Got into it with a paint rep yesterday and now I'm second guessing my primer choices

This Sherwin-Williams rep came by the shop around 3pm and we started talking about etch primers vs epoxy primers for bare metal. He was saying how I'm wasting money on epoxy for anything that's getting painted within 48 hours, that it's overkill for most of the work I do. I pushed back at first, told him about 3 jobs I had last summer where the etch primer lifted on me after a month. He showed me some data sheets and honestly I think I've been following old habits from when I worked at that dealership in Phoenix back in 2019. The way he broke down the moisture exposure limits made me realize I might be spending an extra $40 per job for no reason. Has anyone else here switched primers after a conversation like this, or am I just getting convinced into spending less on materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

janac511mo ago

Etch primer has its place, epoxy is for longer term moisture protection.

coran631mo ago

Etch primer isn't really for moisture though, it's for bare metal adhesion.