Haymes Paint knows walls — but do you know your primer? Your dream room depends on it.

May 14, 2025

Prep Like a Pro: How the Right Haymes Primer Sets the Stage for Stunning Results

You’d be surprised how many well-styled walls don’t start with colour—they start with the right base. Before the brush ever hits top coat, a great finish is built layer by layer. And just like you wouldn’t hang curtains before washing the windows, you don’t want to skip choosing a good primer. It does more than prep—it protects your time, effort, and finish.

What a Primer Actually Does (And Why You Should Care)

Think of primer as the double-sided tape between your wall and your dreams. It’s what preps the surface, grips the paint, and helps your colour sit smoother, stay bolder, and last longer.

If you’ve ever noticed patchy areas, strange bleed-throughs, or walls that scuff easily—chances are, the problem started underneath. Not with your top coat, but the layer below it.

“Painting is like baking. You can’t rush the prep and expect the icing to save the cake.” — A wise tradie, probably

What Changes With the Right Primer

Without primer: Patchy sheens, stains bleeding through, scuffs show up quicker.
With Haymes primer: Smooth, even finish that grips paint like a charm and holds up to life’s knocks.

This step might not earn applause, but it ensures the part that does—your colour—gets to shine.

Choosing Your Primer: It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All

It’s not just about slapping on the undercoat. Different surfaces need different things. Here’s a quick guide to help you pick the right one from the Haymes range:

✔️ Haymes Ultraprep Multi-Use

Best for: Fresh plasterboard, timber, pre-painted surfaces

This one's your go-to if you need good adhesion across various surfaces. It’s quick-drying, sands easily, and sets you up right without fuss.

✔️ Haymes Ultralock

Best for: Glossy surfaces, laminates, tiles, or things prone to bleed-through (like old varnished trims)

Sticky situations? This primer is like double-sided tape in a tin. It grabs shiny surfaces and stops stains cold — think old watermarks, tannins, or kids' artistic phases.

✔️ Haymes Rendertex Renderprime

Best for: Bare concrete, masonry, cement render

Exterior walls have their own moods. This primer evens absorption and gives those dry, thirsty surfaces a solid base. Prepping a fence or outdoor wall? Start here.

✔️ Haymes UltraSeal

Best for: Porous surfaces that suck up paint — like bare gyprock or MDF

Nothing soaks up paint like raw gyprock. UltraSeal locks it down fast, saving your colour from fading and your wallet from multiple coats.

When You Can Skip Primer... and When You Shouldn’t

There are a few unicorn situations where a primer isn’t needed—like touching up a recently painted wall with the same colour. But anytime you’re going from bare surface to painted finish, or when switching colours (especially light to dark or vice versa), primer earns its keep.

Tip from the counter: If you’re changing colours across trims, walls, and ceilings—start with a multi-use primer tinted in a neutral grey. It balances colour transition and helps your new hue pop.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Most paint regrets don’t come from the colour choice. They come from skipping steps and watching your space fall short of your hopes. Choosing the right primer is one of those quiet decisions that changes everything — kind of like planting good compost before you see any green shoots.

Quick Contrast:

Used to: Sand for ages, recoat twice, and still see patchy spots
Now: Prime smart once, glide through the rest like you've done it for years

This isn’t about more work.

It’s about less fixing. Less do-overs. And more moments where you stand back and think, ‘Yep, I did that — and it looks a hundred bucks.’

The Takeaway?

The right primer is the quiet MVP of a paint job done right. It’s not just about adhesion or stain-blocking. It’s about setting the kind of foundation that lets your efforts hold — season after season.

Not sure which Haymes primer fits your walls? Pop by, bring a photo or sample, and we’ll help you sort it out — no jargon, no overthinking, just straight-up answers and gear that works.

See you in the paint aisle,

Candeece