Zinsser Cover Stain High Hide Oil- Based Primer Reviews

Matt is a professional painter who owns and operates his ain painting business organisation, specializing in interior and exterior house painting.

Zinsser Cover Stain Primer

Zinsser Cover Stain Oil-Based Primer

Zinsser Cover Stain is an oil-based primer I've used a lot over the years for priming cabinets, exterior wood, and wall stains. The primer I use the most now for chiffonier painting is Zinsser BIN shellac, merely I still employ Embrace Stain in certain situations.

Cover Stain is a good stain blocker that usually seals surfaces in one coat, but on oak cabinets, a 2d glaze is sometimes needed to completely stop tannin drain. This is not always the example, but I've had problems with this a couple of times.

Is It Easy to Sand?

Cover Stain primer sands easier than other oil-based products I've used in the past, but only afterwards the primer has had enough of time to dry out. If you endeavor sanding information technology right later it's dry to the touch, the surface is harder to sand and tends to rub off hands along outside corners.

When I used this product on cabinets, I'd let the primer dry overnight before sanding or try to get all of the priming washed early in the morning so that I could sand everything later that mean solar day. If yous let the primer dry longer than recommended, it sands very hands into a super smooth finish. This product sands a lot easier than Zinsser BIN shellac primer.

Cover Stain vs. BIN Shellac Primer

Both products are excellent only serve unlike purposes. In my experience, Comprehend Stain does not spray or level out nearly as good as BIN shellac. I've had issues with Embrace Stain fully atomizing through my Graco FFLP tips on my spray gun, due to the thickness. BIN sprays like a dream because information technology'southward so thin.

Both products start to tack upwardly fast after application, but Embrace Stain doesn't level out much, whereas BIN does, and rolling information technology even with a foam roller leaves heavy stippling if you aren't careful.

Price wise, Embrace Stain is much cheaper at around $25 per gallon, just BIN costs close to $45. One of the reasons I don't use Comprehend Stain equally much anymore, at to the lowest degree for cabinets, is the slower dry time and lingering odour. BIN dries fast and can exist sanded and recoated in less than one hr.

Both products scent terrible, but the smell of BIN goes away fast once the booze has completely evaporated from the coating, which is usually under two hours. Oil-based primer dries at a slower rate, so the olfactory property takes hours to become away.

Is Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Worth It?

Embrace Stain oil-based primer is my go-to product for priming raw wood and stains on drywall. I've as well used this product many times to prime and paint over old wallpaper. You tin also utilise information technology for priming cabinets. The primer provides a good bail coat with pigment and sands easily into a fine powder in one case fully dry.

This primer is also good for both interior and exterior utilise, where other products are for interior application only. I keep a gallon of it in my truck.

At under $30 per gallon, the toll is reasonable for quality primer, only for a faster dry fourth dimension, or if you're looking for a thin primer that levels a lot amend when spraying kitchen cabinets, I recommend BIN shellac primer instead.

This content is accurate and truthful to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I have primed my cabinets twice using cover stain but it has been xi days since I've applied it. Do I need to prime again in society to paint because of the lapse of time?

Answer: Yes, but you should sand anyways, even if you're painting the next day. Sanding the primer and wiping off the dust gives you a smoother paint finish. Information technology as well removes crumbs and imperfections in the primer. Cover Stain sands nicely into a fine pulverization after you let it dry out overnight.

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Question: How do you prep oak cabinets before applying the BIN? Is scuffing necessary to achieve a solid bail?

Respond: Yes, I always clean and sand cabinets earlier priming, using an electrical sander. Sanding helps the primer stick meliorate, and you'll accept a smoother finish if you sand between each coat.

Question: What grit of sandpaper do you apply to sand coverstain?

Respond: I utilise a sanding block, but a finer grit similar 220 is good if you're using sandpaper.

Question: Tin I use Zinser cover stain primer over a dark enamel paint so use a latex paint?

Answer: Yes, merely the surface should be sanded first so the primer forms a stronger bond with the enamel underneath. Latex paint over Comprehend Stain oil primer is perfectly fine.

Question: Will the Zinsser Cover Stain primer work on pinnacle of preexisting water-based painted cabinets?

Answer: Yes.

Question: We are painting over stained polyurethane cabinets. We accept sanded with 120 dust. Wine will exist brushing the paint on. Volition the comprehend stain primer work well using a latex paint over it?

Reply: Yeah, latex paint over Cover Stain primer is fine. I recommend applying 2 coats of primer, scuff sanding in between coats with 220-dust, or 320-grit. Cover Stain sands actually overnice and shine.

Question: How do you get rid of the smell of primer quickly?

Respond: Open windows.

Question: Is there Cover Stain tintable to a darker color? The can says "tintable", but when I asked the lady at Menards she said it was only tintable to a slightly darker white (?) and that the can didn't fifty-fifty have plenty room to add any tint to it. Was she just full of it? I'm painting my cabinets greyness and so I would like the primer to be gray (or as close to greyness equally possible) if possible.

Respond: Yes, the store employee is right. Cover Stain primer should but exist tinted to an fair, using a maximum of 2 oz of universal colorant per gallon. If you tint the primer anymore than 2 oz, the primer volition form cracks when information technology dries. It will likewise be gluey to the touch after drying and less durable.

