Do You Have to Paint Over Kilz? Things You Need to Know Before Painting over Kilz

KILZ Oil-Based Primer is a potent stain-blocking compound that covers pet, food, and smoke odors while also blocking most heavy interior stains like water, smoke, tannin, ink, pencil, felt marker, and grease.

There are multiple products manufactured by Kilz focusing on solving different problems. Some have the properties of sealer as well. So, do you have to paint over Kilz?

It’s not mandatory to paint over Kilz but highly recommended as Kilz is a multi-purpose primer that doesn’t have the properties of paint. So, if you are expecting a paint feature from a Kilz primer, you are not going to have it.

Can You Paint over Kilz Original?

Kilz Original is an oil-based primer blocking paint stain, tannin, ink, marker, etc. It’s effective for blocking stains and smells.

Can You Paint over Kilz2?

Unlike Kilz, Kilz2 is a water-based multi-purpose primer. It blocks greasy stains along with minor stains. But it’s way safer than Kilz for having a very low level of VOC.

Although Kilz is much different from other products it’s not meant for final coating. Not only that it can’t take environmental effects but is also prone to attracting grease and dirt at a raw start.

After a while, it will start deteriorating.

Why Should You Paint over Kilz?

All you have to do is paint over the primer to prevent dealing with damage or a mucky surface.

To begin, pause for the primer to dry completely, which normally takes 30 minutes to an hour. However, wait several hours before painting it to ensure that the surface is completely dry.

To prepare your base for the paint, one coat of Kilz primer should suffice. As a result, ensure that the coat is applied evenly.

How Long Do You Need to Wait to Paint over Kilz?

You can wait a while after priming the surface if you don’t want to paint right away. However, don’t leave the surface exposed for too long.

To ensure that the primer is thoroughly bound, it should be top-covered within a few hours.

Otherwise, if you leave it that way for too long, it will chalk and decay. In the worse case, it may prevent future paint layers from adhering correctly to the surface.

Can Kilz Be Used as Ceiling Paint?

You might be confused about painting over primer on the ceiling. Kilz was designed to be a primer, so it’s essentially a foundation coat for anything you paint over it. Leave it unpainted until it dries.

Leaving it on your ceiling without a coat of paint is not suggested. This is because the priming coat will not remain spotless indefinitely, and it will begin to acquire dust, smells, and filth. As a result, Kilz should be used as a primer rather than ceiling paint.

How Many Coats of Kilz Primer Do I Need to Apply?

If you’re painting over a white wall or using a colored primer, one layer of primer will suffice. When painting unpainted drywall or plaster, however, two layers of primer are recommended. The same goes for painting unpainted wood walls or painting over dark hues with lighter ones.

Tips to Remember:

  • Kilz primer creates a strong bond with latex paint, so choose Kilz for blocking hard and dry stains over latex.
  • Wait at least 2 hours in any cold place or less ventilated rooms.
  • Although Kilz bonds strongly with latex paint, the combo isn’t for MDF material (Medium Density Fiberboard). You might face difficulties with curing.
  • Kilz might not adhere to plaster having old oil/ grease.
  • The Kilz all-purpose is supposed to give every possible service a primer can give, but it won’t act as a paint coat.
  • If your primer coating is transparent and you can see the stain underneath it, it doesn’t mean that the primer didn’t work. It will still block the stains and enhance adherence to painting.
  • Cleaning and preparing the surface will solely determine the output.

Termination

Now you know- do you have to paint over kilz? Even though Kilz is a hyped and effective product, it doesn’t have the properties of paint. A primer is supposed to be the base layer; acting as a medium to attach the top coating to the surface.

So, keeping it uncovered will increase the chances of further disintegration.

Leave a Comment