oil primer dry time

[Ravenswood Chicago]

I'm painting hardboard panels using an oil primer.  The top coat will be be acrylic latex.

I primed the panels 24 hours ago.  The panels are dry to the touch but still smell like oil.  I have them drying in my garage but temperatures are supposed to go down to 30 degrees tonight and I'd like to bring them inside.

Question is:  When can i apply topcoat?  Do i need to wait until the oil smell is completely gone?

[Blaine]

Read the instructions on the container for the primer.  Typically, you can paint over oil in 2-4 hours, but low temperatures can extend that and they usually say not to use them if the temperature is below 50°.  (Yeah, it was warmer than that yesterday in our area.)

The smell of the oil probably doesn't matter.

JMO, though.  The instructions on the can will tell you more.

Blaine

[Ravenswood Chicago]

Thanks.  The instructions say nothing about when it's ok to apply latex topcoat.  It only says it is dry to touch in 30 min, can re-apply in 2 hours, and full adhesion in 7 days.

[jteneyck]

No clue, but I think you need to get the panels in where it's at least 60F for a day or two before putting a WB product on top.  Just a guess, though. 

This is why I mostly use BIN pigmented shellac as my paint primer for indoor projects.  It dries in just a few minutes, and you can topcoat it with whatever you want in an hour.  Since it's shellac based you can use it on MDF, hardboard, etc., w/o risk of swelling the wood fibers.  

John