Interior Paints

Kilz 2 Primer Review

Ryan Cunningham

January 9, 2023

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To get the best paint job possible, you usually need to primer your surfaces before applying the topcoat. In fact, the right primer will usually make or break a difficult painting job.

This Is A Review of Kilz 2 All Purpose Primer

Kilz 2 All Purpose Primer is a great general purpose and low-cost primer. It’s great for all kinds of DIY projects and won’t break the bank.

You Can Purchase Kilz 2 Primer Here.

My Experience With Kilz 2

I’ve been painting for just over 20 years now and have been running DIY Painting Tips since 2015.

During this time, I have used Kilz 2 on literally over 100 projects. Just recently, I used it in a 5000 square foot home that my client had just purchased from a smoker. The house stunk and had smokey grease on everything. I’ll tell you exactly how well Kilz 2 worked and what exactly I used it for.

Kilz 2 Review Summary

Kilz 2 All Purpose is my go-to general-purpose primer. If I need a primer for a very specific problem, there are other primers I use like Zinnser Peel Stop or Zinsser Smart Prime.

But on most painting jobs, I always make sure I have a can of Kilz 2 on hand for priming drywall patches, covering markers, grease stains, blocking tannins, and more.

Kilz 2 Review Table Of Contents

• Product Overview
• My Experience With Kilz 2
• When Should You Use Kilz 2
• Kilz 2 FAQ
• Kilz 2 Alternatives`
• Conclusion (where to buy)

Kilz 2 General Purpose Overview

Kilz 2 is a general-purpose primer that has many uses for the DIY Painter.

If you are getting ready to repaint a room, Kilz 2 is great for priming old marker spots, water stains, or new drywall patches.

Priming new drywall patches is probably the most common way I use Kilz 2. By applying one coat of primer before starting your repaint, you’ll ensure that these new drywall patches don’t flash through your final topcoat.

Kilz 2 is also great at sealing in smells and grease, such as in a room where people have smoked or done lots of cooking.

It’s also good at priming trim, cabinets, doors, and windows before you plan on painting them. But while it does work, it’s not my first choice for priming wood (that would be Zinsser Smart Prime).

Is Kilz 2 A Good Primer?

Whether Kilz 2 is a good primer or not really depends on what you are using it for. This question requires a little bit of an explanation.

For really general purposes and the price, Kilz 2 is a great primer. You can typically find Kilz 2 for $12 – $15 per gallon. Check the price on Amazon here.

If you are looking for a more specific primer, like the one you would use to prime your kitchen cabinets, you are more likely going to be spending $30+ per gallon. You can buy my favorite cabinet primer Zinsser Smart Prime here.

I also wouldn’t bring Kilz 2 into a restoration project, nor would I use it to prime the whole exterior of a house. But a couple of spots, a small water stain, a smokey ceiling, yes, it’s a good enough primer for those things.

My Recent Experience With Kilz 2

As I stated earlier, I have been painting for just over 20 years as a professional painter and have been running DIY Painting Tips since 2015. I have a lot of painting experience and have run into many different priming scenarios.

I typically keep a gallon of Kilz 2 on me for small priming projects on residential repaints. Whether it is some grease stains in kitchens, drywall patches, or a small water stain.

Just recently, I finished a 5000 square foot home where I was hired to come in before the new homeowner moved in and prime everything, enamel all woodwork (doors, windows, cabinets, trim, and crown), and paint all walls.

I had a few different issues I had to contend with. First, the previous homeowner had smoked cigars in his home for 20 years. IT STUNK.

Second, other contractors would be working on the project the entire time I was there.

Third, I had to stay within budget.

To stay on budget, my choices were Kilz Original and Kilz 2. They are both cheap general-purpose primers.

Kilz Original would have been the best primer because it is oil-based and would have sealed in the stains and smells wonderful.

But, Kilz Original has a VOC content of 442 grams per liter. That is huge VOC content. It smelled so bad that the house would need to be evacuated while I spent days spraying primer on all the ceilings, walls, and sub-floors.

However, I decided years ago to stop sacrificing my health for projects like this. Long-term exposure to high-VOC products like this is horrible for your health.

So, my next best solution was Kilz 2. Kilz 2 is a water-based primer with 10 grams per liter of VOCs. That is incredibly low. This means I will keep my health, and the home won’t stink and cause other contractors to quit working.

I used Kilz 2 to spray every inch of ceilings, walls, and subfloors in the home. It worked great and saved me a lot of money over more expensive primers. It gave me great color in my topcoats when I painted the walls and allowed me to cover the ceilings with one coat of ceiling paint.

When the project was finished, and all ducts were cleaned, there was not a trace of old cigar smell in the home. Overall, I used something like 60-70 gallons of Kilz 2 in this home, and I was extremely happy with the results.

I did opt not to use Kilz 2 for priming the woodwork; however, In my experience, it doesn’t bond as well to old woodwork as do other primers like Zinsser Smart Prime.

When Should You Use a Primer Like Kilz 2?

I would recommend using Kilz 2 anytime you need to prime old walls before repainting. This could be dirty kitchen walls, greasy walls at the head of a bed, smoke-stained walls, urined stained sub-floors, new drywall, and drywall patches.

I would opt for a more powerful primer when priming woodwork or large water stains such as leaky roof stains.

Kilz 2 Questions and Answers

Kilz 2 Alternatives

While Kilz 2 is a good primer, it is a general-purpose primer. This means that different situations will call for a specialty primer; here are a few of my recommendations.

Zinsser Smart Prime

Zinsser Smart Prime is my go to primer for priming kitchen cabinets and other interior woodwork when enameling for residential clients. You can read my full review here as well as How To Enamel Kitchen Cabinets Like a Pro, and the Best Grain Filler For Kitchen Cabinets.

Buy Zinsser Smart Prime Here

Zinsser Peel Stop

Zinsser Peel Stop is the perfect exterior primer to stop peeling paint in its tracks. I have used it for years and it has absolutely stopped callbacks for peeling paint.

Buy Zinsser Peel Stop Here

Paint and Primer in One

Whenever you are repainting a bedroom and the walls are in good shape, a primer isn’t necessary. A typical paint and primer in one is all you need (and most quality paints are paint and primer’s in one these days.

Kilz Drywall

Kilz Drywall is a drywall specific primer formulated for priming new drywall. If you are refinishing your basement and have a lot of new drywall to paint, Kilz Drywall is the perfect choice for your project.

Buy Kilz PVA Here.

In Conclusion

Kilz 2 is a great general purpose primer and should solve most DIY Painter’s priming issues. It’s a great primer to keep on hand for small projects, getting rid of smells, priming small drywall repairs, as well as water and grease stains.

With it’s low price, it fits nearly all budgets and gives you good bonding and sealing so that your topcoat will look amazing.

You can purchase Kilz 2 with the link below:

My name is Ryan Cunningham and I have been a professional painter since 2001. On DIY Painting Tips I give my real life honest painting advice based on 20+ years of experience. Feel free to leave a comment with your questions, I make sure to answer every one.