The Problem

Paint refurbishment jobs can be hindered by old stains on existing surfaces. In this situation, water or oil-based stains can migrate through freshly painted surfaces to reveal unwanted discolouration on the final painted surface. This wastes a significant amount of money in terms of time and paint materials and leaves the consumer with an inferior result or the prospect of repeating the paint job.

To mitigate this issue, the application of a stain blocking sealer is a sensible choice for DIY and trade decorators to ensure excellent results with fast turnaround times.

Stain Blocking Primers

Stain blocking primers work by hindering the diffusion of water or oil soluble compounds that would otherwise produce unwanted stains on visible surfaces. Traditional primers that contain high amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are effective, however, they can have a detrimental effect on human health by reducing indoor air quality and are generally considered worse for the environment. Water-based primers are often viewed as a safer alternative due to their inherent lower VOC levels when compared to solvent-based paints. To boost performance of some aqueous primers, formulators can include Zinc Oxide as an additional stain blocking ingredient, however it should be noted that this metal oxide has significant issues in terms of its’ toxicity to aquatic organisms.

A New Option From Maker

A new primer is available from Maker Products Ltd that provides superior stain-blocking performance with favorable environmental and toxicological profiles. This primer utilizes a new acrylic polymer that has very low temperature film coalescence behavior meaning VOC levels are small compared to similar commercial products. Additionally, due to the tailored polymer chemistry with the binder we have chosen, our primer does not need Zinc Oxide to achieve industry leading stain-killing performance. A recent study conducted at a 3rd party laboratory found our primer to give similar performance to a commercially available, market-leading stain-blocking primer. For more information, please contact sales@rakem.co.uk