ESP Easy Surface Prep - 1 Litre

Turned my pvc window frames inside of my house from brown to white with proper application the white paint adheres to this product for a great finish.

Although this product is primarily marketed as an agent for providing a bonding key on non-porous surfaces such as tiles, ceramics and melamine, I have also used it very successfully to freshen up woodwork previously painted with traditional oil-based gloss paint.Rather than having to go through the laborious (and costly) process of sugar-soaping, sanding and undercoating before applying the new gloss paint, ESP does it all in one in a fraction of the time. It also helps avoid the build-up of paint when recoating with undercoat/topcoat, which can obscure detail moulding.I have, for example, used it very successfully to repaint a gloss-painted interior door. Just brush or wipe on the ESP (it's very 'thin' so goes on just like water - hence goes on REALLY quickly, and a little goes a long way). wait five minutes or so for it to work (it cleans as well, so, as I said, no need to sugar soap if the paint is dirty/greasy), then just wipe off the excess with a rag. Leave the remaining film to dry/cure for about 2hrs and you can then re-gloss straight away. Magic! No need to fiddle with sandpaper and getting rid of dust; no need to wait until the next day for undercoat to dry.Highly recommended.

I used it for painting my kitchen. The units are melamine and the doors are solid wood. I went from dark brown to white. It should be noted that ESP is by no means work-free. Everything required a damn good scrub first. I started with a Brillo pad, then went to kitchen cleaner (de-greaser), and finally sugar soap. After drying, I gave them all a quick sand over.The ESP goes on very easy. It's as thin as water. It's a pity that one cannot buy this in smaller quantities. 1 Litre would probably be enough for every kitchen in our road.After the ESP had dried, I applied 2 coats of oil-based white undercoat; sanding lightly between coats. I then finished with a coat of white Eggshell (again oil-based). The result is certainly good and would be better still with 3 undercoats and 2 top coats.

Had high hopes for this product, after finding most of the extensive woodwork we had repainted - by a 'professional' - in Nov '14 was so poorly executed (old paint still showing through, surfaces so rough, even sharp, you risk making your hands bleed..) it would have to be redone. By me. Wanting to avoid the arduous task of re-sanding so much, read an article about ESP - seemed to be the answer. Felt the cost would be worth the saved physical effort. But what the instructions (print on the label so small had to use a magnifying glass!) fail to tell you is that this solution is no more than an adhesive for paint to stick to - it doesn't clean, smooth out blemishes that already exist, as other reviewers have implied. Also, while fresh gloss does go on beautifully for one coat, a 2nd coat, even using ESP again - after the 1st coat has dried of course - does not! Like painting with glue. In addition, after only one coat the brush strokes were clearly visible - after 2, the paint looks even thicker, more 'stepped'. Trying to even this out during application did not work. One reviewer/site which advocated this product did advise thinning the gloss first, with yet another expensive Owatrol product, but this is not supported by the label instructions as received. So re-sanding of rough surfaces can't be avoided, alas. Interestingly - I was not able to find ESP in either of the 2 local towns I live near - blank stares the only response when I asked about it. If it was that 'labour-saving-plus-excellent-finish', you'd think it would be part of every self-styled decorator's repertoire, never mind the DIY-ers - thus flying off the shelves! Very disappointed overall with this product - giving it 3 stars probably too generous, although can see that under ideal conditions (?!) it might be useful. Still have most of the litre left - anyone interested?

Brilliant stuff, I used it to prep the bathroom of a narrowboat, which had two surfaces, highly varnished wood and a melamine area. Used this and then painted over with emulsion - worked brilliantly. In the shower area I also used a top coat of waterproofing and so far it still looks good. Have also used it before painting an old highly varnished wooden cabinet - again the result was great. So much easier and quicker than sanding. A little bit goes a very long way.

Great primer to use before paintingGives great adhesion and easy to apply

Bought this after watching a youtube promo video raving on about how much it works on kitchen cupboard doors with veneers/laminate. Well, it didn't!! I followed the instructions down to the letter and covered my kitchen doors with the ESP solution (it's supposed to be a kind of cheat way of prep'ing your cupboards before painting them, meaning you don't have to sand and prime blah blah blah). I left 3 kitchen doors without the E.S.P and then set about painting them all. The doors with the ESP made the paint slide around and got worse after I let the first coat of paint dry and attempted to re-coat. It was streaky and blotchy leaving the doors with an uneven finish. The doors without the ESP took the paint better and had a better finish (even without sanding and priming). Save your money. It doesn't work.

This is fantastic! I used it on my kitchen cupboard doors before painting. A little goes a long way and it saved me so much time. Paint still immaculate after over a year with two kids and a dog. Will be using before painting all wood in house.

Lors de la première application j'ai eu l'impression que c'était juste de l'eau (attention très liquide) et ensuite (après 2 couches) j'ai passé ma peinture. Sa a l'air de bien tenir après 3 semaines. Satisfait. Merci

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I hate to sand prior to painting and this worked like a dream. Was able to paint my kitchen cabinets in two days and have them back up looking wonderful!! I recommend to anyone and bought extra for future projects.

Utilisé pour repeindre des plinthes vernies.J'enlève une étoile pour le manque de viscosité du produit qui est carrément liquide ! Du coup, on ne voit pas la quantité qu'on met (il est aussi transparent) et ça coule un peu partout. Je pense qu'une application à l'éponge ou avec un petit rouleau sera plus facile.Résultat nickel

Would have worked better if my husband had not thrown away and had to go out and buy more after searching everywhere