KILZ

Kilz Primer

As a leading name in the industry, Kilz is dedicated to providing premium primers that deliver outstanding results for all your painting needs. From covering stubborn stains to promoting paint adhesion, Kilz Primers offer an extensive range of products designed to tackle any surface challenge. Whether you're renovating your home or working on a professional project, trust Kilz for superior priming solutions that will bring your vision to life.

What is Kilz?

Kilz is a heavy-duty primer that's used to cover and seal preexisting problem areas. 

What is Kilz used for?

Kilz works to trap and seal odors, block stains, or even fill in porous surfaces. By doing so, it leaves a smooth base for fresh paint to go on smoothly and look its best.  

How does Kilz work?

Kilz is a fast-drying primer and sealer. It works by minimizing the effects of surface differences, such as texture, and it blocks and seals odors and stains.  Once Kilz primer is used, a smooth finish will be your base before adding a topcoat of paint. Kilz primer sets your projects up to have the cleanest, smoothest finish possible. 

What Type of Kilz Primer Should I use?

There are six main benefits of priming with Kilz, including blocking stains, sealing porous surfaces, promoting adhesion, blocking and sealing out odors, hiding previous colors, and providing a mildew-resistant finish. To find out when to use Kilz and what type of Kilz primer is best for your project, check out the list of Kilz primers below. There's a Kilz for every job! 

Kilz Primer for Blocking Stains

Creating a barrier to prevent stains from bleeding through will keep new paint true to color.  Many primers are created to cover stains, but Kilz uses water-based and oil-based primers that can seal out almost any stain, blocking it completely. 

Because there are light, moderate, and severe stains, Kilz has formulated multiple primers to ensure each type of stain can be covered easily and successfully. For light to moderate stains, it's recommended to use Kilz Premium. These include scuff marks, pencil marks, ink pens, crayons, light felt markers, minor water stains, minor grease stains, minor rust, light smoke and nicotine, pet stains, and more. For more severe stains, try using Kilz Max. Some examples of severe stains include permanent marker, major water stains, grease, major rust and ferrous stains, nicotine, stains from fire damage, soot and charring, pet stains, and graffiti.

Kilz Primer for Drywall

Priming porous surfaces will really bring out the color and sheen of your new paint job. It evens out the surface to get a more professional look every time. Without priming a porous surface, it will soak up too much of the paint, leaving an uneven look that will be less than desirable. In addition, you'll be using more overall paint to reach desired coverage leading to a higher bill. Porous surfaces include concrete, new wood, and drywall. 

Kilz Primer for Promoting Adhesion

It's a well-known fact that paint doesn't stick to all surface types the same, but do you know which types are harder to paint? Some hard-to-paint surfaces include those that are slick, glossy, aluminum, PVC, ceramic tile, and glass. 

Without proper priming to provide adhesion, paint may peel, flake, crack, or blister. Don't forget to properly prepare the surface before you prime. This will help ensure the best possible outcome.

Kilz Primer for Pet Odor

Odors... they can pop up anywhere, at any time. Whether you purchased a fixer-upper or you're renovating your own home, you want odors gone! But how? 

With Kilz, it's easy to not only block out odors but seal them so they don't come back EVER! Odor-carrying molecules can penetrate the dry film of paint. By priming the surface before painting, odors are blocked and sealed, so they can't seep out later.  KILZ MAX^® is the ultimate water-based stain and odor blocker! It's a great solution for medium to severe odors, including major odors from smoke damage or pets.

Kilz Primer to Cover Dark Colors

When painting with new colors, it's wise to use a primer first, especially when painting over dark or very bright colors. Using a primer first helps to make sure you reach the desired final color, but it will also require fewer coats of paint. That's less time spent painting! 

If you are making a change that seems drastic, such as dark red or black to a light, pale color, try tinting the Kilz primer before painting. Doing so will not only cover the previous wall color more easily, but it will help transition the color of your wall. This also means fewer overall coats of paint! To help ensure you use fewer coats of paint, always be sure to prime first, use a tinted primer, and make sure you have the right primer for easy coverage. 

Kilz Primer for Mold

Mildew is a common issue in smaller areas where excessive moisture is present, such as bathrooms. While painting over mildew and mold will cover the problem, it only disguises it for a very short period. It doesn't fully rid the room of mold or mildew. For best results covering mold or mildew, follow these steps:

1. Clean the affected area
2. Allow the area to dry completely
3. Prime with Kilz
4. Paint with a mildew-resistant finish

By cleaning the affected area first, you are completely removing the mold and mildew, so it can't return. Remember to let it dry fully before painting so you don't end up with the same results. Using a Kilz Primer that has a mildew-resistant finish, as well as a final paint color that is also mildew resistant, will ensure your wall stays clean and fresh in the future. 

How Many Coats of Kilz Will I Need?

Usually, one coat of Kilz will be enough to cover any texture issues, stains, previous colors, and odors. For darker colors, it is recommended to use two coats of Kilz. It will also be helpful to tint your Kilz primer, which can speed up the process too. 

How Long Between Coats Will I Need to Wait?

Kilz primer will dry to the touch in 30 minutes and can be recoated in approximately one hour. It makes an excellent base, leaving the surface well-prepared for a smooth finish.