Description #
In this video we will be going through the essentials of priming. Why is priming important, what are the roles of a primer, different types of primers, which primer to choose depending on your situation, and the risks of skipping priming a substrate. We will also take you through the range of RLA Primers and tips for a successful priming application.
Transcript #
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[Music]
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Hello and thanks for joining us for today's episode of Prep Set Go where we take a look at an
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important primary step in any coating or flooring system and that is priming. We'll be going through
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what it is, it's function and choosing the right primer for your project. So first up what is
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priming? Priming is a foundational preparatory step that lays the groundwork for the successful
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overlay of any finish or system to a surface. Whether for painting, waterproofing, installing
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flooring, or any decorative or functional system that needs to be adhered to a surface, priming
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plays a vital role to ensure strong adhesion and long-lasting durability of the system. In
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this video we'll dive deep into the significance of substrate priming and the specific roles they
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play, the different types of primers, and guidance on when and how to use them. Let's begin by
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looking into the importance of substrate priming. Different surfaces and substrates you might come
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across that require bonding either a coating or finish to can vary significantly in composition,
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porosity, and condition. Priming ensures the effective adhesion of your chosen finish,
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ultimately allowing that finish or coating to perform as intended. So what are some of the other
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basic roles of a primer? They include enhancing adhesion of overlaid finishes, dust suppressing,
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and surface stabilization, moisture retarding properties, protecting against debonding
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and general moisture related damage to overlaid finishes, primers can prevent the rapid absorption
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and drying of coatings and adhesives over highly porous surfaces, this helps promote even
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drying and work time and also helps to prevent pin-holing in liquid coatings. Priming promotes
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or facilitates adhesion to otherwise difficult to bond to surfaces or surfaces the applied finish
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would not typically bond to. It improves coverage of liquid coatings and also can protect against
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oxidation - for example with metal primers. So what are the risks of not priming a substrate when
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advised to do so? It can result in weak adhesion properties of coatings and adhesives and finishes,
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leading to premature delamination and adhesion failure. There's pin-holing of liquid coatings
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over very porous surfaces, uneven drying and reduced workability of coatings and adhesives,
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moisture related issues when dealing with damp substrates, including blistering of
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liquid coatings, softening or re-emulsification of adhesives and or warping. So when should you use a
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primer? Essentially, when it's recommended to do so. So always follow manufacturer's
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recommendations as to the requirements for priming a surface. New, old, existing surfaces, porous,
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or nonporous different substrate types, there is a suitable primer for each case. Most applications
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of membranes, liquid coatings, and floor finishes will benefit from the use of a primer. And again
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always follow manufacturer's recommendations. Now let's explore some of the various types of
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primers available and the applications where each type is commonly used. Water-based and acrylic
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or latex primers a versatile primer which is primarily used for absorbent substrates
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including concrete and masonry plaster board and cement sheeting a quick drying and with excellent
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adhesion and absorbing properties designed to support water-based systems and adhesives
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applied over. Specialty bonding primers - used to enhance adhesion of finishes over challenging and
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difficult to bond to surfaces. These primers rely on strong topical adhesion rather than absorbing
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into the surface. Suitable surfaces including ceramic, metals, and PVC and dense concrete.
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Solvent-based primers have good adhesion to porous and non-porous dense mineral surfaces
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and are often used to support solvent-based finishes, coatings or adhesives, applied over,
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often used for priming metal surfaces. Moisture barrier primers include water-based epoxy primers
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used to prevent rising damp or residual moisture from damaging or debonding overlaid finishes and
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coatings. RLA has a number of primers available in their range suitable for various applications,
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and each with their own unique properties. So let's have a look at some of them. Okay here we
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have RLA Universal primer which is a one component highly versatile primer suitable for both porous
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and non-porous surfaces so things like ceramic tiles, PVC, dense concrete, and things like
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that. And it's also used extensively with the RLA floor levelling range as well. Here we have Uni
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Prime which is another water-based acrylic primer designed primarily for porous substrates so things
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like plaster board, concrete, masonry, as well before the application of waterproof membranes
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and tile adhesives. Here we have the PU primer which is used exclusively with PU based systems
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including the Flex Pro sealant range and the PU850 UV waterproof membrane. We also have the
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RLA Zinc primer which is a zinc rich epoxy primer designed for use over metal surfaces to protect
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against rust and corrosion. So what are some of the key tips to applying and ensuring a successful
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priming application surface preparation as we've discussed a number of times on this series proper
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surface preparation is always the number one consideration surfaces must be thoroughly clean
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and free of dirt, dust, loose or contaminating material. Primer selection - carefully choose
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the appropriate primer based on your specific substrate and project requirements. Always read
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manufacturer's recommendations with whatever system you're using for advice on the right
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primer. Primer application - apply the primer evenly using brushes, rollers or sprayers. Again
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carefully follow manufacturers instructions on how to apply, and what to use to apply. Coverage
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rates, number of coats, drying times and other important usage instructions. So here we have
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the RLA universal primer, suitable for both porous and nonporous substrates, here we've got a range
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of nonporous substrates including dense concrete, ceramic tile, and PVC. When applying the universal
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primer over nonporous substrates it's applied in its neat state. If applied to porous substrates it
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can be diluted with water. It's also fast drying and has really good coverage. When applying to
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highly burnished or highly glossed surfaces like glossy ceramic tiles it is advisable to firstly
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lightly scuff that surface just to take off any excess glaze. Here we have our Uni Prime which is
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specifically designed for priming porous surfaces before tiling and applying waterproof membranes.
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It's a single part primer fast drying and serves to increase and improve the adhesion of overlayed
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coatings as well as reducing pin holes associated with porous surfaces as we have here for example
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some plaster board, some cement sheeting, and some concrete - so let's apply some. It's quite thin in
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viscosity designed to obviously penetrate into the pore surfaces and create a temporary seal, so that
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obviously stops the rapid absorption of adhesives and membranes into that, so helps regulate drying
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as well. So to summarize, priming remains a critical step in the installation of coatings
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and finishes and ensures the long-term performance and durability, allowing that system to perform
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as intended and again when in doubt always refer to manufacturer's recommendations. Thank you for
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joining us again for this episode - as always if you have any questions please feel free to reach
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out via our socials or give our friendly customer service team a call. We'll see you next time.
