If you’ve dealt with mold, you know how frustrating it can be to clean or kill mold and mildew spots in your home. Even more frustrating is mold is relentless and will return again and again when not dealt with properly. Proper mold treatment can include cleaning or even painting. Different types of pains and primers can solve this exact problem. In this post, we review the best mold-killing primers that work.
Best Mold Killing Primer
Rust-Oleum 2004 Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer is one of the best mold-killing primers in the current market.
Unlike other primers in the market, this primer, which also serves as a sealer, can be applied on different surfaces in the entire house, considering its adhesive nature to glossy surfaces, tiles, and enameled trim.
You will like this product because there is no need to sand when applying this primer because of its adhesive nature on all surfaces. Moreover, when you use this primer on new metals and alkaline surfaces, you will completely inhibit rust.
The modification of the primer’s finish seals helps prevent mold, mildew growth, blistering, and peeling. There is no doubt that when you use this primer, you will get excellent painted surfaces that you will like and never worry about mold growth.
Summary of key features
- You can apply the primer on both interior and exterior surfaces without the need to sand.
- It contains rust inhibitors, making it suitable for application on the surfaces of new metals.
- The water-based formula of the primer allows it to stick to various surfaces, thus eliminating the need to sand for efficiency of use. Moreover, you can use soap and water to clean it easily.
- The primer is highly recommended for high pH surfaces such as concrete surfaces.
- It has a water-based formula that prevents mildew growth and other notorious issues such as blistering and peeling.
Best for Mold-Killing & Stain Blocking
For powerful mold-killing and stain-blocking, choose KILZ premium. The prime has a water-based formula that is crucial when sealing surfaces and helps hide stains and attain a uniform finish for interior and exterior surfaces.
Unlike the other mold-killing primers, Kilz Premium contains mildewcide protective elements which resist and kill mold and mildew. Additionally, the prime adheres to multiple surfaces such as woodwork, drywall, brick, masonry, and plaster and is suitable for places with high humidity, such as bathrooms.
We recommend using the primer to change colors, seal light to minimal stains, and reduce imperfections on surfaces due to differences in texture and porosity. We can attest that Kilz premium provides superb adhesion and offers a coating that resists coating.
Summary of key features
- Kilz premium provides an ideal consistency for a smooth and level finish, reducing surface imperfections and sealing porous walls.
- The primer contains mildewcide protective elements that resist mildew and mold.
- Adheres well to various surfaces and can be used on interior and exterior drywall, brick, plaster, and masonry. It is also suitable for high-humidity places such as bathrooms.
- You can use the primer to change colors, reduce surface imperfections, and seal light to minor stains from texture and porosity differences.
- The primer has a special stain-blocking formula that seals surfaces and will help you attain a uniform finish, hiding stains and colors painted before. Moreover, it provides good adhesion to various interior and exterior surfaces.
Here is the primer, which not even the existing mold, mildew, or fungal organisms can withstand. This primer has a water-based layer that protects it against fungicides.
Interestingly, this primer contains an EPA-recommended antimicrobial that helps resist and kill mold, mildew, and other fungal elements present on the paint film. You can apply indoors or out on various surfaces, inclusive of under-wall surfaces.
The product is essential in covering residual stains on surfaces caused by microbiological and fungal factors. Moreover, its water-based nature makes it efficient in allowing the performance of oil-based primers.
However, we recommend you allow the primer to dry and then use a Zinsser stain-blocking primer when priming surfaces with stains caused by water leakage.
Summary of key features
- The primer can be used with any topcoat and is suitable when applied with Zinsser perma-white.
- You can use it to bind chalky siding, metal, and masonry.
- This product is protected and designed to paint over and kill mold and other bacteria on non-porous surfaces.
- The primer has a low odor, and its water-based composition makes it easy to clean with water and soap.
- It dries in a short time, usually 30 minutes, and recoats easily for quick completion of a project.
Best for Interior or Exterior Use
Are you looking for a primer that will kill mold, make your paint adhere better to surfaces, and bring the paint's true color using less paint? Then look no further because here is your solution. KILZ 2 ensures no porosity on surfaces and gives new paints strong adhesion.
Homeowners have liked this versatile primer because they have used it on interior and exterior surfaces and other surfaces like bricks, glossy surfaces, stucco, masonry, other similar surfaces, and they have delivered impressive results. The primer can also be used on ceilings and walls with mild to average stains.
We recommend that you use this excellent bonding primer to enable topcoats to stick well to surfaces that are hard to paint. The adhesion of KILZ 2 is unique as it bonds securely on slick walls on which the normal water or oil-based primer cannot adhere.
Summary of key features
- The primer ensures that paint adheres to surfaces, brings the paint’s true color, and ensures that you use less paint.
- You can use this versatile primer to kill mold and block stains on both interior and exterior surfaces, including painted metals, stucco, bricks, plaster, drywall, and glossy surfaces.
