Just as there are many different types of building materials there are also many different forms of primer.  Each type of primer is made specifically to suit the requirements of the material it coats.  Wood primers, for instance, are designed to protect the wood from weather damage and debilitating mould and rot.  Metal primers, however, are aimed at preventing rust or the brittleness or warping that comes from extreme heat or cold.  There are also primers that are designed to be used on materials which have been damaged by smoke or other unsightly smells, and on materials with unstable or dusty surfaces.

Perhaps the most common primer used in households is the wood primer, of which there are a few different varieties.  The generic wood primer can be used on just about any type of wood, and will form a seal around the structure that should keep damage at bay and make it much easier to paint.  For woods with high levels of tannin, there is a tannin resistant primer which uses the technology of latex to prevent bleed-through of the tannin colour into the paint.  There is also an aluminium-based wood primer which is ideal for hardwoods.

For other building materials – such as plaster, cement, plastics or brick – there is an alkali-resistant primer which will not turn white or leech into the structure after application.  Acrylic water-borne primer is ideal for dry plaster and walls, whilst stabilizing primer can be used for binding dusty or powdery surfaces.  Metal-specific primer is ideal for most metals, protecting new and weathered and ferrous and non-ferrous metal building materials.