"What primer for wood?" Topic

Bought some plain wood buildings, what primer should I use? I want to paint the white with blue trim. I live in the USA.

Thanks,
Brian

You could use just about any type of latex paint to prime them with, if you have some latex primer use that. Might have to sand them a bit after the primer dries as it will raise the grain and they will be a rough to the touch. Also a spray primer would work just as good. If you are using latex paint (not the primer) you might want to thin it down a bit so it doesn't hide the details.

Does wood really need a primer? I haven't painted buildings, but I've done many wooden figures and never primed them. The nice thing about wood is that it is porous, which means the paint sinks in and adheres well. Even without a protective overcoat wooden figures are quite tough. Just a thought.

Depends on the wood really. If its ply, then paint may well raise the grain and make it look very 'woody'. Light sanding after priming fixes that. Depending on how thick the primer is, the raised grain will actually show through the primer.
As Thomas said, spray primer would work fine, and shouldn't get the wood wet enough to cause graining. Its not like the building is getting heavy wear, like for example a door or stair rail.

You want to use sanding sealer to seal the grain…. otherwise it could take multiple coats to hide the grain.

Deft will work in spray form.

Shellac works well – no water to raise the grain.

link

Great !! Thanks again !!