When Can I Paint Over Zinsser Primers?
If you are doing some painting with one of the Zinsser primers, be it Zinsser B-I-N, Zinsser Bulls-Eye or Zinsser cover stain then you have probably wondered when is it ready to paint over?
Well, let’s have a look through each of these three Zinsser primers and see exactly how long it takes them to be ready to be painted over.
When can you paint over Zinsser BIN?
Probably the most popular of the Zinsser primers Zinsser BIN is a shellac-based primer with incredible blocking properties. This stuff is a great stain hider and colour sealer. It also adheres really well to surfaces you normally wouldn’t expect paint to stick to such as melamine and gloss.
Zinsser BIN can be painted over in as little as 45 minutes if you are adding another coat of BIN. If you are painting over with another paint then I would give it a little longer just to be sure, I would say 1 hour to 1 hour 30 mins depending on heat and humidity.
When can you paint over Zinsser Bulls Eye?
Bull’s eye is Zinsser’s water-based primer. I have never found it to be as good as Zinsser BIN or Zinsser coverstain but it is water-based. If you are after a water-based primer then it is one of the best on the market.
Zinsser Bulls Eye can be recoated in 1 hour, that is to say, you can add another coat of bull’s eye over the top. If you are adding a different paint, like your finishing coat then I would leave it a bit longer to make sure everything is properly dried. I would wait between 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours before painting over with different paint. This time can vary depending on temperature and humidity.
When can you paint over Zinsser Cover Stain?
Cover Stain is Zinsser’s oil or solvent-based primer. This is a great paint that is really effective at hiding stains and dries really quickly for solvent-based paint. It is particularly effective against nicotine stains and I have also found it really effective and priming new wood.
Zinsser Cover Stain is recoatable after two hours, which is really impressive for solvent-based paint. If painting over with your top coat of a different paint then I would give the primer a little longer to dry. I would say wait around 4 hours before applying your topcoat.
Which Zinsser Primer should I use?
This can be a really tough question to answer and depends on a whole heap of factors including the material you are painting and whether it is internal or external.
To make things easy for you I created a handy guide on exactly which Zinsser primer to choose for your job. You can find that article here.
