Primers and sealers before painting.
Priming and sealing is the step people are most tempted to skip, and it's the one that causes the most call-backs — a paint like Zinsser Gardz exists precisely because certain surfaces will ruin a topcoat if painted directly.
New plaster: why a mist coat isn't enough on its own.
Fresh plaster is porous and needs sealing before it will take an even topcoat — traditionally a heavily thinned “mist coat” of emulsion. On very dusty, powdery or fast-absorbing plaster, a dedicated stabilising primer such as Zinsser Gardz seals the surface properly in one coat, preventing the classic patchy, flashing finish where some areas dry duller than others.
Stains, nicotine and water marks.
Tannin stains from timber, nicotine staining, and old water or damp marks will bleed straight through ordinary emulsion, no matter how many coats go on. A stain-blocking primer seals these in before the topcoat, saving hours of repainting once the mark reappears through a “finished” wall. Skipping this step on a stained ceiling or ex-smoker's room almost always means redoing the job.
Bare wood and metal.
Bare timber needs a primer/undercoat before eggshell, satinwood or gloss, both to seal the wood and give the topcoat something to key into — paint straight onto bare wood dries unevenly and wears fast. Bare or rusted metal, such as radiators or railings, needs a specific metal primer to stop corrosion working back through the finish.
When in doubt, seal it.
The cost of a primer coat is small next to the cost of redoing a topcoat that's failed. We check every surface before we paint and use the right primer or sealer for what's actually there, not a generic one-size product. Get a free quote and we'll flag anything that needs sealing before we start.
Ready for a fresh coat for your home?
Send a few photos on WhatsApp and get a free fixed quote for your project — usually the same day.