Remember when you could just slap a new coat of paint on anything?

I tried that on my old garage door last fall, a basic white latex over the old oil-based paint without stripping it first. It looked great for about four months. Then this spring, it started peeling off in big, ugly sheets, like sunburned skin. I learned the hard way that prep is everything, and you can't skip the primer on a surface like that. It's a full weekend redo now. Has anyone found a good primer for old, chalky oil paint that actually holds up?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_singh812mo ago

Honestly, skipping the primer is fine if you just scuff it up first.

christopherwilson2mo ago

Hold on, I've got to disagree with you there @patricia_singh81. Just scuffing it up isn't the same as using a real primer. That scuffing only helps the paint stick to the old paint. Primer seals the surface and gives you a fresh, even base to work on. Skipping it can lead to the old color bleeding through or the new paint chipping way faster. It might seem like a time-saver now, but it usually causes more work later.

zarapalmer4h ago

Yeah exactly this @christopherwilson, you nailed it. I learned this the hard way and now I always use primer. That scuffing trick @patricia_singh81 talked about might work for a quick fix but it's not a real substitute. I tried skipping primer once on a cabinet and the old color bled through like crazy after just a few weeks. Then I had to sand everything down and start over anyway, which took way longer than just doing it right the first time. Primer really does seal the surface and make the new paint stick way better, plus it saves you from having to do touch ups every few months.