Question: My ceiling is textured and needs a stain blocker like B.I.Northward, will latex paint attach to the textured ceiling without sanding?

Reply: Latex paint is fine for the textured ceiling. If it's popcorn texture, it will exist a lot easier to paint using a sprayer, otherwise scroll it. The primer you're using is a skilful stain blocker to use under latex paint.

Question: Can this be used in a manufactured abode rental property where the walls are drywall that was installed with wallpaper already attached? Our previous renters were smokers, will this assistance and if we have it tinted can information technology be used lonely (equally a concluding coat) or do we have to add together a coat of pigment over it?

Respond: Yes, information technology can be used over drywall and wallpaper. Cover Stain will seal over the nicotine stains really well so when you pigment the walls you lot won't encounter whatever discoloration from the fume damage. The primer is sort of a grayish color and meant to be top coated with paint. Non only that, but the nicotine stains will show through the primer a petty, all the same, when painted, you won't run into them anymore. I would definitely pigment the walls after priming. You can tint this primer, but simply with a very modest amount of tint. I believe it'due south two ounces, merely yous can check the specs for the product. If you add more tint than what's recommended in the specs, the primer will crack and yous'll have issues. If information technology were me, I wouldn't tint it. In that location's no need to.

Question: I need to pigment large mdf wall panels. I have cover stain although I am reluctant to use it due to the odor. The mdf panels are already on the wall. Volition the Zinsser BIN shellac primer seal the mdf sheets just as the encompass stain would? These panels are autonomously of a wall moulding design and are found in my kitchen.

Answer: Yes, BIN will seal the MDF and it also dries a lot faster than Cover Stain. The aroma is bad, simply it goes abroad fast with a window open.

Question: Have you tried adding Penetrol to Cover Stain to decrease brush marks, or do yous simply rely on sanding to smooth out the end?

Respond: No, I haven't used Penetrol to thin Cover Stain. I usually shine the surface through scuff sanding. If you lot let Cover Stain dry out overnight, the primer sands very easily with a sanding sponge. Sanding the primer smooths out the surface and helps the paint bond better with information technology.

Question: Exercise you have a separate sprayer for the bin?

Reply: Yes, I apply my Graco GX-19 airless sprayer for BIN and my Titan 440 Bear upon for the enamel, simply sometimes I'll utilize my GX-xix for both because it'south easier to make clean.

Question: I want to refinish some kitchen chairs. If I utilise this primer, is at that place a specific paint or stain that I can utilize on top of information technology to make the chairs still expect like stained wood?

Answer: No, non if you want to meet the wood grain. Cover Stain primer is a white primer meant to exist top coated with solid pigment. You lot could apply a paint color like to the color of the wood, but it's going to have a solid terminate. If you're refinishing the chairs and so you lot'd want to remove the existing finish and stain the wood.

Question: What would you recommend for priming wood paneling?

Respond: Embrace Stain, Kilz, or BIN shellac primer, are all good choices for forest paneling. I personally like BIN because it dries really fast and the fumes don't linger like oil primer does.The finish is also smoother than oil. It lays out nice and polish when sprayed and rolled right.

© 2018 Matt G.

Matt M. (author) from United States on July 24, 2020:

Since in that location are multiple coatings on the cabinets, I would use either BIN or oil Kilz to forbid any take chances of bleed through or bonding issues.

Jean on July 21, 2020:

Old house. Oil over latex, latex over oil etc. on cabinets. I desire to repaint nonetheless some other layer. It was latex last time. Would BIN work to prime number the cabinets before I pigment again or would Kilz work only equally well? The quondam paint is adequately worn away to old, probably oil based, paint past the handles. I want to use latex once again

Matt 1000. (writer) from U.s.a. on July 14, 2019:

Matt,

Y'all can spray doors vertically with BIN, you just have to be careful not to spray besides heavy. The 2nd glaze dries faster than the first coat. Spray a light start glaze and a heavier 2d glaze.

Matt P on July 12, 2019:

If you lot were hanging doors vertically to spray which of the primer'southward would you lot apply? Sounds like the BIN is runny and you said it levels well horizontally just will I have issues with runs.

Matt Thousand. (writer) from Usa on Apr 02, 2019:

Using the right paint is key. I pigment over Encompass Stain primer with Sherwin Williams CHB and Duration, and the pigment covers in ii coats. You should as well apply a roller sleeve of 1/2" nap, or 3/4" if you're not already. The thicker nap puts more pigment on for better coverage.

Tina on April 02, 2019:

Whatsoever tips about painting Coverstain with white acrylic paint?

Seems to have a lot of pigment to cover the colour of Coverstain.

Matt M. (author) from The states on Nov 04, 2018:

Robert,

No, I've never heard of BIN declining on cabinets due to oestrus from appliances and I've never had a call up on whatsoever of my cabinet jobs where BIN was used as the primer. I'll wait into that though.

Robert on November 04, 2018:

I am going to paint some kit cabs coming up. I usually utilise the cover stain to prime but know that bin has the best stain blocking ever. My question to you is have you heard that the bin volition fail considering of estrus if you apply information technology next to the stove pinnacle or dish waster. I take read that just have no experience with it.

RTalloni on August 16, 2018:

Cheers much for this comparison. We are remodeling and this info will be practiced to keep in mind.

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