When & How to Use Primer: 5 Tips to Get It Right in DIY

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Priming a piece of furniture, cabinets, or walls can be a little confusing. What primer should you use? Does coverage have to be like a coat of paint? What types go with which surfaces?As you probably read on my About page, this blog is not HGTV, and I never really think of myself as a perfect expert. But over the last few years of blogging (speaking of which, yesterday was my 2nd blogiversary, no April Fools!) and countless projects in apartments prior, I’ve come up with a few tips that are worth sharing:

Getting perfect paint results starts with the right primer

1. Yes, you (probably) need primer.

Painting a glossy surface? Going from a dark color to a light one (or vice versa)? Painting anything other than an already-painted wall or ceiling? Painting latex over oil-based paint? Painting bare wood? Then yes, you probably need primer. There are some exceptions, and you can even use paint and primer combo style paints, but more than likely, you’ll need something for your paint to stick to. Remember this key concept: The primer will stick to the surface, and the paint will stick to the primer.

Skip this step, and you risk the paint chipping and peeling, sooner or later.

(By the way, this is the paint brush I’ve used for more than 15 years with excellent results. I do genuinely like using this primer for a lot of surfaces. And in case you’re wondering about the aluminum foil, it’s an old trick to keep paint from drying out between coats.)

2. Sanding makes it work even better.

Getting good results often relies on prep work. Whenever you plan to prime a surface, you should also plan to lightly sand —called “scuff” sanding— the beginning surface and also between coats. It helps the primer and subsequential coats of paint stick all the better. Exceptions exist of course, like using spray paint (where the between-coat steps can often be skipped, but the initial surface should still be scuffed… be sure to check the can instructions to know for sure!), but sanding helps to create a slightly rough surface area for paint to adhere to. It can also smooth out brush strokes, which can sometimes be an issue with oil- and shellac-based primers especially (since they dry so fast).

This is another great primer when you need to block water stains. (P.S., I have a list of some of my favorite primers below!)

After sanding, I wipe the surface down with a tack cloth to remove dust, and I also wipe it down with a TSP substitute to degloss and remove any oils. Oily spots and glossy surfaces are really hard for paint to stick to, so the cleaner you can prep, the better!

3. Different primers do different jobs.

I’ve had mixed results from using paints that have primer mixed in. They are called a variety of things nowadays: self-priming, duo, ultra, paint-and-primer-in-one, etc. The combo is great for painting a wall between two contrasting colors (like when I went from pale blue to navy in my craft room). But for many projects, I still use primer and paint separately. Tinted primer can help you save a few bucks because it’s cheaper than a gallon of paint and helps establish the color on the wall. For water stains, I like to use an oil-based primer because water stains tend to bleed through paint over time, even with a quality latex paint. For glossy surfaces or red tints that bleed through, I prefer a shellac-based primer. Most require good ventilation to use them. As a handy guide, I’ve listed some of my favorites.

4. Spray primer is costly but convenient for small DIYs

I really like spray primer for small projects (like painting my bathroom mirror). They leave a smoother surface and get in hard-to-reach areas. Krylon Fusion primers and paints work very well on a clean, dry plastic surfaces. I mention the specific brand here because other plastic sprays (like Valspar) bubble and crack in temps that Krylon still seems to work well in, and I paint a lot during hot Georgia summers.

5. Streaky or blotchy results are fine

For anyone who has ever wondered, the primer step should be smooth, but it doesn’t have to completely cover the surface in the same way you would want a coat of paint to. If things look uneven or see-through, don’t panic. Focus instead on making the application thin and even (no globs and minimize raised brush marks). Lightly sand between coats with 220 grit sandpaper and wipe down again with a lint-free tack cloth.

There you have it: my top five tips and favorite primers (update: this got updated in 2026, so much of my same tips still apply to this day!). Got any of your own you’d like to add? Feel free to leave yours in the comments section below. Thanks!

Want more? Here’s a guide specifically about prepping and painting kitchen cabinets. Coming soon, I’ll also be making a guide specific for painting furniture. And I’ve also got an in-depth tutorial about priming, and painting freshly repaired drywall.