Is it ok to use emulsion as a primer on bare wood before gloss?

[Routemaster93]

Hi
I’m going to paint the inside of my new shed white. Is it ok to use white emulsion paint on the new bare wood before I apply either gloss or matt gloss? It’s quite a large surface area and I’ve got a lot of emulsion paint to spare.
What are the advantages of wood primer compared to emulsion?

Thanks

 

[Mottie]

Obviously primer, undercoat and then gloss is the proper way but expensive and time consuming. A friend of mine who is a decorator told me it’s okay to use emulsion as a primer/undercoat on bare wood but only if it’s indoors (skirtings and architraves). No good for outdoors though if exposed to the elements but it’s only a shed and it’s not as if it’s your lounge. I used emulsion on my shed and left it at that. It’s been fine for 5 years apart from a little bit of discolouration on the wood knots.

 

[opps]

Whilst emulsion and acrylic primers are not massively different, the latter flows better and can be denibbed/lightly sanded to deal with grain raising and brush marks. Emulsion is a nightmare to sand flat.

Anyone who uses emulsion as a primer clearly doesn't care about the heavy brush strokes and probably doesn't care too much about the overall finish. I can't see any valid reason for a professional using emulsion when you can buy 5L of Leyland acrylic primer for about £20.

Routemaster93- what are treating the outside of the shed with? What kind of shed is it? Is it shiplap cladding, if yes and you don't use a waterproof coating on the outside then if might be safer to leave the inside as matt emulsion (it will allow the wood to breath more than gloss on the inside would).

 

[Routemaster93]

Whilst emulsion and acrylic primers are not massively different, the latter flows better and can be denibbed/lightly sanded to deal with grain raising and brush marks. Emulsion is a nightmare to sand flat.

Anyone who uses emulsion as a primer clearly doesn't care about the heavy brush strokes and probably doesn't care too much about the overall finish. I can't see any valid reason for a professional using emulsion when you can buy 5L of Leyland acrylic primer for about £20.

Routemaster93- what are treating the outside of the shed with? What kind of shed is it? Is it shiplap cladding, if yes and you don't use a waterproof coating on the outside then if might be safer to leave the inside as matt emulsion (it will allow the wood to breath more than gloss on the inside would).

It’s a shiplap shed with the outside painted in Cuprinol shades paint.

 

[opps]

You should be fine with gloss then given that the outside is water proofed.