- You can use it for surfaces with mild to medium stains, such as walls and ceilings.
- Use surfaces prepared extensively to ensure no dust, mold, grease, peeling paint, chalk, and rust.
If you are looking for the best mold-killing primer, you should consider Rust-Oleum 02754 white Perma interior paint. Its components enable it to resist and kill antimicrobial growth. Additionally, the product resists stains and moisture on the surfaces applied.
Consumers have liked this product’s special thing about its resistance to mold and mildew is a guarantee for five years. So once you apply, you can be sure that your surfaces are safe for a period.
Another reason why we consider this as the highest performing mold and mildew-resistant paint is because you can wash the primer, which makes it suitable for use in bathrooms and kitchens. The nature of its self-priming formula allows it to stick to the glossy and hard-to-paint surfaces.
This product has a low odor, and its durability is unmatched. Moreover, you can apply the primer if the wall surfaces have mold.
Summary of key features
- The primer is suitable for interior painting and the bathroom, kitchens, and others.
- Its low-odor formula hinders mold and mildew from growing on the paint film.
- The primer covers up to 100 square feet per quart and dries in a short time, usually 30 minutes.
- The prime is naturally self-priming, and there is no need for sanding to stick to surfaces.
- It forms a semi-gloss finish that is easy to wash.
Mold Killing Primer Buying Guide
We have designed a list of features for you to check before deciding which mold-killing primer to buy. You can therefore make the correct decision that suits your demands.
Durability
Before deciding which mold-killing primer to buy, the first feature you should always consider is its guaranteed durability. To get the value for your money, we suggest that you get a primer guaranteed to last longer.
We recommend that you consider the endurance of the primer and its effectiveness to resist the growth of mold and mildew. In many cases, homeowners have used primers that outlast their ability to protect their walls from the growth of mold and mildew.
Therefore, implying that your wall has decent paint does not mean it will always resist mold and mildew. Our advice is to pay special attention to this specific detail to know when to prime and repaint.
Method of Application
Considering that some areas may be greatly confined, it is very important to consider the method you will use to apply mold-killing primers. You can opt to use rollers when applying on delicate surfaces or paintbrushes for rough or hard-to-paint perceived areas.
Nevertheless, you can opt for the spray-on technique as some mold-killing primers are in a spray can that is convenient for this technique.
Area Coverage
It helps greatly know the area a certain primer or paint can cover per unit. The more it covers, the better.
This knowledge is important as it determines how much you can prime with your budget. For instance, it is advisable to prefer a primer with area coverage of 300 square feet per unit to a primer covering only 150 square feet per unit. However, this will depend on the porosity of the surface you intend to apply on.
Nature of your project
The nature of your project will determine the kind and size of the mold-killing primer you need. The primers come in handy in different kinds and sizes, implying that you can buy them depending on the need of your project.
To know the area the primer will cover, you should check the product’s user manual labeled at its side.
Availability
It is good to check on your area’s availability before deciding whether to purchase the product. The primers are available in both physical and online stores.
Nature of the product
It would be best if you considered such aspects as the composition of the primer as it dictates how the primer performs on various surfaces. The primer should naturally provide a protective film that resists fungal growth, which leads to the rearrangement of wood grains.
The above shows that the most suitable composition recommended best mold killing prime should be oil-based and water-based.
Water resistance
A mold-killing primer and mildew-resistant paint should either resist water or be waterproof. It would help if you considered how much moisture it can sustain.
It would be best to consider waterproof and water-resistant primer because it prevents your walls from excess moisture and avoids damages that can cost you a lot later. If the humidity gets to the wall surface, then mold and mildew grow, causing bad stains and can cause worse health issues too.
We recommend a waterproof mold-killing primer for bathrooms, laundry rooms, or areas in the house with high moisture levels since it prevents the walls from seeping the moisture.
Requirements for Application
These primers vary in their application requirements. Some primers such as KILZ 2 Multi-Surface Stain Blocking require that you clean the surface before application to ensure dust, grease, or mold.
However, other primers such as Rust-Oleum 02754 white Perma Interior Paint do not require cleaning before application considering you can apply on any service.
Self-Priming
If your surface is not water-resistant and you are sure it will be exposed to the elements, we recommend that you prime before painting. Priming will help to give better adhesion to your surface. It ensures the durability of the paint and offers extra protection for your painted surface.
It is important to note that some mold and mildew-resistant paints are self-priming, which implies that you will not have to prime before painting. Self-priming paints are meant to perform both the function of painting and priming. These paints will greatly save you time and money.
Drying time
The time taken by primers and paints to dry may vary greatly between the products. We can confirm that both latex-based and water-based primers take a short time to dry compared to the oil-based ones.
Although paints may appear dry to the touch in a short time, homeowners are advised to wait even longer before spreading the topcoat. You should always check the label on the primers and paints for the same drying periods.