Benjamin Moore · Primers & Adhesion
Fresh Start Primer
The adhesion foundation under our wood repaints.
Technical Specs
- Product type
- Premium 100% acrylic interior/exterior primer
- Base
- waterborne 100% acrylic
- Coverage
- 400–450 sq ft/gal
- Dry to touch
- 30 minutes
- Recoat
- 1 hour
- Application temp
- 40–90°F
- Cleanup
- soap and water
What It Is
Fresh Start is Benjamin Moore's primer family, and the exterior version is the base layer for sound paint jobs on wood. Primer is where paint failure is prevented: it seals bare and repaired wood, evens porosity, and gives the topcoat something engineered to grip.
How Our Crews Use It
Every scraped, sanded, or replaced board on our wood jobs gets spot-primed with Fresh Start before finish coats. It's not glamorous — it's just the difference between a five-year paint job and a fifteen-year one.
Key Benefits
- Benjamin Moore's highest-performing acrylic primer — maximum hide for big color changes
- Seals and suppresses most bleeding stains (tannin, water, smoke)
- Excellent adhesion across substrates
- Mildew-resistant coating
- Fast one-hour recoat
Made For
Exterior woodAluminum, hardboard, and vinyl sidingShinglesConcrete, masonry, brickNon-ferrous metal
Good to know
VOC under 50 g/L, low-VOC formulation. Not recommended for sealing knots or pine sap (a specialty sealer handles those spots).
Surfaces We Use It On
Not Sure Which Product Your Home Needs?
Every estimate includes a written, surface-by-surface coating plan — no guesswork, no upsells, just the right system for each part of your exterior.