
Primer is a crucial step in the painting process, and for good reason. It helps to create a strong bond between the surface and the paint, ensuring a smooth and even finish.
A primer can also help to cover up any stains or discolorations on the surface, allowing for a uniform appearance. This is especially important when painting over dark or bold colors.
By applying a primer, you can reduce the number of coats of paint needed to achieve the desired color, saving you time and money in the long run.
What Is Primer?
A primer is a type of coating or treatment that prepares a surface for painting or other finishes. It's essentially a bridge between the surface and the final product, ensuring a strong bond and even finish.
Primer helps to create a uniform base for the paint to adhere to, which is especially important for surfaces with imperfections, such as wood or drywall.
A good primer can also help to cover stains and discolorations, making it easier to achieve a smooth, even finish.
Primer can be applied to a variety of surfaces, including wood, drywall, and even metal.
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When to Use Primer
You'll want to use primer in situations where the walls are a different color than the paint you're using, because primer helps create a uniform base coat.
If you're painting over a dark color, primer is a must to prevent the new paint from looking dull and uneven.
You absolutely need to prime your walls before painting when they're stained or have a glossy finish.
Primer is also necessary when painting over a textured surface, like popcorn ceilings or rough plaster walls.
In some cases, primer can even help cover up small holes or imperfections in the wall.
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Types of Surfaces
You'll encounter different types of surfaces that need primer before painting. These surfaces can be stained or unclean.
Whether it's due to water damage, smoke stains, or kids' drawings, primer is necessary to seal these impurities and stains.
Fixing underlying problems is crucial to prevent staining from reoccurring.
The Surface of Your Walls
The surface of your walls is a crucial factor to consider before painting. If it's stained or unclean, you'll need to prime it first to prevent the stains from showing through the new paint.
Water damage, smoke stains, and kids' drawings are common culprits behind stained walls. Fixing any underlying problems is essential to prevent the staining from reoccurring.
The surface of your walls can also be porous, absorbing moisture, oil, odors, and stains. This can be a problem with new drywall, untreated or unstained wood, and even drywall mud.
New drywall is extremely porous and soaks up paint unevenly, causing "flashing" in the final sheen of your paint. Using a primer on porous surfaces like new drywall or drywall patches is a good idea to achieve a consistent appearance.
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Wood
Bare wood can be a challenge for paint to adhere to, but a good oil-based primer can solve this problem.
Oil-based primers take a long time to dry, but they stick better to wood than any other type of primer.
You can choose between oil-based and latex-based primers, with the latter drying much faster.
If you don't mind waiting for the slow dry time, oil-based primers are still the best option for bare wood.
Even faster-drying latex-based primers can provide good adhesion for your paint topcoat.
Using a quality latex wood primer can be worth the time, even if you don't want to deal with the hassles of oil-based primers.
What It Does
A good primer fills in fine lines and blurs imperfections, creating a smooth surface for your makeup to apply evenly.
With a primer, you'll need to use less makeup to get the same coverage, saving you money in the long run.
Primer creates superior surface adhesion, so your makeup stays in place and lasts longer, even in extreme weather conditions like hot and humid summers or cold and dry winters.
A good primer can make all the difference to the smoothness and evenness of your complexion, helping you achieve a super natural, "your-skin-but-better" look.
Primer's Importance
Primer fills in fine lines and blurs imperfections, creating a smooth surface for makeup to apply easily.
A good primer can make all the difference to the smoothness and evenness of your complexion, giving you a super natural, your-skin-but-better look.
If you're switching from dark color to light color or vice versa, you need to apply primer first to prevent the dark color from showing through.
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Primer creates superior surface adhesion, so your makeup stays in place and lasts longer, especially in extreme weather temperatures and conditions.
Using primer can save you money in the long run, as you'll need to use less makeup to get the same coverage.
A primer can be thought of as your all-day filter, improving the wear of all other face makeup and achieving long-wearing foundation for professional situations.
Primer is designed to improve the texture and tone of the skin, often blurring lines and imperfections, controlling oil, and acting as a moisturizer.
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Application and Usage
Primer is a must-have product in your makeup bag, but how you use it is just as important as having it.
A small pea size amount of primer is all you need, targeting only the areas that require it.
Applying primer to the T-zone can give you a photoshop-beauty effect.
Optical blurring ingredients in primer can tackle open pores or textured skin.
Use your fingers to apply the product, as the heat from your fingers will help it melt onto the skin.
A brush may accidentally soak up too much of the product, making it less effective.
If your primer has skin-enhancing ingredients like iridescence or mica, you'll get a high shine glow under your makeup.
