 2009)

rosespainting said:


> Oil should be used first. If you use oil paint or primer over latex / water based paint, it will fail.
> 
> I use Cover Stain primer on everything that has not been painted. It is oil based interior/exterior primer, and it works great.


I beg to differ, but Cover stain and many other oil primers are fine to go over latex. There are some that you don't want to put over latex, but cover stain isn't one of them.


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

Gough said:


> I would certainly use the oil primer on the bare wood. We have get to find a water-borne primer that stops tannin bleed long term.


Bullseye 123 plus works wellon tannin bleed.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

mudbone said:


> Bullseye 123 plus works wellon tannin bleed.


We've just enough exceptions that we stick with oil. Since practically every house around here older than 30 years is sided with Western Red Cedar, tannin bleed is a constant concern. We've never had a problem using a long- oil primer, so it's hard to find a compelling reason to switch.


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## Krittterkare (Jul 12, 2013)

I pretty much always use a waterbased primer for whole houses, I have not worked on wood that old though. I have found there is evidence of bleeding but once the primer is cured it does not bleed any further except in the most problem areas.
My thought is if I can avoid spraying that much oil based in to the atmosphere the better, if the house has a lot of bare wood I will spot prime spray and back brush the bare areas and come back with a full waterborne prime coat.


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## Krittterkare (Jul 12, 2013)

I pretty much always use a waterbased primer for whole houses, I have not worked on wood that old though. I have found there is evidence of bleeding but once the primer is cured it does not bleed any further except in the most problem areas.
My thought is if I can avoid spraying that much oil based in to the atmosphere the better, if the house has a lot of bare wood I will spot prime spray and back brush the bare areas and come back with a full waterborne prime coat.


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

MikeCalifornia said:


> Oil primer, then the primeRx if you want to even out the surface to show less of the imperfections. Bewarned, you must put it on very heavy, most people do not, to have any noticeable effect. Two coats might be needed. I like the product for priming eaves that I have scraped. I mix the primeRx with problock so I can have color.


Mike, who, in their right mind, is willing to double prime an entire exterior? Unless it's a restoration, with which I wouldn't be touching a SW product, who has time for that? Let's offer viable solutions that work the first time. (And oil is it.)


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

This always seems to be a can of worms subject..sort of like religion and politics. i just thought it was a good idea to cover areas that have little islands of old paint still on the house with the Primer RX to lock them before primiing the whole house with oil primer, down but does everyone think that just an oil base prime alone (either cover stain or SW ext. oil primer) will do the same thing as the added step of SW Primer RX?


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

So can some one explain why a slow dry oil primer is better than a fast dry on my old bare cedar? And is this fact? Thanks


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## thinkpainting/nick (Dec 25, 2012)

It's a little old but a great read. http://www.stainblockingprimers.com/media/Primed_For_Success.pdf


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

glenk2007 said:


> So can some one explain why a slow dry oil primer is better than a fast dry on my old bare cedar? And is this fact? Thanks


I haven't had much luck finding a good reference online, a GIS turns up mostly links to this site or to CT.

IIRC, the advantages of the long-oil primers are in flexibility of the dried primer and penetration of the substrate. I do know that when we've tried fast drying primers, we haven't seen the longevity that we'd like.


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

Thank you all so much. I love paint!!! You are all are awesome!


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

Is there anything wrong with using say a good latex primer over just the areas with solid stuck on paint but still use my oil base primer for the bare wood areas. how would that affect the whole job?


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## glenk2007 (Apr 4, 2014)

Ok so now I'm into my exterior house painting project. Oil priming everything. Very tedious and messy....My question is this: Can I prime the old still solid painted areas (a little bit chalky still after tsp) with say a bulls eye123 latex primer and continue oil priming the bare wood areas. Is there something magical about oil priming solid paint areas?


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