There are many layers that one must finish before your wall looks perfect. Sometimes this includes first applying wall putty to your surface or, perhaps, a primer. There are many questions that arise when dealing with wall putty and primer and how the paint fits into the picture. If you do not ensure you have applied the right substance at the right place, you might just regret it later and redo the entire paint job.
Primer is not required after you have applied wall putty. Primer is used to ensure the paint has a stable base for correct adherence. A surface that has wall putty already provides a suitable surface for painting and, thus, it does not need to be covered with primer before painting.
There are various uses for primer, and depending on the type of primer you use, that will determine when and where you will apply it. The same goes for wall putty; there are different types of wall putty that also have different functions when it comes to painting a surface. Questions also arise: if a primer is not required to be applied after wall putty (before one starts painting it), is primer required to be applied before you use the wall putty? We explore all of this in the sections below!
Is Primer Required After Wall Putty?
Before we discuss whether or not primer is required after wall putty, let us briefly explain what a primer and wall putty are.
Primer is a substance that is designed to give painters a surface that allows the paint to ‘lock onto.’ If the surface is very porous, it will soak up too much of the paint applied to it. The opposite also holds: if the surface is glossy, paint does not stick to the surface. Primer solves both of these problems by providing a balanced and stable surface to paint on.
Wall putty, once it has dried, already provides a suitable surface to the paint to cling to and ensure the paint is applied evenly. Wall putty is a powder that is mixed with a couple of liquids, including water, to form a solution that one applies to the wall. By doing this, you ensure that small cracks, dents, and uneven surfaces are polished and leveled. Thus, wall putty ensures that you have a beautiful, blemish-less wall to work with and it also ensures that you get a stunning finish from your paint.
So now that we see that both primer and wall putty provide a surface that can be painted on, the question is, how do these two things relate to one another? Do you need to use both, and if so, what is the order in which you apply them? Or, perhaps, can you just use one of the two, depending on the circumstances?
Since the objective of wall putty is to enhance the paint which you apply to it, it is intended to be painted on. It is also recommended to use wall putty if you want to use paint that gives your canvas a glossy finish. Thus, the paint must come into direct contact of the wall putty to be enhanced. Primer, on the other hand, is mostly used when the surface which you work with is not ideal for painting as-is and makes the surface a more ‘convenient’ surface for the painter.
Given that wall putty is specifically made to be painted on, it does not come with the inconveniencies that other unstable surfaces might come with.In fact, you are supposed to paint on the wall putty if you wish to get the added glossy benefits to your paint. Accordingly, wall putty can be painted on directly without the necessity of using a primer, since the surface of wall putty is already appropriate to be painted on.
Is Primer Required Before Wall Putty
Now that we know that primer is not required after wall putty, the question is, should primer be applied before applying wall putty?
There are various opinions out there. Many believe that you must first clean the surface upon which you will work. Thereafter, they suggest that you apply primer to the surface. After this step, you must apply the wall putty.
Others emphasize that you must first apply primer and only thereafter apply the wall putty after the primer has had time to dry.
Since there is no concise evidence that points to either one, both have the potential to be correct. It must be stated that it is a general practice of contractors to first apply a layer of primer and thereafter apply the wall putty. Some brands, however, state that merely wetting a wall before applying their wall putty is sufficient. An example is a brand called Birla White Wall Care Putty; they specify that no primer is required before applying their wall putty.
What does this mean for you? Make sure to check what the manufacturer of your wall putty says about applying primer!
What Are Some Wall Putties That Do Not Require A Primer?
Now we know that wall putty, in general, does not require a primer to be applied to it before you can start painting. On the other hand, whether a primer must be applied before applying wall putty or not depends on each individual wall putty you are dealing with.
Since purchasing a primer in addition to purchasing wall putty can lead to a bit of extra cost, it is smarter to purchase wall putty that does not require a primer to be applied first. So, below are two examples of wall putties that do not require any primer to be applied in order for the putty to function effectively.
Birla White Wallcare Putty
Birla White Wallcare Putty is white and cement-based, which means it has a lot of binding strength with the base – even if the base’s surface is moist! It has the potential to fill up even the finest pores, which helps give you the smooth finished look on your ceilings and walls.
One of its many benefits is that you get a lot of value for your money. Birla White Wallcare Putty does not require any paint primer in order for it to work effectively. This means that it is a much better economic option than other conventional types of putty or Plaster of Paris (POP), which may require some primer to be applied (either before or after) in order to work effectively.
JK Wall Putty
This white cement based wall putty is a putty that gives the perfect finish for concrete or cement walls and ceilings. It is gives your wall a damp resistant finish that can be used to apply many kinds of paint to it. It is, however, only meant for cement surfaces.
The one great advantage of this paint is that you do not need to apply primer before you paint on it (although you can, if you wish to augment very expensive paints), and you do not have to apply a primer before you apply the wall putty. In fact, it is recommended that you do not apply primer before you use JK Wall Putty. This means that you save money by not having to purchase any primer.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, no, you do not require a primer after you have applied wall putty. Wall putty is a durable substance that allows you to smoothen out surfaces that are less than desirable and can be painted over to give you that flawless surface you desire!
Primer, however, is only used if you need to deal with a situation where the surface that you work upon is a bit stubborn. This can if the surface likes to paint too much by absorbing it, or when it does not like paint at all and keeps shedding the paint off of the surface.
Thus, these substances have different purposes, but both of them do pertain to paint and can be used together with one another. You are not required to apply primer to the wall putty, but that doesn’t mean you are not able to! You can if you want to. Vice versa: it is general practice to first apply primer before you wall putty, but you don’t have to! What you must do is consult the manufacturer!
