Finally figured out why my dollar store paint projects always peeled after a month

I kept painting those little terra cotta pots with $1 acrylics and they'd look great for a week then just flake off everywhere. Last Tuesday I was complaining to the lady at the checkout and she asked if I was priming them first. I mean I thought the paint was thick enough on its own but she said the clay drinks the moisture. Grabbed a $1.25 primer and tried it on three pots Sunday and the paint actually stuck smooth. Has anyone else been skipping the primer step for no reason?

2 comments

2 Comments

reed.eva2d ago

Those $1.25 primers are pretty solid for the price. I did a test last month with a white primer versus just layering three coats of acrylic on a plain ceramic mug. The primed mug took the paint way better and I scrubbed it under water with a sponge and it held up. The unprimed one started lifting at the edges after two days. What brand was that checkout lady's primer? I want to see if it's the same one I grabbed.

emma5222d ago

Primer is a total waste if you actually prep your terra cotta right. Soak those pots in water for 20 minutes before painting and the clay won't suck the moisture out of the paint anymore. I did a side by side test with three pots last spring, one primed one soaked and one dry painted. The soaked one held paint just as well as the primed one and the dry one flaked off in a week. Plus primer adds an extra step and another thing to buy when you can just use tap water and fifteen minutes of your time.