Customer Reviews for Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 2 Gal. White Water-Based Interior/Exterior Primer and Sealer

I have used this product, many times, and am very happy with it's coverage and performance.

Fast dry primer with good coverage

This would not cover fairly minor ceiling water stains. After 3 coats of paint/sealer the stains were still visible.

Great coverage and being able to have it tinted the finish color is a great asset This is the primer coat covering the old salmony pink.

Tried using this on a vertical ceramic tile wall that is texturized to look like slate, per the can instructions saying it would be dry in 15 minutes, I painted latex over 24 hours later. Within hours parts of the primer and paint were bubbling and peeling from the tile.

I used Zinsser 123 Primer for the whitewash on my stone fireplace wall. It worked well to cover all the areas and keep the color and grime I couldn't get off the stone from coming through

incredible primer that I use on everything, plaster, sheetrock, bare wood, concrete, and foundation stone walls. almost no peeling on stone walls except where there is high moisture intrusion

Best i ever used.

Product works excellent. Bought to cover outdated tile from 1940. Used one coat of Zinsser 123 and bonded right to the tile. Trick is to let the Zinsser dry and really cure over night before you put a base coat on. Then put two coats of paint on. And if youre using this in the bathroom, dont use the shower or bath while applying the paint, until its fully cured and dried. I was leery about using this product because of the smell it might put off. Label reads low odor, but I also read reviews that it was an awful ammonia smell. It has a stonger smell compared regular paint. You can smell the ammonia, but it was not bad at all. Just open the windows and get good ventalation and it will be fine. When I woke up in the morning I didnt smell anything in the bathroom.

Great coverage!

I am a professional painting contractor this product performed just as I expected dries fast provided a good seal underneath the top coat which is what I wanted on Hardiplank siding the fast dry time and recoat was the main reason I chose this product as well as it's sealing properties.

Used Zinsser Primer to cover stair risers and moldings, worked great. Only needed one coat of paint to finish the job.

I used it for primer on oak stained cabinets. I cleaned them with TSP before priming and did not do any sanding. I'm impressed at adherence and cover up of this product. Highly recommend gloves and drop cloths. Even though its water based it acts like oil and is extremely hard to get off skin and any spills. I used Behr satin on top and rustoleum glaze on top of that. the vanity cabinet is amazing, Id post pictures if I had the option on this review.

For a water base primer, there's nothing better

The last time I used this primer was a few years ago when I had to deal with the discolored masonry walls in the basement. The Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer was recommended by a friend, and I'm glad that I heeded. The basement walls had a great deal of a decade-old discoloration including some mold that was impossible to remove. I did not sand the walls but applied the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 straight on top. I ended up doing two layers of the primer with plenty of time to dry up in between the layers. Some spots with mold and rust required more than that which is understandable and I have no complaints. The finish was white flat with great coverage. When I came back to paint, the surface looked perfectly prepared for the next step. I almost didn’t want to paint over it but ended up doing just that. This application has greatly built my confidence in this primer. Fast forward to today when I finally decided to paint the wooden storage doors. The reason I picked the doors was that I had a recent prior experience with painting raw wood just last week when I built a wooden frame and primed it with two layers of Bulls Eye 1-2-3 on top of which metallic paint went. The surface was painted previously but had lots of stains of unknown origin that had to be dealt with. I have patched a few superficial holes with a spackle and went over them with a putty knife to smooth out. Even though the instructions on the primer can state that it sticks to all surfaces without sanding, I being an old school have decided to go ahead and sand anyway. I have used 3M Precision sanding sheets 220 grit that were super strong; one sheet has lasted the entire project. That was quite a workout; in retrospect I think that a sanding sponge would have made my life much easier. Oh well. A lesson learned. Done with sanding, I taped off and covered everything that wasn't meant to be painted. And then applied the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer. It went on easy and with great coverage. As the primer turned out a bit on the thin side, I have ended up using two layers, allowing a couple of hours to dry in between the layers. The primer didn't produce much odor being water-based after all. It dried up quickly but I allowed an extra time just to be sure. It turned out looking fantastic; all the stains are gone, and I think I'll leave it as is and won't paint over. I just love the new look of my wooden storage doors.

Great primer. Covers stains really well. I always use this before painting any semigloss. I do a light sanding first, then the Zinsser primer, and then the semigloss. Comes out great, and the semigloss will stick properly and last forever.

I used Bulls Eye 1-2-3 to prime my wood front door prior to final painting. Primer went on thick and flattened nicely. Dried within approximately 40 minutes and was ready for a second coat. Excellent Product.

Best primer ever. I'm an artist and I use it for priming canvass, painted paper Mache sculpture and anything else I may need as well as regular painting needs. It sticks to anything and remains flexible and is perfect for my needs and is inexpensive, blocks stains as well, love it.

This primer has been a family favorite for years. We are doing an extreme makeover on our exterior. We primed the entire exterior with Bulls Eye. See attached pictures.

Its awesome for brush on and roll on but the sprayer wants to clump it pretty bad.

1-2-3 is my go to primer, way better than Killz or other brands. I have used it to cover walls painted bright red and deep olive. This time, my condo hall closet was full of black rubber scuff marks up and down the walls (from the previous owners). I figured two coats of primer at least. 1-2-3 covered in one coat plus a few touch up spots. I was able to paint over it with one additional coat of white paint and it looks like new.

Being a dedicated fan of Bulls Eye 1-2-3, I have used it on several projects over the last couple years and have found easy to use and consistent in quality.

it sticks to every thing,and any paint oil or latex sticks to it

Used this yesterday to prime my exterior concrete foundation. It's block, with a skim coat of concrete over it. Some of it was chipped, and showed different colors of gray. I patched it where needed, and the patching was white (patches not shown in photos). I gave it all one heavy coat of this primer, using a half inch nap roller, and it covered real well. The patches and concrete now look uniformly bright white, thanks to the hiding properties of this primer. Later, I gave it an exterior topcoat (soft gray). The roller seemed to skid on the primer, like it was high gloss or something, so left some tracks. I'll need to go over it lightly, a thin second coat. I should have had the primer tinted at the store. "Coverage." Does that mean how well it hides (very well), or how far you can paint with a gallon (not great)? I think I would have gotten less than 200 square feet out of a gallon, but my project was smaller than that. The claimed 400-450 might be possible on previously painted smooth wallboard if you stretch it out, I don't know. Anyway, it made a nice coating on the porous concrete, and it seems like a solid base on which to paint.

Loved the primer. And the salesman added a hint of color which was perfect!

The product was used as a primer for covering dark pre-finished wood paneling. The primer did an excellent job of hiding the dark paneling color and as a bond for the finish paint.

I needed to prime my recently finished basement and had no idea which primer would be best. I researched for hours since I'm a newbie and came to find this primer. I only used a single coat and it covers 95% of the mud/seams, looks like its almost the final paint job. What I really liked was how it was dry to the touch in 30 minutes. If you read this review...stop researching other primers and BUY THIS ONE! My only issue was the second 5-gallon bucket we opened was a lot runnier that the first one. It wasn't too bad, but you could definitely tell a difference.

We use this product on all of our painted wood products sold on Etsy and Ebay! Great product!

I used Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 primer for preparing a maple bench to be painted and experienced excellent results.

I used this primer to prep my backsplash for painting; I probably could have used 1 coat but I used 2 coats just to be sure. I let each coat dry and waited 24 hours before applying the high gloss alkyd paint. Very happy with the final result.