Primer is one of the best problem solvers in your painting toolbox, so to speak. It is one of the best tools because it allows for a lot of forgiveness in your painting surface. It's more a glue than a paint in that it sticks into all the small cracks and bad surface areas, covering up a multitude of small bumps and misshapes, giving you an even and united surface on which to add your final coats of paint.
One of the problems of choosing a primer is that there is no one primer for every job. As you walk down the aisle of your local DIY store, list in hand, your mind will start to do double somersaults as you see the wide variety of options that are available to you. Do not fear. Here are some recommendations for a couple of different jobs.
The first type of primer we will look at is for new dry walls (or plasterboard). One of the problems associated with adding a coat of paint to dry wall is the absorption rate. Dry walls are notoriously difficult to paint because there won't be a congruent surface. Some areas will take more paint than others and the finished result can often look very patchy. You have two choices here. If you've had the drywalls done by pro's, you are more than likely only going to require normal dry wall sealer. This is because the pro finisher is more likely to have a uniform finish. If you have any doubt, you should opt for a high build primer and sealer.
Second, I want to look at primers for new interior naked wood finishes. As with your dry wall, naked timber surfaces can be thirsty for the old paint. A good enamel based primer gives you the benefits of covering up a lot of the blemishes in the wood that you don't want to show through. It also gives you a better sanded finish for the final paint job and better paint adhesion.
We have looked at only a couple of different primers. Consider the primer to be the underpants of the paint world. It smooths out all unwanted bumps and bulges, making your final paint job look like a million dollars. The best thing you can do when you are unsure about which type of primer you should use on your particular surfaces is to ask for advice from one of the sales assistants in your local hardware store.
