Why is an acrylic primer good?

It is perhaps unnecessary to talk about why a primer is needed – this is an indispensable basis for any finish, be it tiles, wallpaper, plaster or painting. The quality and durability of the coating as a whole largely depends on the quality of the primer. There are a huge number of primers of different types, purposes, price categories on the market. Acrylic primers are becoming increasingly popular, and I must say – well-deserved. What are they good for? And what makes acrylic primers different from other types?

In order to comprehensively consider precisely acrylic primers, you need to figure out what primers are generally available. Primers are divided into several types, depending on the purpose, technical properties and characteristics. From the point of view of practical application, primers are divided into:

• deep anchoring
• adhesive
• impregnating
• special.

Deep fixing primers

Penetrating into the structure of the treated surface, they bind separate small particles, envelop the pores, and increase moisture resistance. Thus, the surface treated with the primer becomes more durable, its absorbency is leveled, which allows for a more uniform and high-quality final finish..

Adhesive primers

Or to put it another way, surface adhesion primers are designed to treat poorly absorbent or even non-absorbent surfaces. In addition, the use of adhesion primers is necessary for thick-layer dispersion coatings, for example, for decorative plaster. Such primers are usually tinted, which allows them to be used also as an intermediate paint layer..

Impregnating primers

Designed to equalize the absorbency of the treated surface.

Special primers

In addition to such properties common to all primers, such as increasing adhesion and leveling the absorbency, they also have additional protective properties. For example, primers designed to treat metal surfaces protect the metal from corrosion. Primers have also been developed with increased resistance to UV rays, intended for processing non-standard surfaces, etc..

In addition, a distinction is made between primers intended for facade work and interior decoration..

As you can see, the market of paints and varnishes offers many different primers in their properties. It is not surprising that universal primers are especially in demand. It is acrylic primers that can be classified as such. At least their area of ​​application is very wide..

Acrylic primer can be used on almost any type of surface. It is excellent both for leveling the absorbency of the treated surface and for improving adhesion to the coating. In addition, the acrylic primer copes well with filling the pores and binding small particles and dust, that is, it performs the function of not only adhesion and impregnating, but also acts as a deep penetration primer. Universal acrylic primer can be used for processing plastered, putty, concrete, wood and even metal surfaces.

In general, acrylic primers can be of two types:

• Acrylic strengthening primer acts exclusively on the surface of the base, sticking together its particles and not penetrating into deeper layers.
• The acrylic penetrating primer strengthens not only the surface of the base, but also its entire volume. Acrylic impregnating primer penetrates to a depth of 10 cm, thus strengthening the deeper layers of the base.

There are also special acrylic-based primers, for example, anti-corrosion acrylic primeror an acrylic primer for old paint surfaces. Versatility is not the only benefit of acrylic primers. In addition to the fact that both special and universal acrylic primer perfectly perform the basic functions of a primer coating, they also have good weather resistance, hiding power (i.e. the ability of even a thin coating layer to qualitatively paint contrasting surfaces, making the border between different colors invisible), elasticity.

According to their composition, acrylic primers are divided into water-soluble and organic-soluble (based on organic solvents). Organosoluble primershave increased weather resistance, resistance to pollution and unfavorable microflora. Therefore, solvent-borne primers are ideal for facade work. In its turn water-soluble or water-dispersible acrylic primerssomewhat less stable, however, they have proven themselves excellent in the implementation of interior finishing work. Moreover, modern water-soluble acrylic primers are practically odorless and highly environmentally friendly. The undoubted plus of acrylic primers is that the surface treated with them remains breathable – acrylic primers are perfectly breathable.

There is a fairly large number of both domestic and foreign manufacturers of acrylic paints and primers on the building materials market. Their products are in different price categories, so choosing an acrylic primer that is suitable for specific purposes is not difficult..

Regardless of what you plan to do next – wallpapering the walls or performing decorative plaster using various dry mixtures – the primer must be selected in the most careful way, taking into account all its properties and technical characteristics, since it largely determines the further quality of the finish finishes.