Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer-Sealer & Stain Killer 1 Litre Ready Mixed Colour - White | Multi Surface, Interior Use, Exterior Use

I purchased this solely as a primer for painting matt emulsion over silk paint, so my review is purely for this, but I’m so impressed that I will absolutely consider using for other reasons. When painting over silk paint in the past, I made the mistake of thinking that a basic sand down and rinse off with sugar soap would suffice. Naturally, the matt emulsion crazed like mad, and I had the hideously boring job of much more extensive sanding, and the joy of repainting. Even after that, the finish wasn’t great. I’ve moved and, unfortunately, the living room was painted in silk, and in a colour I really don’t like. There was no chance I’d make same mistake this time, and after having a go at thoroughly sanding a patch of the existing silk and succeeding in doing very little, even after trying several different grits, I decided to eat the cost of a primer. Zinsser 123 was recommended by a decorating channel I like, and it’s water-based, which is a big plus, as I’m inexperienced with solvent-based paints. I also find strong smells give me nasty headaches and make my throat burn even when I use a mask, and felt this was more likely with a solvent based primer. This has a distinctive smell that I know I’ve smelled before, but can’t place where. It’s not particularly strong, and didn’t cause any headaches. It’s £10 a tin cheaper on Amazon than in B&Q, so I felt the risk of the tin arriving damaged and having to argue with Amazon about a return/refund was worth it. Thankfully, I didn’t have this issue. It came in a small, very sturdy cardboard box, with formed cardboard support trays at the top and bottom, the can was wrapped in a heavy duty clear plastic bag, then zip tied. The can itself had a 6-point star of clear duct tape across the lid, keeping it closed. Unlike some tins, I found this very easy to open with a flat-head screw driver. The tin size and its handle made pouring it into my tray easy. It’s a lot runnier than I expected, and I was a little concerned about coverage, but it was brilliant. I was only covering a mint green silk, but I wasn’t expecting it to provide such an even, opaque white base coat. The only other base coat I’ve used is Dulux “3 in 1 Problem Walls” (bought to block dark colour paint), and that’s so thick that it’s like painting cream cheese onto the walls. This was much drippier, which took a little getting used to, and I was very glad I had my drop cloths down. The cheap 4-inch roller sleeves I tend to use are prone to gumming up quickly, but they loved this stuff. The sleeves held loads of paint, laid it down beautifully, and each reapplication lasted ages—I’m really surprised at how much coverage I got out of each roller load of paint. I hate cutting in, so I use yellow Frog Tape for everything. This paint didn’t cause any issues with that at all. Someone in the reviews joked that this stuff dries in approximately 0.2 milliseconds. It’s not *that* much of an exaggeration. The tin says it’s touch dry in 30 minutes, and yes, it probably takes 30 minutes to dry if your house is in the rainforest. It was touch dry on my walls in about 5 minutes, and I’d started cutting in with my emulsion within 45 minutes, and that was only because I stopped for lunch. I used a basic Leyland magnolia matt emulsion over it, and I can now see why people recommend primers. It went on like a dream. Once the two coats had dried, it was even, no crazing, no patchiness, etc. Even the act of painting on the emulsion was easier than it’s ever been, and I’m sure I used less paint than I normally do. I’m really pleased with this purchase; it did exactly what I needed it to, and while it’s not the cheapest, it went further than I expected from the size of the tin, the quality is brilliant, and how much easier it made my job makes it worth it to me.

Zinsser 123 BullsEye is a superior primer, delivering flawless results where others fail. Previously, I used a shellac-based alternative which allowed yellow stains to bleed through the topcoat. For moisture-resistant MDF panelling, 123 proved perfect. Applied with a mohair roller, it provides superb adhesion and dries to a tough, even, smooth matte finish- a discernible transformation from the chalky texture of conventional primers like Leylands. This created an ideal substrate for my Farrow & Ball topcoat, with excellent final results. While slightly pricier, its performance on challenging materials like MDF is unmatched. Highly recommended. And thank you for the sellers exceptional packaging

Takes 2 or 3 coats to cover a stain, but nice coverage, quick drying and not to drippy. All in all does what it says it does, and that’s what you want.

