Priming: what is it and what is it for

When painting a wall or any other surface, the previous process of its preparation is very important if you want to get good results. In addition to cleaning to remove any dust and other substances, it is very important to study the nature of the surface to see if it is necessary to apply a layer of primer.

The primer is a pre-coating applied on the surface to be painted to prepare it for the subsequent process. It is a product similar to paint but is not a final finish, as it only protects the surface and acts as a support for a better paint adhesion.

Which surfaces require priming?

Practically all surfaces require a layer of primer, although there are a number of materials that require it especially:

• Wood.
• Metals such as steel or aluminum.
• Concrete and plaster.
• Ceramic tiles.
• PVC.

In each of these surfaces, the primer will have a different role. For example, on wood, it has a sealing function that helps the paint to adhere better. On metal, it prevents oxidation and corrosion, while on concrete or plaster surfaces outdoors, it helps to prevent dampness and mould spots.

What types of primers are there?

As we have seen, not all the primers have the same function and, therefore, not all the primers are the same. Broadly speaking, you can differentiate two types of primers:

• Solvent-based primers (diluted through a solvent).
• Water-based primers (diluted with water).

Even so, when selecting a primer, as we have said before, the most important is to focus on  the nature of the surface to be painted and what you want to achieve with it.

Blatem primers

Pinturas Blatem offers  solutions for different areas such as industry, decoration or construction, so we have different products for priming that suit all types of surfaces and needs. These are some of them:

• Blatefix: fixing primer of maximum penetration used to fix and beautify the paint on concrete facades, face brick and sandstone, among others.
• Blatemprimer: water-based sealer specially for preparing interior and exterior surfaces before applying a water-based paint (waterproofing, etc). Blatemprimer improves the adhesion and the covering of the finish.
• Blatprimer Antioxidante: primer exclusively intended for iron surfaces as it offers an anticorrosive function. Dilute it with universal solvent; high ability to air drying.
• Blatemprim multiadherente al agua: it is a water- based adherent primer suitable for preparing surfaces of galvanized iron, aluminum, PVC, copper, etc. This product allows to be recoated with synthetic and water-based enamels, water-based paints, polyurethanes, epoxies
• Imprimación multiuso: multipurpose preparation for hard-to-bond surfaces such as galvanized iron, copper, aluminum or PVC. It is suitable before application of water-based paints, enamels (synthetic and water-based), epoxies, chlorinated rubber and polyurethanes.
• Fijador sellador acrílico: water-based acrylic sealer, especially effective for  fixing on interior and exterior surfaces. It provides high penetration and can be recoated with all kinds of water-based paints (coatings, waterproofers, etc.).

In addition to these products there are other treatments of Blatem, such as Oxitem paint which has its own primer. You can discover all our solutions in the section of preparations and primers of our website.