MultiWoodPrime – The world’s best wood primer

Seal wood with MultiWoodPrime to maximise life and cure paint or varnish failure. The permanent sealer is simply the world’s best wood primer

• chemically bonds to the structure of the wood, made largely from natural wood resin
• chemically bonds the top coat of paint or varnish to the timber
• simply the best wood primer there is as it chemically bonds paint to the top layers of wood fibres
• as flexible as the wood itself
• allows the wood to breathe
• seals porosity and stabilises wood
• resists rot and decay
• reduces maintenance costs dramatically

MultiWoodPrime is Smiths CPES

In America Smiths Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) is sold in tins branded as MultiWoodPrime for use as the worlds best wood primer. It is however the same product. 

In Europe we do not have the capacity to label the same product in two different tins. If you buy MultiWoodPrime you will receive cans labelled CPES. Remember, it’s the worlds best wood primer, it’s the same stuff.

We are currently undergoing a rebrand, and will be selling the product in a package with ‘two faces’, one for restoration of rotten wood (CPES), one for the worlds best wood primer (MultiWoodPrime). That will of course still have the one product in it.

Why MultiWoodPrime?

The chemist who originally formulated CPES had always known that it was a superior primer and why. He had not, however, realized that so many consumers were now using it solely as a primer on new wood. Bottom line, the feedback from state architects, millwork manufacturers, and tradesmen was that it worked. These people witnessed years of superior topcoat performance after CPES had been applied. This led Smith & Co. to market their Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer specifically for priming. The reason is it’s multifunctional capabilities:

• adhesion promoting primer
• porosity-sealing primer
• tannin-blocking primer
• acidity-neutralizing primer
• sanding-primer
• resists long-term coating failure

Thus the new brand name MultiWoodPrime for the world’s best wood primer.

What is MultiWoodPrime?

MultiWoodPrime is a tough, flexible resin system carried into the wood by a solvent blend which dissolves the sap, oil and moisture found in wood. This resin system is derived from natural wood resin and, therefore, develops a chemical adhesive bond to the wood resin and wood fibers in the new wood. The resins from each form a bond which prevents coating adhesion failure. 

MultiWoodPrime Plasticises Wood, Preserving it, Sealing it and Making Paint Stick

Once treated with MultiWoodPrime, timber, whether new or old, has a breathable sealed outer surface. This stops the ingress of water, and protects vulnerable areas like end grain and joints, whilst allowing the wood to breathe.

Furthermore it provides a stable long lasting base for paint or varnish to stick to which makes your top coat last MUCH longer. This Doubles the life of top coats, and the underlying wood product significantly reduces the ownership cost of any exterior wood. All primers are designed to stick paint to wood, this is the worlds best wood primer because it does that best.

Low Maintenance Wooden Windows And Doors

You can have the maintenance benefits of Plastic windows or doors, with the beauty of natural wood. Wanting wooden windows, but without the onerous maintenance? Just one simple application of MultiWoodPrime at manufacture of your windows can make them competitive with UPVC.

The name MultiWoodPrime means what it says: it is a multi-functional primer, a claim meant to be taken by the user literally. MultiWoodPrime, in fact, performs the multiple functions of promoting topcoat adhesion, neutralizing wood acidity, sealing surface porosity, impregnating sub-surface porosity, blocking tannin bleed, resisting coating failure, and toughening up a soft surface so it can be lightly sanded. Clearly the worlds best wood primer.

More information

How to Use MultiWoodPrime, the World’s best wood primer

We have just published detailed instructions on how to prime and varnish properly to gain maximum durability from exterior timber. Our house sign was the subject of this restoration. We restored it from badly aged bare wood back to the wonderful lustrous highly UV resistant specimen you see here. See how to achieve this look, and the specific benefits of priming with CPES, the best wood primer, here: Use MultiWoodPrime to make varnish last.

1. Strip any old finishes, paint or varnish, from the timber. Sanding or a heat gun are preferred, or the solvent MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone)
2. Dry the timber and keep it dry
3. Sand the wood to a moderate finish, 220 to 400 grit abrasives are fine
4. Clean the surface of any wood dust by brush or vacuum
5. If staining the timber, use an oil or solvent based stain. Do not use water based or latex stains. The application of MultiWoodPrime and clear finishes will darken the wood as light will travel further into the wood and enhance the grain. You can see this effect by applying a damp finger to the timber
6. Choose the correct temperature variation of MultiWoodPrime for the environment you are working in
7. Apply several coats of MultiWoodPrime to the timber over a period of a few hours. Wait until the worst of the solvent smell has gone before applying the next coat. Once a glossy finish remains after the solvents have evaporated then you are finished. The World’s best wood primer will offer a solid and stable base to attach your top coat to your timber
8. If the surface has irregularities and requires sanding, it is best to leave the MultiWoodPrime to fully chemically cure before sanding. This will stop it clogging sandpaper. Once the surface is suitable for varnishing, we recommend another light coat of MultiWoodPrime be applied the day before you begin varnishing
9. Once the solvent smell has completely disappeared you may start using your final finishes.
   1. Varnishes do not require any thinned coats, use undiluted but otherwise follow the manufaturers recoating instructions. Use 1/2 litre per sq metre of timber
   2. Paints will not normally require a primer. Paints may require an undercoat to flatten the timber. We recommend oil based undercoats and top coats for durability. As MultiWoodPrime is vapour permeable it is compatible with the modern microporous paints as well

To justify the claim of the worlds best wood primer, we need proof of durability.

Our house sign was done in 2019, and still looks perfect. There are current photos at the bottom of the article: Varnish finish that lasts Customers have had nearly 20 years from Varnish finishes on boats in the Carribean.  Christian Carleton and Taurus

Other Material on MultiWoodPrime

Creators Notes

Smith and Co Notes on the world’s best wood primer

Creating the perfect durable Varnish finish

How to apply Varnish

Penetration testing with the Rot Doctor – The best versus the rest

Independent Testimonials / Reviews

Wooden Boat Forum – Painting Yellow Pine, prime with CPES Wooden Boat Forum – CPES is the Best Primer Wooden Boat Forum – Bilge Paint vs Boat Soup – The perfect case for CPES

Wooden Boat Forum – Discussing CPES

Wooden Boat Forum: CPES as a Primer

MultiWoodPrime is Clear Penetrating epoxy Sealer (CPES).