We get asked this all the time and the short answer is no. That said, sometimes a coat of primer is the difference between success and failure. To adequately answer the question you should start by evaluating a few things.
1. Are you painting inside or outside. Generally exterior painting has a higher likelihood of needing primer to ensure proper adhesion and longevity.
2. Are the surfaces I’m planning to paint in sound condition. If the surfaces are damaged by water, smoke, sun or paint failure the likelihood of needing primer goes up dramatically.
3. Am I planning on a dramatic color change. Often times if you are turning dark walls light or vise versa you will want to consider priming to balance the under tone and promote consistent coverage, however you do want to weigh this out to avoid needless extra work or increased costs for primer if your color change would cover in two even coats. Our general rule is if two coats will cover, we don’t prime.

I hope this helps give some clarity and please feel free to contact us with any of your priming and painting questions.

The post Tip of the week: Do I Have to Prime before I Paint? appeared first on Mike's Quality Painting.