Zinsser Cover Stain Sucks

[Kevorobtz]

Why is it about Zinsser Cover Stain oil base primer that sucks so much? I really want to like this product, but can't.

First off, I have been a professional artist, oil painter for 20 years. I spend my time using sticks with hair. I have used many oil enamels in my time and a variety of oil paints. I have brushed and sprayed many materials in my time. I have also finished allot of wood furniture with a variety of brush and spray finishes. I can brush oil modified polyurethanes and shellacs all with impeccable results so it looks like glass and looks just as good as a superior spray job.

I am doing renovation work including labor insane intensive stripping of 80 year old wood doors, moldings, and door/window frames. I’ve got the wood sanded and prepped to silky smooth perfection.

My first go round of priming bare wood baseboards, wall molding, and panel doors was using Zinsser 1-2-3 water base. It brushed on smooth. It laid down smooth. It leveled smooth. And dry, it looks so damn good it doesn’t need sanding and could actually never see a topcoat and still look impeccable.

Then I made the mistake and asked some more questions and the advice I got was that Cover Stain was the ticket for bare interior wood…everyone chimed in. It wouldn’t raise the grain, blah, blah, blah.

Well, this crude product is like painting with tar. I cannot speak for spraying the stuff, but when brushed, I got such coarse brush marks that sanding it out looks to be a major production and I do not think I have the stomach for it…too much work. My application was correct. I made sure temps were perfect: they were. I made sure prep was correct: it was. Brush loading, methods of application, yadda, yadda. Tried everything. I bought another damn brush (white bristle brush) when I already had a premium Purdy black China bristle that has performed with other oil base products masterfully. Nothing I did yielded any improvement to the level that I came to understand Cove Stain was a superior product. Too many driers, or fillers, or something in the formulation.

I tried Penetrol. Improvement in flow and diminution in coverage…doesn’t look so hot. And still brushes like crap,

Can someone explain why this product is being recommended for high quality priming tasks on raw wood indoors as if it is a god send?
I had originally bought the stuff to go over some doors that I didn’t want to strip all the way to bare wood and that had decades old oil paint which I wanted to prime, then top coat with acrylic/latex base paint. Everyone is saying “Use this stuff on raw wood!!!! “It’s the best!”. I have read exhaustively about how to apply the Cover Stain and tried so many ways to use it, I am pretty much disillusioned and think you guys must be smoking something. I am completely disgusted with this 2nd class product and I think I will return to the Zinsser 1-2-3 for bare wood.

On that note, can any one recommend a high build, brush on, interior primer that is easily applied over to both old oil and acrylic paint, and which will take a acrylic topcoat: this is for baseboards and doors. Some of these are not stripped all the way down, example some baseboards are still somewhat heavy with paint (and likely lead paint) and I want to get a good primer build and smooth it out just a little bit.
Any suggestions?
 

[Chestnut]

34 minutes ago, Kevorobtz said:

Can someone explain why this product is being recommended for high quality priming tasks on raw wood indoors as if it is a god send?
I had originally bought the stuff to go over some doors that I didn’t want to strip all the way to bare wood and that had decades old oil paint which I wanted to prime, then top coat with acrylic/latex base paint. Everyone is saying “Use this stuff on raw wood!!!! “It’s the best!”. I have read exhaustively about how to apply the Cover Stain and tried so many ways to use it, I am pretty much disillusioned and think you guys must be smoking something. I am completely disgusted with this 2nd class product and I think I will return to the Zinsser 1-2-3 for bare wood.

On that note, can any one recommend a high build, brush on, interior primer that is easily applied over to both old oil and acrylic paint, and which will take a acrylic topcoat: this is for baseboards and doors. Some of these are not stripped all the way down, example some baseboards are still somewhat heavy with paint (and likely lead paint) and I want to get a good primer build and smooth it out just a little bit.
Any suggestions?

Cover stain is just for that covering stains. It's highly rated for high tannin woods like cedar and oak because they have a higher tenancy to bleed through WB primers. I'm sure your aware that coverage for a prime is not it's primary goal. The main goal is to act as an adhesion layer between something that might not take paint well and the acrylic or latex paint. The 2nd goal is to block stains if they are present and prevent them from working through to show on the painted surface. 3rd is to build fast thick layers that allow sanding to smooth out.

Honestly it sounds like the wrong primer for what your doing. 1-2-3 is where it's at for new fresh wood coverage in interior or even exterior applications. It's also a good primer for over previously painted surfaces. For surfaces that might not take paint well BIN is where it's at. Shellac based means it'll stick to everything and provide a great adhesion surface for the top coat.

I've used gallons of 1-2-3 on new wood trim, MDF trim, Exterior cedar, and exterior windows. It works, on high tannin woods like cedar I did 2 primer coats cause bleed through was a thing. I didn't feel like buying a quart of a different primer when a 2nd coat was cheaper, easier, and faster than running to the store.

[Tpt life]

I’ve used all the products listed in this thread. Check the label on the Cover Stain. I would bet it is out of date. That said, comparing trade paints with artistic paints is not an apples to apples comparison. 

[Tom King]

Sherwin Williams makes some awfully good primers, but several factors more expensive than Zinsser.   For covering stains, it's often worth the try to just put shellac over them.

[jbmektx]

Nobody primes bare wood with water-based primer! I am a professional painter, wall-covering installer, licensed faux-finisher, and drywall finisher. I am a business partner in a full-service painting and decorating company with an emphasis on Victorian restoration. Zinsser makes great products. Cover-Stain is an excellent product that is versatile in both interior and exterior applications. Further, it has a quick turn around time being one hour for re-coat with either latex or oil top-coats. One more note: You are incorrect in stating that one coat of primer on bare wood doesn't need sanding. Any material applied to bare wood causes the wood to fur.

https://paintsgeek.com/zinsser-primer-too-thick-heres-what-you-should-do/