The following can save painters thousands, easily, literally.
Promar 200 vs BEHR Premium Plus Flat Enamel
The following preliminary test is not about personal perception or personal acceptance of a drywall primer, rather a test to uncover which paint or primer/sealer products best equalize porosity over bare drywall to achieve solid uniform finishes. We all have different expectations about what product should be capable of. If a product says it "seals" then as a painter I "expect" it to seal and when it doesn't "seal", i'm not sure using the word "seals" is appropriate because surfaces are either sealed or they are not sealed.
Q:
Why is equalizing porosity between drywall mud and drywall important?
A:
When porosity between drywall mud(s) and board is not equalized, all of the following is affected. Sheen uniformity/holdout, film retention, achieving true depth of color, making and painting wall patches, sandability, touch-up ability, scrubability, durability, adhesion, amount of material used, and spread rate comparison between 1st coat and 2nd coat and more. All of these things are affected whether a paint or primer is used. It's no coincidence all of those things also affect man-hours, production, material usage and profits.
Lets look at why Promar 200 Zero Voc doesn't work.
1) it's not designed to equalize porosity
2) it's not tested to equalize porosity
I'm sure there is use for Promar 200 primer but I have not set out to figure out what it is at this time. But let's look at the more technical reasons it doesn't work. Had Scott actually tested 200 Primer vs BEHR, this thread wouldn't exist. A simple test would have exposed Promar's inability to seal which is what I initially pointed out in the BEHR thread, not sure why he decided to challenge it having not tried the comparison. I suspect that is why he decided to leave that portion out.
By the way, that fuzziness seen on Scott's pics, there is a trick to minimizing it. He had a bad case of the fuzzies and that means much more sanding and Promar 200 Primer is not a primer you want to sand very much because it breaks down exceptionally easy and will expose mud if not careful. Flashing of the finish paint will occur if mud is exposed.
Promar 200 Zero Voc Primer is flat and porous. A porous surface will absorb anything applied over it and sheen degradation will occur. When a primer absorbs a finish product it affects all of the things previous mentioned above. The reason BEHR Flat Enamel works exceptionally good is because the first coat "seals" and turns the entire surface into "one solid surface" and does not allow any notable loss in sheen when painting over it. Ultimately this is what you want no matter which sheen of paint is applied for "best" results.
BEHR (below)
Side by Side
Then we took the test to the field
BEHR still wet after 30 mins when all other dried within the first few minutes after rolling. (below)
Quick initial observations
BEHR Premium Plus Flat Enamel has 38.2 VOL Solids, Promar 200 Primer has 26. Promar 200 is not mildew resistant, PPFE is. This is very important for new drywall especially in basements, kitchens and baths despite the presence of green board. PPFE dried 20 mins faster. The dry film is superior to Promar 200 which makes sense having more solids. PPFE has a faster recoat by up to 2 hours.
How we did the controlled test
We applied a heavy saturation coat over a sample piece of bare drywall to simulate a coating heavier and more uniform than can be achieved on a wall by spraying and backrolling to eliminate any application discrepancies. This method also allows for anyone to replicate the test easily by removing variables. The controlled portion of this test produces a 'best case' scenario and is not realistic to replicate on the job.
There is an 8 photo limit so I will make a 2nd post.
