29 September 2025
Which Primer is Best
PVA vs Latex
Poly Vinyl Acetate Primers are widely used for fresh Dry Wall, and are often labelled as Dry Wall Primers, PVA for short. Latex Acrylic Primers have been around for longer and are more general purpose, referred to as Latex in this article.
Latex Primers will bond to a wider variety of surfaces, including wood and plaster. PVA, only bonds to highly porous surfaces, such as fresh dry wall and joint compound. PVA also creates a complete seal preventing any moisture from passing through it, Latex does not create as complete a seal and moisture can penetrate it. For fresh dry wall both work really well. In damp environments PVA won’t hold up as well because moisture can be trapped under it. Plaster is very smooth and PVA won’t adhere to it well, and any humidity will cause it to peel off. Durabond and similar joint compounds are closer to plaster than easy sanding and drying type compounds (premixed in the bucket), they set shiny, and I would treat them as plaster if they’re not covered by the other compounds.
The only advantage of PVA is cost. Leftover Latex Primer has a longer shelf life and is useful for other projects, offsetting the PVA cost advantage on smaller projects.
Other Primers
While Latex is the best all around general primer, there are many other types. Here are a few that I use regularly.
Oil based Cover Stain
Bonds well to metal and wood, and won’t raise the grain (a concern with any water based product), Cover Stain is also high hide and seals like PVA. It is great for painting over discoloration like water stains and smoke stains. While it is my first choice on metal and hard wood, I don’t consider it a great choice for fresh drywall or drywall repairs, and as a sealing primer it shouldn’t be used over plaster. If your kid drew all over the walls it is great for covering over the crayon marks you couldn’t scrub off the wall!
Shellac
Shellac based primers are great for sealing in stains, smoke damage, and odors. There are few things it won’t stick to, making it great for difficult surfaces. Shellac is a stronger sealant than PVA (making it a bad choice for plaster), and is the best knot sealer available. It also won’t raise the grain on wood, making it the best primer for wood with knots. Shellac is very fast drying and its’ solvent is alcohol, so it is harder to work with.
Bonding Primers
Bonding primers are usually acrylic based and are meant to bond to difficult surfaces. If you’re not comfortable with solvent based products, they can do a lot of the jobs I would pick oil or shellac for.
Latex Primer can do a lot!
Sometimes Latex will work well on a difficult surface with the right prep — I’ve had great results with Latex Primer on PVC pipe where I sanded the pipe first then wiped it down with MEK immediately before painting.