Mad Dog Professional Primers

Our high performance primers are built with permanently flexible and breathable acrylic patented resins that have great bonding and adhesive properties.  Which means our primers have a glue-like grip and fiercely bond to most substrates. Because they remain permanently flexible, they will expand and contract with the substrate as it expands and contracts with seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.  When you use a high quality 100% acrylic latex top-coat paint or stain, it will bond and cross-link with our primer, essentially creating a single coating, that will expand and contract over time. Ultimately, giving you a much longer lasting paint job than with traditionally constructed primers. 

Under ideal conditions, 1 to 2 hours for recoating with primer or applying a topcoat. A good rule of thumb to follow: when the primer feels tacky to the touch, without leaving any residue on your fingers, it’s ready for recoating.

Our primers are made with patented resins that are highly bonding and adhesive. They remain tacky to the touch when dry. That tackiness is what helps the topcoat paint or stain to adhere and crosslink with the primer. 

Yes, in most cases. High quality flat 100% acrylic paints from major paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, PPG, California Paints, and others, perform exceptionally well on top of Mad Dog Primers. 

If you are working with paint and primer that you haven’t used together before, be smart and do a test to ensure compatibility before progressing with you project. 

If in doubt, try a 2 ft sq test patch. Apply the Mad Dog Primer, let it dry. And then apply your desired flat 100% acrylic topcoat. Let it cure overnight before proceeding. 

We strongly advise against using a high gloss finish directly on top of a Mad Dog Primer. Glossy paints are pigment heavy and often dry very hard and brittle. When applied on top of the more flexible Mad Dog primer, the chance of the more brittle topcoat cracking are significant.

No. Oil based or alkyd based topcoats dry harder and more brittle than our more flexible primers. An oil based product will most likely crack on top of a Mad Dog Primer. We highly recommend only using high quality 100% acrylic latex paints and stains in conjuction with Mad Dog Primers.

Good surface preparation is an essential step to any successful paint job. Be sure to remove paint that is loose and flaking. You may want to sand and feather areas. Make certain to clean the substrate (surface) to be painted, and be sure to rinse any detergent or cleaning agent used. Let the surface dry before applying the primer. 

Brushing, rolling, or spraying through an airless sprayer, are the best methods for applying a Mad Dog Primer. We highly recommend backbrushing or backrolling to make sure the primer covers and adheres to all the nooks and crannies in the substrate you are priming. 

517 to 519 works well for all our products, including Dura-Prime; 619 or 621 for a wider spray pattern.

Yes, up to 8 oz of water per gallon. 

Yes, up to 4 ounces of aqueous tint per gallon.

Yes, Mad Dog Primers adhere to window glazing, whether oil-based or latex/acrylic. Be sure to give sufficient time for the glazing compound to cure before coating with Mad Dog primer. 

Yes, Mad Dog primers adhere to most woodfiller/epoxy based products from most major manufacturers. Always try a small test patch to ensure product compatibility.

Heat and humidity slow the drying and recoat time of all coatings. When the air temperature is in the 80s and above and when humidity levels are high, do not apply more than a single coating each day. When the air temperature reaches 90 and above, it is best to avoid painting until cooler temps.

Yes: The Consumer shall satisfy themself of the suitability of this product for the intended purpose. Weather, applicator’s skill, surface conditions, proper topcoat paints are beyond the manufacturer’s control. We therefore limit our liability to replacement of defective material only, within 1 year with proof of purchase. MDPP disclaims all liability for consequential damages. Use of this product is a commitment of agreement to this warranty.

None of our primers are designed for interior use on walking surfaces. Deck Fix is designed for exterior use on porches and decks and is not to be used with porch and floor enamels.