# Kilz Upshot v. Zinsser Covers Up v. Zinsser Bin Shellac



## mss22 (Aug 15, 2012)

I have a small amount of a water stain which is on a knockdown textured ceiling. It's been dry for months. I want to use 1 of the products listed above but can't figure out which is best. My ceiling paint is white, but definitely not a pure white, maybe a tad of grey. 

Which one of the ones listed above would blend in the best and have the smallest amount of sheen, if any?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

BIN seals stains the best. Not sure any of them will blend in perfectly. Normally you seal the stain with primer and then touch up with the paint the ceiling was painted with. The older the paint job is the harder it is to get the touch up to blend.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

kilz-no, covers-up-ok, bin-best.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

What Klaatu said although I think Covers-Up does the best of blending in to just about any color of white, not a perfect match, but enough to hide the stain and keep you from having to repaint the whole ceiling.


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

It sounds like you intend to prime but not paint and I would advise against that regardless of how close the primer looks, as primer is not meant to the be the top coat and will not wear and age like paint.


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## ScottsPainting (Jan 23, 2019)

Definitely use the oil-based primer to seal the stain, but as other have stated, you will want to apply the latex ceiling paint over it. Maybe bite the bullet and paint the entire ceiling. Future touch-ups will be seamless then.


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## mss22 (Aug 15, 2012)

The entire ceiling continues to run throughout the entire first floor. Not an option. I plan on using 1 of the products and leaving as is, without paint regardless of whether it is recommended or not. 

It sounds like covers up might have the best shot of blending. Why no kilz upshot though?


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

It's your ceiling so it's your call but keep in mind that the purpose of primer is to seal the surface and allow good adhesion for the top coat. Paint is what covers what's beneath so it's likely you will still see the stain through the primer. Additionally, even if it looks good at first, the primer will not wear and age like paint and you will notice more and more of a difference as time goes by.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

The primer should cover ok [may need more than 1 coat] but I totally agree that the primer is apt to show more and more as it ages.


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## HicksBenedict (Aug 11, 2021)

It's not an easy decision. These products have a lot of similarities and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Here is a comparison between Zinsser Primer vs.KilZ Paint primer:


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