Priming the ceiling before painting imrpoves the final appearance.
Stains, marks and dark colors can still show through new paint on the ceiling. Even two coats of paint aren't enough to hide water damage from the last rainstorm or the artistic night sky painted on the ceiling by the previous homeowner. Therefore, many paint manufacturers recommend priming ceiling surfaces before painting, including when painting on new construction and when painting with the same or similar color.
Reasons to Use a Primer
Primer is a paint product that is rolled or brushed onto your ceiling and acts as a basecoat. Some primers prevent stains and dark colors from showing through the surface paint. Primers also help new paint adhere to old surfaces. Latex paints do not stick to oil paints and will peel over time. The primer covers the old oil paint and creates a firm bond with the finish coat.
Stain-Blocking Primers
Stain-blocking primers or sealers prevent shadows of water damage or old paint from discoloring your finish coat. A single coat of stain-blocking primer is sufficient to block most stains. However, for very dark stains or when covering dark paint, use two coats of primer. Stain-blocking primers block stains from the surface, but they do not hide them. A finish coat of regular ceiling paint will still be necessary to completely hide discolorations.
Tinted Primer
A tinted primer has all of the stain-blocking properties of a sealer but is tinted to match the final color. Using a tinted primer enhances the color of and may reduce the number of coats needed of your finish coat paint. However, if you are painting the ceiling white, a tinted primer is unnecessary.
Paint as Primer
If you are not changing the color of the ceiling and there are no stains or other discolorations to hide, you can use your ceiling paint as your primer as well. However, the paint you are covering must be the same type of paint as you are using. Latex paint covers latex, and oil paint covers oil paint. Do not mix the two without first using a stain-blocking or tinted primer.
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