How to choose the perfect paint primer for your next project

External paint protection red oxide primer

When it comes to choosing the best wood primer or the best primer for rusty metal, we’ve got you covered.

In the Armstead Trade range, you’ll find five professional quality primers. Each one designed for tackling a specific job, so you can achieve great results for your clients.

But why use primer paint? Before we explain how our primers can help you bring your A-game, we’d better go back to the basics.

What is primer paint?

A primer’s main function is to provide a sealed and stable surface for your undercoat or topcoat. In other words, primers provide a textured surface for your paint to hold onto. As well as improved adhesion, paint primers are pretty good at hiding surface imperfections.

Whether you decide to use a primer usually comes down to the condition of the surface – is it too porous or too glossy?

Explore Armstead Trade Metal Primers

What is red oxide primer? This type of paint primer is primarily used for preventing rust forming on ferrous metal.

Armstead Trade Red Oxide Primer does just that. It’s a professional quality primer with excellent adhesion that inhibits corrosion. Use it on both interior and exterior ferrous metal surfaces.

Watch our 3-minute video for tips on using this product and how to prepare metal for primer.

In the video, Dulux Academy Skills Development Consultant, Matt Gray, also mentions zinc phosphate metal primer, another metal primer in our range.

Zinc phosphate primer Vs red oxide primer

What’s the best primer for rusty metal? Both Zinc phosphate primer and red oxide primer get the job done, but what’s the difference?

While red oxide primer is fantastic at stopping rust in its tracks, zinc phosphate primer is a higher performing primer product. It has a higher film build than red oxide, so stops moisture and oxygen getting to the surface in the first place. This results in the surface looking great for longer.

Armstead Trade Metal Primer Zinc Phosphate is a professional quality metal primer that has excellent adhesion and inhibits rust, preventing the spread of corrosion. It’s suitable for use on both interior and exterior surfaces. It’s generally resistant to heat up to 90ºC.

Explore Armstead Trade Wood Primers

Why use primer paint on wood? If you’re working on unfinished or bare wood with a grainy, porous surface, you’ll need a primer that contains high solids to fill the grains.

The best wood primer for your project will offer excellent adhesion, so you have an ideal surface for that next layer. Luckily, we have a few in our range.

Armstead Trade Wood Primer is a professional quality, solvent-based wood primer with excellent adhesion properties providing an ideal surface for Armstead Trade Undercoat. Suitable for both interior and exterior use.

Armstead Trade Quick Dry Wood Primer is a professional quality, fast-drying, water-based wood primer. It has good opacity and excellent adhesion that does the work of both a primer and an undercoat. It’s suitable for both interior and exterior use.