Methods for increasing one or more barrier properties of a sheet of paper or paperboard, which method comprises (a) preparing a dispersion having a cationic zeta potential by combining (1) a mixture containing one or more anionic pigments with (2) one or more polyamine-epihalohydrin cationic wet strength resins; (b) coating at least one side of the sheet of paper or paperboard with the dispersion at a coating weight of from about 0.1 g/m2 to about 20 g/m2; (c) drying the coated sheet of paper or paperboard; (d) coating the dried sheet of paper or paperboard with a functional barrier top coating formulated to provide resistance to one or more of the following (1) liquid water, (2) water vapor, (3) oil, (4) grease, (5) gas permeability, (6) skid, or (7) static. Also claimed are dispersions used in the methods, which dispersions have a cationic zeta potential for use as a preliminary coating on a sheet of paper or paperboard in advance to a functional barrier top coating, which dispersions comprise: (a) a mixture containing: (i) one or more anionic pigments in an amount of at least about 20% dry weight of the anionic pigment-containing mixture, (ii) one or more neutral or cationic water soluble binders in an amount up to about 80% dry weight of the anionic pigment-containing mixture, and (b) one or more polyamine-epihalohydrin cationic wet strength resins in a weight ratio of resin:anionic pigment from about 0.03:1 to about 0.8:1.