Wood Primer and Undercoat

PZH

Hi all

Just a quickie

Have stripped back to the bare wood because the original paint was terrible.

Now looking to sand down and paint - I realise that I need to apply primer and undercoat before I apply the gloss (sanding down inbetween coats)...

But, what is the difference between separate Primer and Undercoat as opposed to all in one Primer/Undercoat ?

Is there a big difference in quality of the finish ?

London50

Hi
Paint manufacture have changed to comply with EU requirements but it
used to be that most undercoat was oil based and took time to dry.
Primer is water based and dries quickly. Pimer/undercoat is water
based and is usually used by contractors working on new timber -
starting in the morning, it is dry enough for the gloss to go on the
same day.
If you are using white or a light colour for the gloss you should be
OK. For some colours the colour of the undercoat has an effect on the
final colour of the gloss.

manda1205

Im sure someone will tell me Im wrong, but, for my shelves, I just used a thinned coat of white emulsion. I did 2 of those and then used a white satin to finish. I was really chuffed with them, they came out lovely using a mini roller and are still looking good nearly a year later. Im sure it would depend on what you are painting, but for the cheap pine I used I would have no worries doing it again.

PZH

Well - it's white all through.

But would it be best to use a primer and then undercoat, or two coats of primer/undercoat to give the best finish ?

[EDIT] It's a staircase - so needs to be hard wearing

warmhands.coldheart

London50 wrote: »

Hi
Paint manufacture have changed to comply with EU requirements but it
used to be that most undercoat was oil based and took time to dry.
Primer is water based and dries quickly. Pimer/undercoat is water
based and is usually used by contractors working on new timber -
starting in the morning, it is dry enough for the gloss to go on the
same day.
If you are using white or a light colour for the gloss you should be
OK. For some colours the colour of the undercoat has an effect on the
final colour of the gloss.

If it's for a Hard wearing area, I always go for oil based Trade Paint. I agree it is slower to dry. Need at least 3 days in my experience before it's fully cured and really tough but when it is, I find it's a LOT better wearing than water based paints and last a lot longer