Interior Painting Help

Here's the problem: I'm trying to paint over a bright green/teal color that hasn't been updated since the 50s, and it's on plaster walls. In one room I've put on 2 coats of off-white, Classic 99 Sherwin Williams paint; no primer. In that room the white has covered most of it, but there is a blueish color leaking through.

In another room I put 1 coat of Sherwin Williams Superpaint in a vibrant red color over the same green/teal, and this time a different problem has come up. The coverage was much better on account of the bright red color, but there are parts of the red walls that came up a little lighter and splotchy when it all dried. Will another coat fix this or will the same problems arise?

I've worked for a pro painter for a few years and he has never used primer. On all my other jobs I've had beautiful results without primer. However, on this job, I fear that the lack of primer may be my downfall. I'm using high quality paint and my application methods are not the issue.

Should I try to cover the green/teal with primer before painting any more, or does anyone see another issue here that I'm overlooking?

Thanks for any advice!

Reply to
Noah Kanter
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Seriously?!

Reply to
Oren

You should have used a primer.

Unfortunately, you're going to have to do this over. Go back to S-W and tell them what happened. They'll tell you what primer you need. Buy it, apply it, then apply one more topcoat, maybe two. Done.

You should have used a primer.

And you should have used more than one coat. Reds are notorious for requiring multiple coats, even with a primer.

You got it: lack of primer.

Yes, absolutely. Bring a sample of it to your S-W store if you can, or find the closest possible match to it on one of their color charts, so you can show them what you're painting over. They'll set you up with the right primer.

Yes. Primers exist for a reason. They're not needed in all cases, but it appears that you've somehow acquired the notion that they're not needed in

*any* cases -- and that's just not so. You should always use a primer on an unpainted surface, or when covering any highly saturated color. Generally they're not needed when covering a pastel or off-white. Apparently your "pro painter" hasn't done any jobs for you where a primer was needed, and you haven't either, which has misled you into thinking a primer is never needed.

You just found out otherwise.

Reply to
Doug Miller

"Noah Kanter" wrote

; no primer.

You wrote your own answer. Did you think those colors would just paint over? Now instead of two coats, primer and paint, you will have four. Pretty good coverage I'd say.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

The most difficult color to cover is red. Especially true in auto painting. Trying to turn a red Mustang into white is burdensome :-) IIRC the primer on red was also red, eventually getting to gray.

House walls painted red, I read to prime with a gray color. Then paint.

Both cases reduce bleeding when covering red paint.

Reply to
Oren

I would expect to need at least three coats of white to cover any deep color as you describe. Unless it is some unusual type of paint, you probably are seeing inadequate coverage of the blue, rather than "bleed through". I once painted a dark green bedroom set with white and used at least four coats - actually lost track.

Deep red paint uses more transparent pigments, thus does not cover with ease. Some paints include that info on their label. Primer promotes adhesion and would cost about as much as a third coat of paint. A stain blocking primer would have been in order to paint over something that actually bleeds, like oily wood or smoke stains. Check with your paint store - they may even have a factory rep take a look.

Reply to
norminn

A Pro that never used primer is no pro, some things just have to be primed, and he didnt use primer on exterior bare wood or metal?. Did you paint over a completely flat finish that was washed, because you painted over oil. Get some stain hiding primer from SW, and if that

50yr old oil was glossy, you might as well strip it off.
Reply to
ransley

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