“Do I need to use a primer before exterior painting in New Jersey?”

To Prime or Not to Prime? Thoughts from New Jersey about Painting Exterior Walls

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Does this exterior paint look familiar?

Are you tired of looking at the worn paint on the side of your home or business?  Is it, well, not exactly in prime condition? Let’s face it; the harshness of the seasons can take a toll on all of our exteriors (some maybe more than others), and buildings are no different.  Painting the exterior of a building that is important to you can provide not only a clean, fresh look, but it also adds valuable protection.  But before you grab a brush and go to town, or, if working as a painter isn’t your strong suit, before you ask a professional home painting service for help, you will likely find yourself facing a number of questions.  Included in this list, you may want to consider whether or not to use a primer.

Why would I use a primer?

A lot is asked of exterior walls.  They face the elements head on, from bad weather to being on the receiving end of one too many whacks from an eager, but maybe not overly accurate, Frisbee player.  If your walls have seen a lot of action, using a traditional primer will help smooth over some of those blemishes, allowing the top coat to go on more smoothly and easily.  Primer also is an important step if the surface of your current paint has naturally deteriorated over the years, or maybe can be found more easily in the yard or bushes than actually on the walls.  The whole idea behind primer is to create a new canvas, so to speak, for the topcoat to grab onto easily.

Another time that a traditional primer is helpful is if you are drastically changing the color of your exterior.  Maybe thatcommercial-exterior-painting-NJ original brown just doesn’t quite have the magic (or something) it did in the seventies, and now you are looking to cover it with a pale yellow.  It might actually save you money when all is said and done because using a primer will eliminate the need for the extra coats of yellow.  Now, if only you could paint hardwood over that shag carpet…

Why wouldn’t I use a primer on my exterior?

Not laying down that first primer coat may seem like a novel idea to painting traditionalists, but we do live in an age where folks have less and less time on their hands and are looking for a cheap, convenient alternative.  After all, in theory at least, the fewer cans you have to pay for the better, right?  In response to these ideas, many manufactures now offer two-in-one paint and primer mixes in the effort to grab the attention of novice painters as well as professional painters and painting contractors.  Folks who paint homes and businesses professionally like to save time too!  The idea is that all you need to do is pour and paint, and the priming happens right along with it.  While this plan does play out that well in some cases, there are other instances when using a good ole fashioned primer is still the best route to take.

In the end, every project is a little different, and so are the paints and primers it requires.  If you have further questions and would like to chat about options for your home or business, please contact us at Brennan’s Custom Painting.  We service the New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Northern Delaware area.  We’d love to help!

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