One question I hear often is when do I need to prime before painting furniture? I get it. With all the different paint products out there to choose from and some people saying no prepping or priming needed, it can be difficult to discern what your specific piece needs for the best outcome.

This post is intended to take all the guess work out of that question for you!

When To Prime Before Painting

First, it may help you to understand what the purpose is of primer. There are really three basic reasons you need to prime before painting.

1. For better adhesion of whatever paint you are using.

2. To prevent bleedthrough (see my entire post dedicated to dealing with bleedthrough HERE.)

3. For better coverage of your light colored paints (or in some cases darker paints such as reds.)

Let’s talk a little bit more about how to know if your piece falls into any of these three categories for when to prime before painting.

Better Adhesion

No one wants to paint a piece of furniture only to have it easily chip, or bubble up, or peel off down the road.

Especially if you paint furniture as your business and you are selling to clients or doing custom pieces for clients. As business owners it is our responsibility to ensure the best, longest lasting finish possible.

Of course there will always be the normal wear and tear of any finish. We can’t make it bulletproof. But we can take the appropriate steps to give the paint finish the best chance it has to last through normal use and proper care.

And if you’re painting something for yourself in your own home, you probably don’t want to have to worry about redoing it or touching it up after a short period of time.

So in order to ensure the best adhesion possible, I always recommend a proper prep routine which includes washing your piece well with soapy water as well as using a degreaser and then giving it a light scuff sand. (I go through all the steps of prep in my step-by-step video tutorial for How To Paint Furniture Like A Pro. If you’re a visual learner and want to see the whole process this may be helpful to you.)

Adding a coat or two of primer as part of your prep process will give your paint extra grip and give it the best chance of surviving lots of use.

To Prevent Bleedthrough

There are certain types of wood we in the furniture painting business like to call “bleeders.” This means that when you paint them, especially with a lighter color, they tend to bleed tannins that show up through your paint if not properly sealed in prior to painting.

Woods such as mahogany, oak, and pine typically need to be treated for potential bleed-through before you paint them. Again, it’s mostly if you plan to paint them a lighter color such as white, light gray, pastel blues or yellows, etc.

Bleed-through can really be a pain and cost you lots of wasted paint if you’re not proactive about it.

I highly recommend you check out my full post dedicated to bleed-through if you are planning to start a project on one of these problem woods. Or if you begin your project and see something pink, brown or yellow seeping through your paint as it dries.

For Better Coverage

Lighter colored paints tend to take more coats of paint to cover your piece of furniture, especially white.

By using a white primer first, you will save yourself one to two coats of paint and still get the coverage you desire.

It can be frustrating to start a project expecting to only need a couple coats of paint, only to discover as the project progresses that you can still see what’s underneath after two, three, sometimes four coats of paint depending on the paint you’re using and what you’re trying to cover.

My rule of thumb when I am painting something white is to ALWAYS prime first to save myself the extra paint.

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links and I receive a small compensation when you purchase product via these links. Even though I may be compensated, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Choosing Your Primer

Now that you understand when it’s best to prime before painting, let’s talk about which primer is right for your project. There are so many options out there.

The truth is that it depends on what paint you are using and what you want your end result to be. I will share with you primers I have used and how you can know which one is the right one for you.

Note that the paints I use are mostly water-based chalk style paints so keep that in mind as you read about my personal experiences.

A Few Primer Options

Kilz Oil-Based Spray Primer – This is the first primer I started using and it works great for adhesion, blocking stains, and saving paint. It is an oil-based primer, but I have never experienced a negative reaction between the primer and my water-based paints. I will say, however, that it dries fairly rough (this is the spray can version, painting with a brush from a gallon of the same primer might not dry with the same texture.) I always have to do a good thorough light sanding after using this spray primer to knock off the texture for a smooth finish. Also, if you are doing a big project with lots of pieces or a large surface area, it will take several cans of this to get the job done and the cost can add up. This primer does also come in a brushable/roll-on version but I have not used it.

Kilz Water-Based Primer – I have applied this primer using a brush/roller. The texture of this primer when applied feels pretty slick which I don’t like because it seems to not be helpful for adhesion purposes. That being said, I’ve not noticed a problem with adhesion. But I’m still not a huge fan of it for the slick texture. Also, some people say that water-based primers in general have required more coats to block bleed-through (or have not been successful in blocking bleed-through after multiple coats.) Again, I have not personally experienced this but it is a common complaint within the painting community.

Zinsser Bin Shellac Based Primer – I have not personally used this primer, but lots of people swear by its stain blocking abilities because of the Shellac base. However, I HAVE used straight Shellac to prevent bleed-through and have found that it can cause my water-based paint to crackle. Shellac is an alcohol based product and so the theory is that the vapors from the alcohol being released as it dries can cause a water-based paint to dry too quickly, thus causing it to crack. I caution you in using this primer for that reason.

Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer – I know lots of people who really like this primer. It is the water-based version of Zinsser’s primers. It is a go-to primer for many professional furniture painters. I don’t believe this one has the slick finish that the Kilz water-based primer has.

Wise Owl Stain Eliminating Primer – This is a water-based primer specially formulated for superior stain blocking properties. It is a perfect solution for those who feel they’ve not had success with blocking bleed-through using a water-based primer. I like the texture of it when it is brushed/rolled on because it’s not slick like the Kilz water-based primer and provides a good surface for great adhesion for your paint. The best part is this primer is available in white, gray AND clear formula. The clear formula is perfect for those jobs where you need the adhesion and stain blocking, but you want to distress your painted finish and see the wood underneath. And the gray has been really helpful for coverage under reds, yellows, pinks, etc. This is my go-to primer as I now almost exclusively use all Wise Owl products. I am a retailer for Wise Owl, but know that I chose to offer their products to my followers because I believe they are truly awesome. And I only carry the products from their line that I personally use. (Case in point, I choose not to carry the wax from the Wise Owl line. Not because there is anything wrong with their wax products, but because I personally don’t like sealing chalk paint with wax. Read more about that HERE.)

That’s A Wrap

I hope this is helpful to you when you’re painting your future projects to help you to know when to prime before painting.

If you want to try Wise Owl products I created a free guide to help you choose your products based on the look you hope to achieve. You can request that HERE or by signing up below.

Tell me about your priming experiences in the comments! What’s your go-to primer? Do you have other questions about priming? Thanks for stopping by and supporting my blog!

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When To Prime Before Painting Furniture