Zinsser Bin Primer Review—Why I Chose This Popular Primer for My Home

I used Zinsser Bin Primer to prime our new, unfinished wood built ins

When we renovated the first floor of our house, our neighbor, a professional carpenter, did all of the built-in work. But, to save money, I painted the unfinished woodwork myself. Before I started, My Neighbor The Carpenter had one piece of advice for me: use a shellac-based primer. He said that unfinished or bare wood always requires a shellac primer, not a water-based one, to help seal the wood and prevent any tannins from bleeding through the paint, and he recommended Zinsser Bin Primer.

Because he’s spent his whole life as a cabinet builder and carpenter, I took his word for it. It was my first time using Zinsser Bin Primer, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially because I typically use water-based primers. Here’s what I thought about the product overall, the results I got, and pros and cons.

Zinsser Bin Primer-First Impression

I has the primer tinted gray to make it easier to cover

I bought a gallon of the primer at Home Depot, and the first thing I noticed was how expensive it was. It cost something like $75 for a gallon. If I hadn’t explicitly been told to use this primer, I probably would have reflexively gone for something cheaper, but I bit the bullet and bought it because I wanted to make sure the paint job on our built ins lasted.

Because I was using a medium-toned paint shade on the woodwork, the guy at the paint counter suggested tinting the primer to a gray shade, which would require fewer coats of paint than a bright white primer. So I did.

When I got the can home and opened it, I noticed two things. The first was the strong odor. I expected this, and one of the reasons I usually use water-based primers is because shellac-based primers STINK. Zinsser Bin Primer has a strong odor, there’s no getting around it. I opened all the windows and turned on a fan, which made the smells bearable. I also had my husband take our kids out of the house, because I didn’t want them around the paint fumes. Because of the strong fumes, I would consider it mandatory to use this primer in a well-ventilated space, so make sure you use it when you’re able to open the windows.

I will say, though, that the odors dissipated quickly as the primer dried, and disappeared almost completely once I painted over it. I was worried that, sort of like when you use oil-based polyurethane on hardwood floors, the smell would linger for weeks, but that wasn’t the case with the Zinsser Bin Primer.

The second thing I noticed was how thick this primer was. It was almost viscous. That said, I only needed one coat, which was nice, and the drips were minimal. Despite the fact that it looked a little gloopy when I was applying it, it dried nice and level. The con, however, was that the primer totally destroyed my paint brush and roller. I usually wash my painting tools and re-use them, and I probably could have cleaned them with paint thinner, but I didn’t feel like using more chemicals to clean my chemicals. So, I let the brush and roller dry and threw them away.

Zinsser Bin Primer—Dry time

Dry time was quick, which allowed me to paint the same day

One of the things I liked most about this primer was the dry time. It was literally dry in 20 minutes. Re-coat time is technically 45 minutes, though, which is still insanely fast. By the time I got the built-ins primed, I was ready to begin painting the side I started on, which makes the job go by quickly.

Zinsser Bin Primer—Results

I used Benjamin Moore Finnie Gray on the built-ins

I used a Benjamin Moore cabinet paint over the primer, and it went on smoothly and adhered perfectly. Once the paint was dry, I took my fingernail to the paint to check how well it cured, and there was no scratching through it.

Overall, based on my experience with Zinsser Bin Shellac, I would definitely recommend it. It’s very much worth the money.

Update: Two years later, this paint and primer combo has held up beautifully. And not just on the built-ins, but on the breakfast-nook bench, which my kids sit at every single day.

Why use a shellac-based primer?

In a lot of projects, waterborne acrylic primers, like Stix, or Kilz All-Purpose Primer work just fine. I’ve used each of those for re-painting vanities, to help adhere paint to glossy trimwork, and for painting over sheetrock. But! There are times when you need something stronger.

Shellac-based primers are known for their sealing capabilities. They seal in odor, color, oil, tannins, you name it. They’re recommended for covering things like smoke, mildew, and pet smells, knots in wood, and water-damage. It’s almost a necessity for those sorts of heavy duty jobs.