Is Paint Primer Necessary? When You Need It (And When You Don't!)

If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering is paint primer necessary? Can I skip that step? Is it really needed?
In this video, you'll learn when you should use paint primer before painting and when you can skip it. If you're wondering why do you have to prime, you definitely want to watch this.
You'll probably notice that most high-quality cans of paint say they are a paint and primer in one. That’s not necessarily what I’m talking about in this video. We are sharing the specific situations where you need a separate coat or two of just primer.
Video Summary:
0:00 Do I need to use primer before painting?
0:37 What is primer?
1:32 Priming fresh drywall texture
1:51 Priming nail holes
2:12 Priming over a darker color
2:27 Priming when changing sheens
2:44 Priming furniture
3:39 Priming wood
4:06 Primer creates a paint friendly canvas
4:31 Primer Summary
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Disclaimer: music in video provided by audiomarket / Pond5

[@Walkabout]

excellent summary, thank you.

[@lilrada01]

We removed our chair rail and used spackle to repair it - I sanded down and painted a dark color. Now I’m realizing I should have primed over the chair rail repair 😣 is it too late to prime just the chair rail area or will that make it stick out even more now the whole is painted dark.
I’ve already don’t 2 coats of eggshell paint 😣

[@gman9035]

I removed a wallpaper border. Do I have to primer that area before painting the whole wall the same color? Thank you

[@bjazz68]

Thank you.

[@rajeshgalla12]

I have flat which was already painted with asian apcolite, this was done 2 years back. Is it ok if we apply directly Royale paint on top of old ascolite paint. Or do we need to put again premier and then Royale paint. We were plaining to use morning glory from Royale variant for full house. Nite there were no cracks/wetness issues. Please suggest me

[@RedPandasAreMyFavorite]

( Not sure if this falls into newly textured category?) I am in a new build home, with builder grade paint throughout. It's basic plain cheap white paint. Comes off the wall when you try cleaning it with a damp rag... Anyway, I am wondering if I need to prime before painting period, or if paint and primer in one is fine? Also, I am wanting to paint my bedroom a really dark color for a moody look (blue-grey), so would I need to do a grey primer first?

[@MakingManzanita]

Sounds like the builder didn't prime the texture which is why the paint comes off the wall so easily. I would personally try priming and then painting a small out of sight area first to see how the walls take the new paint. When paint starts peeling off that easy it may need to be scraped. Our first house paint was similar to your situation and we ended up scraping a lot of the paint off to get a good bond.

[@will_the_wise_0_1_17]

I didn’t know I was supposed to prime on a dark wall 🤦🏻‍♀️ just finished 2nd coat white on black and can see the black still and lots of patches. Can I sand down somewhat tomorrow, dust and prime it before painting white again?

[@MakingManzanita]

ugh, sorry that is so frustrating! Hope the rest of the project went smoothly! To answer your question, yes you can prime over paint if needed.

[@chrisaalexander]

Do we need to sand the wall first before priming?

[@MakingManzanita]

No, you shouldn't need to paint the wall before priming unless you wanted to even out any texture. You do, however, want to clean the walls well first. We usually use just water on a wet rag, but if there is stains or the walls are really dirty you can use TSP.

[@Ayumi649]

What about painting metal furniture?

[@MakingManzanita]

I would use a primer painting over metal. Helps to anchor your paint more.