I just recently used a latex primer (Glidden Gripper) over varnised interior trim and believe I have made a mistake. I had sanded the trim and decided to use latex primer because I was going to use latex paint. This appears to be where I went wrong. It has only been one day but in a few places the primer is cracking and I can also see brown bleeding through from the wood/varnish in other spots. Do I need to remove the latex primer and if so how? Are there any other alternatives?

I would reprime with an pigmented shellac primer such as Zinnser BIN which will hold back the staining from the wood. Did you clean the trim before or after the sanding step? As if you did not it could be wax or a oily residue causing the cracking. You will need to sand lightly and then wash with ammonia and water before you prime again.

Thanks for the advice. I did wipe the trim down but only used straight water. I could have probably done a better job. 90% of the cracking did occur at the same height and the same place that one would put their hands when walking through a doorway. Will I be able to safely re-prime with the Zinnser shelac primer after sanding and cleaning since the Glidden Gripper was a water based primer. From other things I have read it appears that I should not put oil over latex. ???

The BIN primer is a pigmented shellac which will work best over an oily residue. It cleans up with alcohol and it will go over the latex you have now. Then you can apply an acrylic semi-gloss over the BIN primer.

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try.