MDF Primer?

[Wir3d]

Has anyone ever used Drywall primer on there cabinet?....just curious as to how good it will work.

[SteveJ34]

I have no experience with Drywall primer on MDF.

I've always just used Kilz for priming MDF projects.

[pmc]

I thought about it since I had a can, but then I just bought Killz latex. I always wondered what was so special about drywall primer. I've had the same thoughts with wallpaper sizer (my can claims that it makes a good general purpose primer too).

I'd consider reading the label and if there's no red flags, go ahead and try it. As long as it makes for a good binder for your top-coat, why not use it?

-pmc

[RandyT]

Another vote for Kilz.  That stuff is amazing on MDF and inexpensive as well.

RandyT

[Tahnok]

And yet another for Kilz. Worked great, and it's fairly cheap.

[Yoder]

Do you guys mean Kilz (oil based) or Kilz2 (latex).  I use Kilz2 a lot on houses but I find that it's quite thick and you tend to get raised streaks from the edge of the roller.

[neuromancer]

According to an article in Fine Homebuilding Magazine, If you need to prime raw edges of MDF, you should use oil based primer, because water based will soak in and swell the MDF.

Never primed MDF edges myself, so I wouldn't know, but it makes sense.

Bob

[pmc]

I believe I used Kilz Premium which is water-based so I'm prettty sure it's an acrylic latex. But I might have used a different Kilz. I used latex paint as a top-coat and generally elect for a water-based primer if possible.

I primed the edges of my MDF with no ill effects.

-pmc

[teetu]

I too used a water based prime, but the one I used was called zinser.  The edges did seem to absorb the primer faster than the rest of the mdf, but I didn't get any swelling or anything.