I've just opened my third gallon of Smooth Prime and I'm getting close to finished on priming my KR. I'll share a few observations on what I've experienced so far.
- Read the ( manufactures) directions carefully so you know what you're doing. - A propeller shaped paint mixer on a 1/4 drill motor does a good job of mixing and it is not necessary to locate a paint shaker as suggested in the directions. If the primer has set for some time you will want to use a stir stick to loosen the solids that have compacted on the bottom of the can when you mix the primer. - The first three coats require adding "cross-linker". I used a quart fruit jar for mixing. It has to be used in eight hours so don't mix more than you intend to roll on in that amount of time. - Some light sanding after two or three coats will help get a smooth finish a bit more quickly and with less effort. The first coats will have a very rough finish because of the high solids content of the primer. 240 or 320 grit paper works well for that. - No matter how careful you are you will have "pimples" and flecks of solids in the finish. These come from primer that has dried in your paint dish and around the rim of the can and then find there way into the primer. They will easily sand off but a better method is to use a small scraper with the single edge razor blade. Carefully run the scraper across the surface at a shallow angle and they cut right off. If you sand them off you will sand off primer around the spot that you will have to replace. - Another flaw you will get is "ridges" in the primer that come from the end of the roller that you fail to see and don't get rolled out. Use your razor scraper to remove these also but draw the blade down the length of the ridge in a near vertical motion. It will only take off the ridge and not the surrounding primer. - The directions say you can either spray or roll on the last three coats. When spraying it says to add some water to thin the primer. This also works when rolling and will help to give a smoother finish. I used a pint jar and added a bit of water at a time until I got the mix I wanted. - I found I could use the primer with a 6" rubber squeegee and very light pressure to fill minor defects. It dries very quickly and is ready to sand in a very short time. I added some "micro" to the primer and used the squeegee to fill slightly larger defects with good results. - When I started I used a plastic spout to pour primer from the can into my mixing jars. The problem is you can never get all the primer off the spout and the bottom edge of the can rim. This will cause you to later get a lot of dried flecks of primer that find their way onto the finish. When I started my last gallon I switched to using small disposable cups to dip the primer from the can. I use my roller to clean out the "dipping" cup and then toss the cup into the trash, starting with a clean cup on the next draw. - For safety reasons you should wear a mask while sanding. I hate the mask because my glasses don't fit well and keep "fogging" as I breath. My solution is to sand in an open area and use two window fans mounted in a stand. I Keep the fans close to my work and always keep my head in the direct blast of air and "up wind" of the area I'm sanding. USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT HERE. - Last but not least, the discouraging news. When you think you are nearly finished, look again. You will most likely find you are only about half done! As always, do your own testing. YOUR RESULTS MAY VARY. I hope to be painting in the next 30 days and my painter has convinced me to use a DuPont paint that sells for $38 a gallon. I've seen his "work truck" that he painted 8 years ago in his driveway in Florida and the paint seems to have held up well. The color selection is limited but the color white available seems to be what I'm looking for. I intend to use vynal for my trim strips. More info on that later. Happy building....... Larry Flesner
