Paint not applying to surface (primed mdf/wall) - water based paint on acrylic primer undercoat

It depends on the primer - did you read the instructions on the tin? Usually a water-based primer will need 4 - 6 hours before recoating. I'm not sure why your top coat isn't going on though either way. If you used the correct kind of primer it shouldn't cause that issue. You might find thinning the Johnstones a little will help it flow better - just for the first coat. Make sure that has had plenty of time to dry before you do another coat.

There shouldn't be nothing wrong applying any paint to a water base primer , I suggest you apply your emulsion very lightly just roll onto surface once Do not keep going over it time and again , Be patient let the surface dry before applying another coat , Please feel free to ask any other questions KR NEIL

Hi Luke, The Leyland Trade Acrylic Primer will be touch dry very quickly given a suitably heated room, but give it longer than this to sure a little bit. From experience 2 hours is less than recommended, but again given a suitably heated room, should be OK. Assuming the MDF was bare prior, be sure to give it a second coat of primer before the emulsion - it will give a much better, more solid finish after 2 coats of your Johnstone's emulsion. Be sure that the primer is dry, and doesn't feel damp at all. It can be touch dry, but if it still feels damp or cold, give it some more time. Apply the first coat of emulsion without too much concern for coverage, it may look quite grinny (poor opacity) which is fine, but make sure it's not too thick as brush strokes etc will come through in the final coat. The second top coat should cover much better and provide you with a solid finish. Again leave plenty of time between coats to ensure it has dried properly and you don't pull the paint off when applying the final coat. Hope this helps, and good luck! Cheers, Liam

acrylic paint oil paint need to be used as a final coat