Applying Wood Primer is Essential for Ensuring a Quality Paint Job and
Protecting the Wood
By Mark J. Donovan
Question: Mark, I have some 1”x4” lumber that I am using to box in my
closets and need to paint them. My question to you is whether or not priming
wood is really necessary, and if I just paint them with a couple of coats of
paint is that sufficient.
Answer: NE, similar to a foundation makeup that woman use when
dolling themselves up, paint primer is a foundation coating that is applied
to bare wood to ensure a quality finish paint job and to protect the wood.
So to answer your question in a
nutshell, priming wood is not an option. It is done for a number of reasons
and you should absolutely not skip this step.
First of all, you need to understand that kiln dry lumber, as the name
suggests, is dry. It’s also very porous. Consequently wood easily absorbs
moisture, such as the solvents in paint. Many paints depend upon the steady
evaporation of the solvents to achieve the specified formulated paint color.
Priming wood helps ensure the paint
cures properly and achieves its designed color and durability. If the paint is
applied directly to the bare wood, the paint may never achieve its intended
color, and even worse, it could actually pucker and have a cracked appearance.
Second, paint primer is specially
formulated to help ensure better adhesion of the paint to the wood. Also, it
provides a smoother finished paint surface as it helps to fill in voids in the
wood and provides a consistent surface type for the paint to bond to. Without
priming, several coats of paint would be necessary to achieve the same finished
smooth surface and ensure even color.
Finally, priming wood provides
additional protection to the wood and increases the paints durability. Wood
primer is designed to be water resistant which helps protect the lumber from
absorbing moisture that could result in warping, and mold and mildew growth.
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