I was recommended to use this over silk paint to prime the surface to then be able to use matt paint. I didn’t fancy having to sand all the silk surfaces if I’m honest so I gave this a go. You have to work quickly - it dries very fast and I think it stinks to high heaven so make sure your area is well ventilated but it’s very effective and durable. Doesn’t look like it’s covered well as it’s a watery consistency but trust the process, and I will definitely use it again, should I find more silk paint to eradicate. Just be careful to cover up well as because it’s thin, it’s easy to splatter. One tin will last a long time because of its consistency.

For priming bathroom walls and ceiling, this really seems to do the job. The steam from showers can slowly cause top coat paint to peel from unprimed plaster, but this paint both primes and seals, providing an excellent, moisture resistant undercoat. What is more, it can be applied to pretty much any surface, plaster, wood, metal, you name it. It isn't great in terms of opacity, so it will need a couple of coats, but once done, it is a great base and takes a top coat very nicely. One tin is likely to be more than enough for any project as it goes a heck of a long way. My bathroom is probably medium sized and got two coats on walls and ceiling, yet it took barely a quarter of the tin, so don't worry if it seems a little pricey because there is a lot for the money, and for what it does it really is worth it. It also dries swiftly, being touch dry in half an hour, the second coat after an hour, and the top coat can then go on after another hour. That makes very short work of things. There are, however, a couple of cautions with this paint, both of which stem from it's positives. The first is it's adhesion to any surface. If you get it on your skin wipe it off immediately or you will be spending a lot of time with a pumice stone later, and trying to get it off from under nails is not fun. The second is it's ability to go a long way. It really does. It is so runny it tries to go a REALLY long way. Like, everywhere. It's great actually applying it on the wall or ceiling, but I've never used a paint try so hard to fly off a brush like this stuff does. It really is alarmingly runny and drips like crazy from a brush, so I would highly recommend making sure that you cover everything except the place(s) you actually want the paint applied to, ideally with plastic dust sheets. And make sure you cover yourself too, because it is hard enough to get off skin unless you do it immediately, heaven forbid it gets in your hair. And as for using a roller to apply it, well, I'd rather not even imagine that. The strange thing is that it washes from brushes really easily, just water and washing up liquid. Those minor drawbacks aside, once you get used to it it is a top class primer perfect for a bathroom, and probably any other job. Maybe just buy a pumice stone with it, just in case.

Good quality stain blocker, recommended.

Ok here's what I found out. If you paint a wall without sealing it first and you've ended up here then yeah it's going to satisfy your "whoopsie-daisies" schoolboy mistakes and - after brushing/blowing/wiping as much dust/chalky crap off your wall first - it solves your painting woes in one coat. Trust me I thought painting and decorating was as easy as it looks...no, not if you're dumb as I am. Save yourself money down the line. For the price it seems mildly overpriced - until you get it on the wall. 1 coat goes quite far. If you have a lot of problem walls (unsealed, chalky, paint coming off on your fingers) then after wiping it down this stuff is magic. What I would do first though: if you have mould, kids artwork or graffiti, damp on wood or walls then buy the smallest tin of Zinnser BIN and dab it over the worst problem areas. Be aware though it dries in 0.000007ms so don't paint the area with it cos you kill paintbrushes in a minute. Let that go off, have an hour break then come back and use Zinnser 1-2-3. Blast the wall/s with 1 coat using a roller - it goes quite far tbh. Go and do something else for 6 or so hours. Try your emulsion on small areas (try cutting in for example) - let it dry - come back to it in daylight. If it looks good, no crap comes off onto your hand then you're good. You save the need for a second coat of Zinnser and thus makes you glad you spent the money. Doesn't work using my method, then hit it with a second coat before you use your desired emulsion or gloss if it's wood.

Do not apply on bare mild steel - oxidation patches are guaranteed. Unsure why this is called primer for metals? Very good on timber though.

Zinsser 1-2--3 fus reccomender par un specialiste du peinture en Angleterre. Nous sommes user sur les portes des placards plastique dans le cuisine. Le Zinsser 1-2-3 est tres facile pour user et il fait une superbe bas pour couverture par une autre peinte colouris Dulux. Zinsser 1-2-3 est le meilleur!

Il a fallu 5 fois pour couvrir certaines taches d'eau. J'avais espéré que ce serait moins transparent et qu'il valait mieux cacher les taches brunes.