Can we talk about the difference a real paint primer makes?

I painted my living room last month with just a regular paint that said it had primer in it. The color looked great for about two weeks, but then I started to see the old dark green color bleeding through in patches. I redid it this weekend with a separate oil-based primer first, then the same paint. The coverage is perfect now, and the color looks exactly like the swatch. Has anyone else had this happen with those 'paint and primer in one' products?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_perez1mo ago

Ever try a good quality paint and primer in one? I used one on a light gray over a dark wall and it covered in one coat, no bleed at all. Maybe it depends on the brand.

tylerbutler1mo ago

You're right that brand matters a lot. I've had paint and primer combos that worked great and others that were a total waste of money. The problem is the word "primer" on the can has no real rules, so quality is all over the place. For a light gray over a dark wall, you got lucky with a good one. I still use a separate primer for big color changes because it's more reliable. It just saves me the headache of a second coat later.