Priming Before Painting

The homeowner in Durham, North Carolina, had a brush with a major repair bill as the surface of the wood siding had begun to deteriorate. She'll have to strip the paint on the side of the house, right down to the bare wood, and repaint. But before she can do that, she'll have to prime the surface, something that wasn't done the last time the house was painted.

Priming is an often overlooked but very necessary step in the painting process. Just remember this: after removing the paint, and grime, it's time to prime. Priming wood before it's painted is important for a number of reasons. It helps protect the original surface from rotting by sealing the wood. It also smoothes the surface and helps the paint bond more easily. Here are some other prime tips on priming:

• Strip and clean the surface to be painted thoroughly before priming.
  
• Always use a high quality primer. Lesser grades could "compromise" the final finish.
  
• And check the manufacturers' recommendations to determine which primer is best suited for which surface.

Painting can be tedious and time consuming and, while priming adds another step if you paint after you prime, the results are likely to be just fine.