When painting cabinets or furniture, nothing causes a queasy feeling faster than seeing stains or discolorations bleeding through the primer or paint. But never fear – I’m here to show you how to fix paint bleed through when painting cabinets or furniture.
Best part? It’s easy!
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What causes bleed through on painted surfaces?
Before we jump into how to fix those yucky stains and discolorations that can appear on freshly-painted wood, it’s important to understand why bleed through happens in the first place!
All woods have tannins in them. Tannins are chemicals inside the wood that are released when they come in contact with water (in some instances) or other liquids (in other instances). The tannins rise up through the painted surface, causing unattractive splotches and streaks to appear.
Other causes of bleed through include top-level stains on the surface being painted (such as grease or food), and water damage. My first experience with stains ruining a finish happened on this painted bench makeover way back in 2014!
Which types of wood are most prone to bleed through?
Some wood species have more tannins than others. Oak, cherry, walnut, and mahogany woods are the most prone to bleed through because they are very high in tannin levels.
Cedar and redwood, most often used in exterior applications, also have a lot of tannins and can bleed through quite easily. I have noticed this on the new cedar beams we installed during our 1970s exterior makeover – I don’t think the painters primed them!
How do you prevent bleed through from happening in the first place?
Now that you know a bit more about what causes bleed through on painted surfaces, let’s talk about how to prevent it from happening in the first place! This will help you going forward!
The key to preventing bleed through is using a quality stain-blocking primer. That’s it!
The best stain-blocking primers are shellac-based primers, like Zinsser B-I-N primer. Shellac primers will completely prevent stains or tannins from seeping through to the painted surface.
The problem with shellac-based primers is that they STINK! You must have great ventilation when applying them or you’ll probably pass out – they’re that smelly. They’re also more difficult to clean up than water-based primers.
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If you don’t want to deal with the negatives of a shellac-based primer, there are good quality water-based stain-blocking primers on the market now, too! I use Kilz Premium Heavy-Duty High Hide Sealer & Stain Blocker because I live in Wisconsin where we can have the windows open for like 10 minutes per year. LOL.
An example of a project where I used Kilz Premium primer to prevent bleed through is the painted cherry Queen Anne console table I just made over.
How to fix paint bleed through once it’s happened.
Okay, since you’re still reading this post, I’m assuming that you didn’t prime with a stain-blocking primer. Now you’re experiencing stains coming through paint and you’re probably having a panic attack. (I’m assuming this because it’s happened to me before!)
When I painted my oak kitchen cabinets, I intentionally DID NOT use a stain blocking primer (for many reasons that are irrelevant to this post). Anyway, remember that I told you oak has a lot of tannins? As you can guess, I started seeing bleed through on many cabinet doors after I primed them.
My primed oak cabinets started showing ugly yellow and brown stains, especially around the edges.
Since this happened to me on projects in the past, I had planned for this possibility and I knew just what to do.
I simply took the affected doors outside and used B-I-N Shellac Spray to spot prime the areas where bleed through was happening. It was cold out, so I brought them back inside as soon as possible to complete their drying. This lessened the odor in the house and took care of the bleed through problem immediately!
Once the shellac primer dried (in about 20 minutes), I was able to topcoat with paint and not worry about stain bleed through ruining my painted cabinets.
If you have already painted your cabinets or furniture and are seeing bleed through or stains seeping through the paint, you can still fix it this same way. Prime those areas with the shellac, and then re-paint, just as you did before. Yes, it’s annoying, but at least’s its salvageable!
Finally, if you have a lot of bleed through happening and/or don’t want to use the shellac spray, you could also use the traditional brush-on or roll-on B-I-N Primer to spot prime those areas.
I hope this information on how to fix paint bleed through helped you. I know what it’s like to feel like your hard work has been ruined, but rest assured, it hasn’t! This easy fix, although a little time-consuming, will have your painted cabinets and furniture stain-free in no time!
Lanie johnson says
After using this product and then painting the bleed through places do you have to then use a clear coat over these spots again?
Bre says
Hi! If I’m understanding your question correctly, you should not need to use any clear coat to fix the bleed through. If you’re talking about putting clear coat on as a sealer for a newly-painted finish, yes – you’ll need to do that so that the finish is the same across the entire surface.
Debbie says
I’m having a bleed thru issue with an oak table. I read somewhere that the shellac can cause the paint to crack and peel. Is this true? Is the B-I-N Primer the shellac primer? I used kilts for priming and you can guess the bleed thru is bad.
Bre says
Hi, Debbie! This can happen on occasion, but my understanding is that it typically happens when the cleaning agents used react with the shellac (or B-I-N). And, if it does happen, it’s fixable. So maybe try it on one, see what happens, and decide where to go from there. If the BIN isn’t working for you, you could try a non-shellac stain-blocking primer!
Lynn Buckley says
Is the spray primer clear or white that you used? I used a brush on primer and then a coat of paint and I see yellow and it’s driving me crazy! Can I still use this spray then paint over again?
Bre says
Hi, Lynn! The spray primer is white. You can definitely use this spray to cover those areas that are turning yellow and then paint over it again. That is exactly what I did. It worked fantastic!
Kim says
Hi! I know this is an old post but I have a question. I’m in this exact situation, painted cabinets a year ago, and am now welding because of bleed through in areas I sanded too much. My question is if I spot prime will you be able to tell though the finish paint? Like flashing or any indication? I do not want to do this again!!! Thanks!
Bre says
Hi! I totally hear you!!! Here’s what I’d suggest: clean the entire area (like the entire cabinet door for example), spot prime, and then repaint the entire area. Because you painted a year ago the paint could definitely have faded. Even just a tiny bit difference will stick out like a sore thumb if you just repaint that one small area. I hope this makes sense – let me know if you need clarification!
Claudia Ihl says
thanks, this is useful info. I have these unfinished cabinets from Lowes and after spraying on 2 coats of Kilz adhesion primer I can see some orange -tinted areas where the wood shines through. it’s not extreme though.
Would this show through medium dark gray paint? At this stage, should I just add a coat or two of shellac primer right on top of the kilz adhesion? I assume I shouldn’t spray that though, correct?
thanks for your informative blog,
cheers Claudia
Bre says
Hi! Yes I think you’d be wise to use some of the shellac primer on top of those spots. You can absolutely spray it on – that would be totally fine! If you prefer to brush it on, that works, too. Good luck!!
Barbie Allen says
I have read a few things about the bleed throughs, some say you have to scrape the paint off of the spot before using the stain blocker. Do I need to do that or can I use the stain blocker over the paint?
Bre says
Hi, Barbie! I used the stain blocker right over the paint. No issues whatsoever! If you are seeing that the bleed through has caused the primer or paint to peel, you’ll want to scrape it first. If that’s not happening, you can stain block right over it.
Jen says
How well do you think the kilz3 premium works compared to the bin to block tannins ? I am having a very hard time finding bin locally, so I’m trying to find an alternate (only due to Covid – normally it’s not a problem at all).
Bre says
Hi, Jen! I have used that primer and found it works really well. If you’re going to have a tannin issue you would know within a day or two, so maybe buy a small size (quart) of the Kilz3 Premium and test it on a couple of doors. Let them sit for a day or two and see if you notice any bleed through, and then you would know if you could use it or need to wait for the BIN. Good luck with your project!