# Which primer for a variety of situations drywall, smoke, stains



## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

I have seen Benjamin Moore Fresh Start do OK on nicotine stains but they were light stains. That was my mom's house and I did it 12 years ago and it is starting to show signs of needing to be done again. If the Ceiling is yellow, I would trust nothing short of Oil Coverstain or even BIN. Basicly any primer is ok on fresh drywall.


----------



## mazzonetv (Feb 25, 2009)

Cover Stain or Oil based fresh start will work fine to cover the nicotine stains - however if you want to get rid of the smell as well, the only one that really works is the BIN (which will form a vapor barrier). The downside to BIN is that is has a very strong odor and it is very expensive (@ 40 bucks a gallon). There is a BIN2 product out now which is a cheaper version, but I really havne't seen it around much and haven't tried it yet. For new drywall, patchwork, etc, any latex primer will be fine - you'll hear fresh start and 1-2-3 from Zinsser referenced a lot here. It might pay to pick up some BIN and use that where there is existing drywall that is nicotine stained and smells like smoke, then get some cheaper 1-2-3 or fresh start for where you have new drywall or in rooms that don't have stains and don't smell...

good luck!


----------



## aussiegirl1590 (Apr 7, 2011)

Alright, Thanks. We are going back out Sunday and will reassess it then. I see BM has a stain blocking primer as well. I just want to make sure to cover any stains as well as smell and do it right the 1st time.


----------



## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Tricky situation- Bin will do it all, but it dries so quick & it's hard to handle and the strong vapors will knock you out ( use a good respirator-).
My approach might be to do most the priming with Zin 123, and watch for where it bleeds through. Those areas I'd hit again with the bin. That way you get what needs it and save yourself and your wallet. BIN has just about doubled in price in the last month or so- must be the lac bugs are on strike or something...


----------



## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

We've always had good luck using Sherwin Williams Pro Block on nicotine and water stains. It can be used on your bare drywall too. It is a stain blocking primer.


----------



## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

House- Not a SW guy- is that oil or H2o? Have a similar situation now and looking for a good alternative to using BIN.


----------



## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

Brushjockey said:


> House- Not a SW guy- is that oil or H2o? Have a similar situation now and looking for a good alternative to using BIN.


It is water, but it is all around pretty good stuff. We use it in general whenever an interior primer is needed. Have covered many nicotine stained walls and ceilings with it, with no problems.


----------



## bernie963 (Dec 18, 2010)

I am painting an entire house (inside) using bin primer. 1 room finished and 2 ready to go soon. the bin does have an odor, open all windows and it is bearable. stay away from drafts as it dries fast (alcohol base). I have a thread from about 2 months ago about painting over soot damage, you may want to read it. I am sure Joe will chime in at some point. his advise on my thread was invaluable. my textured ceiling soaked up a lot, and the walls had great coverage. finish was bm regal (egg shell), 2 coats. best looking room in the house, no soot!!! I bought the bin at a hardware store who is a bm dealer. 10 gals to start, and a great discount.

good luck, bernie


----------



## aussiegirl1590 (Apr 7, 2011)

Ok, so after reading threads, oil based primer is better than water to block stains. What about to seal in the odors. Will BIN be my only and best option? It is not that strong of a smell, in the house, but it is colder right now. I don't know if the heat and humidity will bring out any smells that have been hidden when we have been there, if you understand what I mean. Also if I use BIN, will we really need respirators when rolling it on? Thanks again


----------



## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

You can use Kilz Original (oil based) for both odors and stains, it has a strong odor as all oil primers do, I would use a product like PVA for fresh drywall it is far more cost effective.

Mark


----------



## ltd (Jan 16, 2011)

ok here we go ,for nicotine stained walls ,over old oil base ,water stained,and basically dingy walls zinsser cover stain is the best. zinsser recommends cover stain over bin for nicitine :yes:.it is true that cover stain is not a Oder sealer:no: but in my experience once you prime and paint i never had a problem with cover stain, about 22dollars at the big box .do like the pros do .a 5gal, bucket with a screen ,no need to clean up at end of day just load up roller hang on screen and cover with a towl .at end of job .clean up or pitch. for dry wall i would use a primer sealer , valspar primer sealer ,s/w pro block:wink:


----------



## annie68164 (Jun 15, 2008)

I used BIN on my entire house of old wood panelling and had good results. Not very many chipped paint incidents, zero stains coming through and it's been 5 years. I was alittle put off when I first started using it because it does have a very strange "watery" texture. You must keep stirring it as you go as the ingredients will settle to the bottom quickly. The smell is strong, I didn't use a respirator, had the windows cracked, it didn't bother me much at all. Maybe I'll get lung cancer from who knows? I found it a pain in the butt to use because it drips like crazy and makes a mess but it does work. Once you get the hang of it goes pretty well but I would choose a thicker product the next time around.


----------

