In most cases, you won’t need to. However, if you are painting an item that has peeling, flaking old paint on it, you will need to remove this. Although Chalk Paint does not peel or flake, the old paint underneath will push it off. Very occasionally you may come across an item that ‘bleeds’ or stains the paint. It is wise to test an area of the piece you are painting, and if this staining occurs after a coat of Chalk Paint use a primer such as ZinsserBin.