Need some decorating advice? Zinsser’s technical support manager Joanne Wallace is here to answer your questions.
With a dedicated customer support team with strong backgrounds in chemistry and customer service on hand, Specialist primer and paint manufacturer, Zinsser UK can provide in-depth expert advice to any decorating challenge.
Q. What is the best primer to use in a bathroom where the paint is peeling because of the humidity and the plaster is exposed in some areas?
A. Humidity in bathrooms can be a real pain in the neck but we can make this problem disappear to stop any unwelcome visitors such as peeling paint, mould and mildew.
Firstly, ensure the surface is clean, dry and free from any old mould or mildew. Scrape off any loose or flaking paint back to a firm feathered edge, treat any mould or mildew with our Mould Killer & Remover and allow the surface to dry thoroughly before applying any paint.
If there’s any staining left from the mould treat it with Cover Stain, our stain blocking primer. If there’s no staining then once the surface is suitably prepared, seal the bare plaster with Zinsser Gardz – this will help to soak into the bare surface providing a moisture resistant film to prolong the life of the coating – and allow to dry for a minimum of three hours before priming.
Then spot prime the sealed area with our Bulls Eye 1-2-3, allowing at least one hour before applying a full coat. This will provide good adhesion to resist flaking or peeling and a uniform surface to apply the decorative topcoat. After a minimum of one hour apply the topcoat, Perma-White Interior Satin or Matt are ideal, applied in two coats both provide a durable, cleanable surface that also helps to prevent any mould from affecting the painted surface.
Q. Previously I have always used B-I-N prior to painting over wallpaper as it dries quickly. What’s the difference between this product and Wallpaper Cover Up when to comes this job?
A. Wallpaper Cover Up is designed specifically for this exact task so deals with all of the tricky problems associated with painting over wallpaper.
Wallpaper Cover Up has excellent opacity due to its high solids/high hiding formulation that can obliterate even the most vivid patterns to give a uniform base to apply your emulsion. B-I-N by its nature provides a thinner paint film that may not obliterate the print pattern.
Wallpaper Cover Up is also more flexible than B-I-N, this along with the higher solids of the Wallpaper Cover Up help to hide joins and seams better than B-I-N, although they are not completely eradicated.
As both products are solvent-based they prevent the wallpaper bubbling, blistering or curling up at the corners, which can occur when water-based products are applied directly onto wallpaper, however Wallpaper Cover Up offers a lower odour than B-I-N.
Q. How can I cover interior fire damage?
A. Our B-I-N primer seals in smoke damage and blocks all those ghastly odours. Use it with Zinsser Mould Killer and Perma-White Interior to remove all evidence of a fire.
Remove loose and failing material by scraping or using a stiff bristle brush to a sound edge, vacuum down fire damaged areas to remove dust. Feather sound edges with a fine grade abrasive paper. Prior to painting, the moisture content should not exceed 18 per cent.
Remove all visible signs of organic growth and treat the areas with Mould Killer and allow to dry. Fill any cracks and small surface defects with a suitable filler, once dry rub down with a fine grade abrasive paper and remove all dust.
Patch prime all bare and filled areas with B-I-N, allow a minimum drying time of 45 minutes in normal drying conditions. Bring forward patch primed areas with B-I-N and allow to dry. Prime all areas to be decorated with one full coat of B-I-N, allowing at least 45 minutes in normal drying conditions.
Finally, decorate with two full coats of Perma-White Interior Matt or Satin or Perma-White Exterior Semi Gloss and allow a minimum drying time of two hours between coats.
For more information on Zinsser click here.
