Cover Stain is made by Zinnser.  Now a part of the Rustoleum company, the Zinnser brand is perhaps the best known manufacturer of primer specific coatings.  This primer has been around for years, and is one of the most popular oil primers in the painting industry.

We have been using this primer for years as well.  Cover Stain became our go-to oil primer because it is thick, and because it blocks out stains like it is supposed to. We most commonly used Cover Stain for bare wood surfaces (especially old exterior wood that is porous and/ or or prone to tannin bleed, like cedar) and for problem surfaces with staining issues.  These surfaces include water stained ceilings, smoke stained ceilings, and walls from which wallpaper was removed.

This product does a great job at blocking stains.  With wall paper removal, Cover Stain does a good job at locking down torn drywall, and wall paper glue residue on the wall substrate.  This provides a safe undercoat for application of a latex product.  If latex is used without an oil primer, bubbling of the finish coat, and flashing of the residues is common

Cover Stain dries fast, and can be recoated in one hour, as stated on the can.  We do however suggest an overnight dry with oil primers, as they can take some time to harden, and can also take time to off-gas their oil solvents.   

Cover Stain's main weakness is that it is very smelly, with intense oil fumes.  You must use with adequate ventilation - or you will catch a nasty headache.  Also, if you plan to clean your brushes be prepared to spend some time with thinner or mineral spirits.

See our review of GARDZ, which offers a great, water based alternative for wallpaper removal use primer. 

Red Truck Painting recently completed a large painting project near the Rochester, NY Airport.  We painted for a local manufacturer, and a neighboring restaurant.

At the manufacturing building,  our commercial painters were asked to paint the exposed ceilings in a room that was being remodeled.  This ceiling was full of supports and duct works, and there was no way we were going to get it coated with a simple brush and roller.  And - they wanted it painted black.  What was the solution?  Dryfall paint!

Dryfall paint is pretty simple to define - it dries very quickly, as it falls.  So when you spray the paint, any over-spray will dry before it hits the flooring. The specific product we used was PPG Speedhide Latex Dry-Fog.  This product dries after a ten foot fall.   After a coat of Aqualock Latex Primer, the ceiling was ready for two coats of Dryfall.  It sprayed easily, had great coverage, and cleaned up nicely.  We purchased the paint from Hadlock's House of Paint.

Call Red Truck Painting for your Rochester NY Commercial Painting needs!

 

Our crew at Red Truck Painting performs several cabinet painting project's in Rochester every year.  We have learned from experience to only use the toughest enamels on these surfaces.

Traditionally cabinets have been painted using a oil based product, or sometimes an exterior paint is used.  This is in attempt to coat the surface with a hard, durable product.  These products are often times difficult to work with.

Enter Cabinet Coat.  It is an Acrylic  so it is easy to work with, dries pretty fast (6 hours to recoat) and cleans up with soap and water.  It doesn't have that nasty smell either.

Cabinet Coat goes on very thin - which lends for a very smooth finish, perfect for cabinetry.  And it dries hard, leaving a durable finish you can live with and not worry about it chipping off.   To see more on the proper preparations and procedures, see our process on Rochester Cabinet Painting. 

Benjamin Moore Advance is a very similar product to cabinet coat.  It also claims to be self-priming (we know better than to skip this crucial step) and also offers a hybrid formulation as a "water borne alkyd."

The Advance is easy to work with like cabinet coat.  It does take longer to dry before recoat (16 hours.)  And it does take a bit more elbow grease to sand.  It dries to a very similar mil thickness (1.35)  It has slightly more solids by volume than Cabient Coat (33 vs 39%)

We prefer Advance  slightly.  Why?  When it dries it is  really hard! The bottom line - this paint is easy to work with, lays down extremely smooth, and creates a tough finish that is  perfect for cabinets.

Here are some specs for Cabinet Coat.  Both products are owner by Benjamin Moore, and have similar application instructions.  Here is a link for Benjamin Moore Advance.

Cabinet Coat™ 
Urethane Acrylic Satin Enamel
CC-45XX Series
Type: Urethane Reinforced Acrylic   Sheen: Satin    Theoretical Spread Rate: 350 - 450 Sq. Ft. Per Gallon*    Recommended Application : Brush, Roller or HVLP Spray    Thinner : Do Not Thin    Clean Up: Warm Soapy Water Drying Schedule: Tack Free:  1 Hr. @ 77ºF   Recoat:  6 Hrs. @ 77ºF Full Cure:  7 Days 

Cabinet Coat™ is the ultimate finish for refurbishing dingy kitchen and bathroom cabinets, shelving, furniture, trim & crown molding and other interior applications that require an ultrasmooth, factory like finish with long lasting beauty. Its super adhering quality allows painting "hard to stick" surfaces, even polyurethane and varnish, without using a primer. Cabinet Coat™  has excellent flow and leveling, superior stain resistance and an extremely durable satin finish that will allow cabinetry to look like new for years.  Not appropriate for surfaces that will be immersed in liquid (sinks and tubs) or for stove or oven surfaces.

WHERE TO USE: Interior & Exterior   SUBSTRATES:  Cabinets, Metal, New & Previously Painted Wood, Furniture, Woodwork, Doors Trim.    APPLICATIONS: For exterior use, limit to small areas of trim.  Do not use as a whole house wall paint.
SURFACE PREPARATION: General – All surface areas to be painted should be clean, dry, sound and free of all dirt, grease,oils, waxes, mildew and any other surface contaminants that can cause paint failure.  Dirt and chalk should be thoroughly removed by scrubbing with warm soapy water.  Surface wax should be removed with a commercial wax stripper. Grease residue should be removed with INSL-X® PC-2000  Citrus  Cleaner.  Remove  all  loose  chipping,  cracking  and  peeling  from  previously painted surfaces by hand scraping, sanding, wire brushing and/or by use of power tool cleaning methods such as electric sanders, grinders, etc.  Remove any loose rust, mill scale, rust deposits from metal surfaces by the same methods described above in accordance with SSPC – (Steel Structures Painting Council) specifications for the proper surface preparation of metal surfaces. Repair/replace any seriously damaged and/or delaminated surface areas.  Lightly feather sand all rough paint edges to adjacent surface area.  All glossy surface areas should be lightly sanded to effectively dull any existing sheen and create a more suitable surface for painting.    Glossy Surfaces – Although Cabinet Coat™ is formulated to be applied to hard to coat surfaces without  the  need  for  sanding,  it  is  recommended  that  proper  surface  preparation  still  be completed to enhance adhesion properties.  Surfaces such as Melamine Laminate, Formica®, ceramic tile and glossy painted surfaces should be properly deglossed.    Previously Painted Surfaces:  No primer is needed if surface is in good condition. Clean or and as described above.  Spot prime bare spots with an initial coat of Cabinet Coat®. Melamine   Laminate or Formica®: No primer needed. Lightly sand with fine sandpaper. Remove sanding dust with tack rag.    Ferrous Metal: Prime bare spots with metal primer.
APPLICATION: Cabinet Coat™ applies easily with a quality brush or roller.   If spraying is desired, the preferred method is HVLP. Stir product thoroughly before using.  It is important to maintain a wet edge during all methods of paint application by brushing or rolling into previously applied coating area.  Overworking Cabinet Coat™ can lead to brush marks or roller marks, as this product dries quickly.