Do I Need a Paint Primer? How to Know if You Should Prime

If you’re doing a home paint project, you may be wondering “Do I need a paint primer?” After all, it’s an extra step and more supplies to buy (well … not always, but more on that later). 

I get it! I love a good shortcut and am always trying to save time and money on my home DIY projects. 

But the truth is, I still recommend using a paint primer for most paint projects. Using a paint primer will help you save time and money in the long run, and produce a nicer looking final project.

But if you’re like me, you may need to know why. In that case, keep reading! In this article we’ll be going over the pros and cons of using a paint primer, as well as recommendations on when you can skip it and when you definitely need it. 

So let’s get started!

What is paint primer?

Primer is the foundation or under coat that will help the new paint adhere to the surface. This is important for evenly applying new paint and making your paint job look polished and professional. Primer sticks to the surface better than paint because primer has more resin.

Advantages

As you can tell by now, I strongly recommend priming before you paint. This is because there are so many benefits to using primer. 

Here are the main advantages of using a paint primer:

• Adhesive properties help paint stick to the surface. Have you ever started a paint project and realized the paint was either sliding right off, or seemed to be getting absorbed into the surface?  It’s so frustrating! Using a primer helps avoid this.
• Creates an even, smooth surface. In addition to just helping the paint stick, primer creates a nice even surface so the final paint job looks smoother. 
• Covers stains and other imperfections. If you are painting over a wall with stains on it, the primer will help seal the stains and prevent them from appearing through the paint. 
• Covers dark colors. Similar to stains, dark paint colors are sometimes still visible after you paint over them. A primer helps cover them completely. 
• Helps eliminate odors. Certain odors can stay in the walls, especially smoke. If you are painting over walls with odors, especially smoke, pet, or cooking odors, priming is especially important. 
• The new paint job will last longer. This means it saves you time and money in the long run since you won’t have to redo the paint job so soon. 
• Saves money. Primer is typically cheaper than paint, and helps you use less paint. Since it’s less expensive, and helps you use less paint, you wind up saving money. (More on that below)

An experiment

To help show you the benefits of using primer, I did an experiment! I took a piece of wood that had already been painted black, and I tried to paint it white. But I painted one side with primer first, and the other side I did not use primer.

After 1 coat of paint, the side without primer had highly visible streaks and color bleed through.

After 2 coats of paint, the side with primer was complete. It looked smooth and polished with a satin finish. The side without primer still had some visible streaks and color bleed through, as well as a dull finish.

Finally, it took 4 coats of paint to get the side without primer to have a smooth finished look. The side with primer only needed two coats of paint.

View the results of my experiment in the infographic below.

Disadvantages

Some people might argue that priming adds cost and time to your project by adding an extra step. After all, it is a whole extra step!

But I believe the opposite, especially when you think long-term. When you prime, you typically use fewer coats of paint, and the paint job actually lasts longer. This means that in the long run you save time. 

You also save money with primer since primer typically costs less than paint, and you can usually use fewer coats of paint when you use a primer. 

To help illustrate the cost difference, I created this cost comparison showing how much it would cost to paint a standard room with and without primer. I also included a 3rd option: paint with primer included (more on that below). 

*keep in mind these are rough estimates based on an average-sized room. Factors like the paint color, finish, room size, as well as how many openings (windows and doors) are in the room may affect these estimates. 

As you can see, it is cheaper to use paint primer. If you think about the cost difference over an entire house, plus the fact that you won’t have to repaint as soon … it can add up!

An alternative?

But if you’re really hesitant to add an extra step to your painting process, there is an alternative for you!

Some paints now have primer included in the paint, so you’ll be priming and painting in the same step.

This is my preferred method right now. I rarely use separate primers anymore! 

As you can see from the cost comparison above, this does wind up being the most cost effective option, as well as requiring the fewest steps. That’s why this is my favorite!

When you should prime

In my opinion you should always prime if you want a better looking, smoother surface and longer lasting painting job. 

Using a primer is especially important in the following cases:

• Painting over a dark color (especially with a lighter color)
• Painting over stains
• Covering odors
• Painting on drywall
• Painting on unfinished wood
• Painting on brick
• Painting on wallpaper

As you can see, there are so many situations where it makes sense to prime. I recommend priming before painting the vast majority of the time.

When you can skip it

I would not skip priming! However, if you really want to save time you can use paint that already has primer mixed in (like this Behr Premium Plus Paint + Primer). This way you’re still getting the benefits of using primer while saving time. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, taking the time to properly prime before you paint can go a long way to improve the final outcome of your project, as well as save you time and money in the long run. 

Priming is a very important step, and you really should be priming before painting in most scenarios. 

However, recent innovations may give you the best of both worlds by mixing the primer in with the paint so you don’t have to do two different steps. 

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