Turbolux makes two single-pack epoxy primers. Prestige is the fast-drying, heavy-duty choice for steel and concrete; Pride is the budget-friendly primer for metal fabrication. Here is how to choose.
Short answer: Choose Prestige when the job needs speed and toughness: it is surface dry in 4 minutes, fully cured in 24 hours, bonds directly to steel, iron, concrete and wood, and resists oil, grease and solvents. That makes it the right primer for structural steel, tanks, pipelines, machinery and industrial floors. Choose Pride when you are priming a lot of metal on a budget, such as gates, grilles, frames and fabricated steel: it covers 6 to 8 m² per litre on the first coat, dries hard, and leaves a smooth gloss ready for topcoating. Both are single-pack, so there is no mixing and no pot life.
What do Prestige and Pride have in common?
Both are 1-pack epoxy primers. You open the tin, stir, thin if needed, and apply. There is no hardener to measure and no pot life to race against, which is why single-pack epoxies are popular with painters and fabricators. If you want the background on how 1-pack and 2-pack systems differ, our guide to 1-pack epoxy primer for metal covers it.
- Same colours: both come in black and grey.
- Same job: both are primers, not finishes. They form the protective base that your finishing coat goes over.
- Same rule: protection comes from film thickness built up over several coats, not from one heavy pass, and preparation decides the result.
- Interior and exterior: both are rated for inside and outside use.
Where they differ is speed, the surfaces they are built for, and how hard they are meant to work.
How do Prestige and Pride compare, spec by spec?
| Prestige Epoxy Primer | Pride Epoxy Primer | |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | 1K epoxy, DM (Direct to Metal) Technology | 1K epoxy resin with NC binder |
| Surfaces | Steel, iron, other ferrous metals, concrete, wood | Prepared steel and metal |
| Surface / touch dry | 4 minutes | 6 to 7 hours |
| Recoat interval | 6 hours minimum | 6 to 8 hours |
| Full cure | 24 hours | 2 days |
| Coverage | High (confirm with your dealer) | 6 to 8 m²/L first coat, 3 to 4 m²/L second coat |
| Recommended coats | 2 to 3 | 1 to 2, a third in harsh exposure |
| Chemical resistance | High: oils, greases, solvents | Good resistance to moisture and industrial atmospheres |
| Abrasion and impact | Superior | Good hardness and abrasion resistance |
| Viscosity / specific gravity | 85 KU / 1.20 | 77 KU / 1.05 |
| Thinning | Recommended thinner, 0 to 5% | Xylene |
| Finish | Glossy | Smooth gloss |
| Colours | Grey, black | Grey, black |
The two numbers that matter most on site are drying time and substrate. Prestige is touch dry in minutes and handles concrete as well as metal. Pride takes longer to dry but spreads economically over large areas of steel.
When should you choose Prestige?
Prestige is built for work where downtime costs money and the coating has to take punishment.
- Industrial steel: structural steel, storage tanks, pipelines and machinery. A weekend shutdown is enough to prime, build the film and hand the plant back, because full cure takes 24 hours.
- Factories and chemical plants: the low-permeability film keeps oils, greases and solvents on the surface instead of letting them soak through to the steel, and it wipes clean afterwards.
- Concrete: Prestige bonds to concrete as well as metal, so it can prime industrial floors and warehouse surfaces. See our guide to epoxy primer for concrete floors.
- Coastal and exposed sites: monsoon humidity and salt air are hard on steel. Build up to three coats where exposure is harshest.
- Steel that travels: fabricated steel gets slung, stacked and dragged before it is ever installed. Prestige’s abrasion and impact resistance keeps the primer intact on the way to site.
DM Technology bonds straight to prepared steel, iron and concrete. Surface dry in 4 minutes, full cure in 24 hours, resistant to oil, grease and solvents.
Grey & Black · Interior & exteriorView Prestige →When should you choose Pride?
Pride gives you real epoxy protection at a price that lets you prime a whole fabrication shop.
- Gates, grilles and railings: the everyday metalwork of homes and shops, where a sound, hard primer under the finish is what stops rust creeping in.
- Fabrication workshops: Pride dries hard, so handling and stacking do not mark it, and its coverage of 6 to 8 m² per litre keeps costs down on large batches.
- Frames, sheds and light structural steel: good corrosion and moisture resistance for interior and exterior metal that is not exposed to chemicals.
- Budget-sensitive jobs: when the choice is between an epoxy primer and a cheap conventional primer, Pride keeps you on epoxy.
Epoxy resin and NC binder for excellent adhesion to prepared metal. Covers 6 to 8 m² per litre on the first coat and dries to a smooth, hard gloss.
Grey & Black · Budget-friendlyView Pride →How do you get the best result from either primer?
- Remove every trace of rust and mill scale. Scrape, wire brush, sand or blast back to sound metal. Rust left under a primer lifts the whole system later.
- Degrease. Wipe off oil, grease and wax with a suitable solvent or degreaser.
- Make sure the surface is completely dry. Never prime over damp steel or concrete.
- Stir well and thin only as directed. Prestige takes 0 to 5% of the recommended thinner (about 5% for spray); Pride is thinned with xylene.
- Apply thin, even coats. Respect the recoat interval (6 hours minimum for Prestige, 6 to 8 hours for Pride) before the next coat.
- Build the film. Two coats as standard, three where exposure is harsh.
- Let it cure before service: 24 hours for Prestige, 2 days for Pride, longer in cold or very humid weather.
Both primers are flammable. Work with good ventilation, keep them away from heat and open flame, and store the tins between 5 and 35°C. For a deeper look at why primer matters at all, read do you really need a primer?
Frequently asked questions
Is Prestige better than Pride?
Prestige is the higher-performance primer: it dries far faster, bonds to concrete as well as metal, and resists oils and solvents. Pride is the better value when you are priming ordinary metalwork in bulk and do not need that speed or chemical resistance.
Can I use Pride on concrete?
Pride is made for prepared steel and metal. For concrete floors and surfaces, use Prestige, which is rated for concrete as well as steel, iron and wood.
Do Prestige and Pride need a topcoat?
Yes. Both are primers. They form the protective base, and the finishing coat goes over them once the recoat interval has passed.
Are Prestige and Pride 2-pack epoxies?
No. Both are single-pack (1K) epoxy primers, so there is no hardener to mix and no pot life. You stir, thin if needed, and apply.
What colours do Prestige and Pride come in?
Both are available in grey and black.
Not sure which primer your job needs?
Tell your nearest Turbolux dealer what you are priming and they will recommend Prestige or Pride.
Find a Turbolux dealer →90728 26662 · [email protected] · Happy walls in just a stroke.
