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Had a painter tell me I was using too much primer on trim and he was right
Last year I was painting all the trim in my 1920s house in Portland. I kept doing three coats of primer because I thought more would hide the old wood grain better. Then a friend who paints houses for a living came by and told me I was wasting time and money. He said one good coat of oil-based primer is all you need if you sand and clean the wood right first. I tried his way on the living room baseboards and the finish came out smoother than any of my triple-primed work. Saved me about $40 on primer and two days of work for the whole house. Has anyone else had good luck cutting down on primer coats?
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susansingh1mo ago
Wait, you're saying one coat of primer did it better than three? That's wild. Ngl, I've been doing two coats of Kilz on every wood project because I thought it was like a safety net. What kind of sandpaper grit did you use before that single primer coat? I might try this on my kitchen cabinets next weekend if it really cuts down the work that much.
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lily_torres311mo ago
Oh honey, careful with Kilz on kitchen cabinets if they're already painted or have any sheen to them. That stuff is great for raw wood or stains but it can peel right off a semi-gloss surface if you don't sand it enough first. 80 grit on a random orbit sander worked for me before going to 120 for the finish coats. Just don't skip the sanding step or you'll be stripping cabinets in six months.
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