Benefits of Using Primers for Cement

What is the one essential step for any painting job, whether it’s on wood, plastic or cement? It is the primer. Before we apply paint to any surface, we have to use an undercoat to prepare or ‘prime’ the surface. There are many reasons and benefits of using a primer. It is often the difference between a good paint job and a really bad one. No matter the quality of the paint itself, it will not work unless you put a primer undercoating.

Fortunately, there are a number of primers available today — from acrylic, epoxy, silane, polyurethane to water based primer for cement. Each has certain benefits that your contractor can explain for you. But let us first understand the primer. Not everyone uses primer. It may be alright for a small project, but when we are dealing with a long-term requirements that come at considerable costs.

What is the purpose of the primer?

Getting the surface ready: Before we apply paint to any surface, we have to ensure that the surface is ready for it. But why do we need to get a surface ready? It is because a paint coating will not always hold on to a surface and even when it does, it may not appear uniform and flawless. What primer does is make the surface a stable and smooth, which eventually helps in ensuring a smooth finish.

Paint adhesion: The primer surface has the added advantage of giving you a base that a paint can adhere to. Primers are developed in such a way that they bond well with the paint and hence, the paint will stick to the primer in a far more effective manner. There are some surfaces where paint does not stick or comes off too easily, such as plastic. Even in the case of cement, the paint will start to  peel off. Water based primers for cement are great for this purpose.

Even surface: for any painting job to be effective, you need an even surface. An uneven surface, like ridges or holes mean that the overcoat of the paint will carry the same. Remember, a paint is a thin coat and this coat will simply adapt the shape or contours of the surface it is applied to. As a result, the uneven surface will appear on the painted surface as well. What we will have is a patchy and shoddy paint job. When the primer is applied, it acts almost like a filler. In the process it makes the surface smooth and plain. The paint now takes the same flawless finish.

For hard to clean surfaces: Ideally we should clean a surface before applying a paint. Smudges and marks on a wall may show under the paint otherwise. The marks may stay even with double coating. This can make any paint job look dirty and unfinished. But some marks may be impossible to remove. Certain grease and dirt marks often bond with the cement surface and cannot be removed without some heavy duty removal equipment. One of the benefits of using a primer is that you don’t have to worry about this. A primer is extra undercoat under the paint and often does an excellent job of covering up the ugly marks. Combined with a cursory cleaning (like sandpapering), the primer is often all you need to get a smooth surface.

Durability: The undercoat of a primer means that your paint will last for a very long time. This is one of the main reasons we use primer. Painting is expensive and we want a paint to stay on for as long as possible. There are two ways in which a primer helps in the paint’s long life — it creates an even surface and it gives better adhesion. The lack of ridges and unevenness in the underlying surface means that the paint will not carry these either. The ridges become the weak point where the paint surface starts to crack and peel away. Better adhesion again means that paint will stick better and for longer.

Top-class finish: The biggest reason we use a primer is the top class finish it gives us. Primers like water based primer for cement, cover up ugly marks, give you an even surface and helps in the adhesion of the paint. What you have in the end is a smooth painted finish which will last you a very long time.