There are so many different types of primers on the market today that it is confusing to know which one to use. To help, we have compiled a list of the kinds of paint primers and hope that this will guide you during your selection. Since there are so many types, we could not list all of them at one time. We recommend keeping a copy of this list for questions you may have at a later date, and we hope this helps!

What Is Primer?

A primer will allow for a top coat to dry the way it should naturally dry. If the topcoat dries by liquids soaking on the surface, this process will pull out the solvents in the wrong way, and the paint will dry too fast. Speaking of drywall, solvents that soak into drywall normally damage the drywall. Therefore, drywall primers don not have solvents that interfere with the drywall.

Acrylic Primer

Acrylic primer is high-quality, and the quality of the acrylic primer will reflect the price tag. Keep in mind that most high-quality primers are acrylic primers. Acrylic primers do a great job at sealing, filling in cracks, and bonding like no other.

PVA Primer

Poly Vinyl Acetate or PVA is a good primer, made to use on brand new drywall and mud finish. PVA is perfect, especially if you have an expensive topcoat paint, and you want it to cover without buying more topcoat paint. PVA primer will take a small amount of topcoat paint/tint color very well. The amount of PVA used to prime the drywall is less if a tint is added to the primer. PVA does a great job of sealing drywall and dries smoothly. Keep in mind that you might not want to use PVA as a primer in rooms that are very popular with your family, simply because it cannot compare to high-quality acrylic primers. Think about priming rooms that are less used in the home like a guest room.

Bonding Primer

Bonding primers are a good quality primer. They work great at adhering to glossy surfaces, drywall, cured plastic, masonry, wood, galvanized metal, and aluminum. Bonding primer blocks stains from knots, water damage, crayons, and grease. It is also a great primer for enamel undercoatings. If you have a problem area where the paint is already peeling, do not use a bonding primer. If you are using a good quality bonding primer when applied, it will grab onto and grip the surface tightly. If your surface is already peeling, a bonding primer will cause the peeling paint to peel even more.

We hope our research has helped to answer some of your questions, and please drop us a line with any additional questions you may have!