This will affect the finish of your foundation and other products that follow.
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Primer for Specific Needs
A masonry primer can solve adhesion problems caused by high pH levels in masonry surfaces. It can also prevent efflorescence, those unsightly white crystalline deposits that can form on masonry surfaces.
For exterior new wood applications, Duration by Sherwin-Williams is a great option. It's a quality masonry primer that helps paint adhere well to the surface.
When it comes to makeup primers, they serve different purposes depending on your skin type and needs. A tinted moisturizer like C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint provides skincare and makeup benefits in one product, while a tinted primer like Oil-Free Tinted Primer SPF 30 offers elevated priming power and color-correcting properties.
If you're looking for a primer to blur pores and control oil, M·A·C's Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone is a good choice. It also smooths out the skin for a flawless finish. Alternatively, you can opt for Prep + Prime Pore Refiner Stick for a matte finish.
Here are some key features of popular M·A·C primers:
Drastic Paint Color Change
If there's a drastic change in paint color, you need to prime your walls first. This is especially true when switching from dark to light color or vice versa.
Dark-colored paint will show through lighter-colored paint, making it a hassle to achieve the desired finish. Applying four to six coats of paint to cover the underlying color is not only time-consuming but also expensive.
The most common color of primers used in such cases is grey, as it can effectively help the human eye diffuse highly saturated colors. This makes grey primer a popular choice for preparing surfaces for intense colors.
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Masonry
Masonry surfaces can have a high pH level, which causes adhesion problems if paint is applied directly.
A quality masonry primer solves this issue, allowing you to paint over a wider range of pH levels without adhesion loss.
Efflorescence, unsightly white crystalline deposits, can form on masonry surfaces. Many masonry primers are efflorescent-resistant.
For exterior new wood applications, Duration by Sherwin-Williams is a great option.
Tinted Moisturizer
A tinted moisturizer is a great alternative to foundation, providing sheer coverage while still hydrating the skin. Think of it as a skincare-makeup hybrid that conditions the skin and evens out skin tone.
C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint is a great example of a tinted moisturizer, loaded with vitamin C and SPF to protect against blue light and sun damage.
This type of product has a dewy, radiant finish and can be worn instead of a foundation for a more natural no-makeup-makeup look.
It's perfect for those who want a lightweight, buildable coverage that won't cake or feel heavy on the skin.
Here are some key benefits of tinted moisturizers:
Tinted moisturizers are great for everyday wear, and can be applied under foundation for added hydration and a smoother finish.
Macs Under Foundations
If you're looking for a primer that can help create a smooth canvas for your foundation, M·A·C has got you covered. Their PREP + PRIME range offers a variety of options to suit different skin types and concerns.
For those with oily skin, PREP + PRIME SKIN REFINED ZONE is a great choice, as it blurs pores and controls the look of oil. It also smoothes out the skin, leaving you with a flawless base for your foundation.
If you're looking for an illuminating primer that hydrates and suits all skin types, PREP + PRIME NATURAL RADIANCE is the way to go. It's a bit pricier, but worth it for the radiant glow it gives your skin.
For a matte finish, PREP + PRIME PORE REFINER STICK is a great option. It blurs pores and controls oil, leaving you with a smooth and matte complexion.
Lastly, PREP + PRIME MOISTURE INFUSION is a hydrating primer that plumps up the skin with moisture, making it perfect for dry or dehydrated skin.
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Here's a quick rundown of the M·A·C PREP + PRIME range:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really need a primer?
A makeup primer is not strictly necessary, but it can enhance your finished look and help your makeup last longer. Whether or not to use a primer is a matter of personal preference.
What happens if you don't use primer makeup?
Using makeup without primer can lead to clogged pores and reduced makeup longevity. Skipping primer may result in a shorter-lasting makeup look
What happens if you don't use primer before painting?
If you don't use primer before painting, your paint job may not last as long or look as good as it could, with potential issues including bubbling, peeling, texture, and stains showing through. Proper primer use is essential for a long-lasting, high-quality finish.
Sources
- https://sohopainters.com/blog/is-primer-necessary-for-painting-walls/
- https://www.imageworkspainting.com/blog/primer-before-paint-when-is-it-necessary-when-is-it-a-waste
- https://www.gloskinbeauty.com/blog/face-primers-make-mineral-makeup-wear-better
- https://www.hamiltondecoratingtools.co.uk/knowledge-room/guides/the-importance-of-primer-when-painting/
- https://www.maccosmetics.in/why-apply-primer-under-foundation
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