2 Coats Or One Coat

Brushslingers

I will have to chime in with AA, mil thickness is a warrenty deal... if you don't have enough mil on the walls, there are testers for it and the dealer will tell you..... Paint it again.

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Benn

saucedo80

Oh now that I know, I have painted front doors red and some have taken up to six coats to cover and achieve the right color. These dark colors are the exception, dark reds dark browns etc.

now in terms of mil thickness and all of that let me tell you something, and you guys can argue if you want, I have had houses already on their fifth year sixth year and up to tenth year that they were painted and are still in good shape with "one coat" of paint now how do you two coaters explain that?

In my opinion you can put two three or as many coats as you want, and that is not going to guarantee a good paint job, what is going to guarantee a good paint job is how well you do the prep work, scraping sanding priming etc. What good does it do to do two coats over a surface that has loose peeling paint that wasn't scraped if in a couple of months that loose paint is going to fall off. I think that the second coat is more of a luxury than a nessecity

slickshift

Well, after all this, if you still think that way, then why did you ask the question and ask for advice?
Looking for back-up?


First of all, that's great
We don't get any paint lasting too long on the shore
It's pretty harsh on paint

Second, you can "get away with" stuff in painting
You can sometimes "get away with" one-coat interiors sometimes
You can sometimes "get away with" not sanding
You can sometimes "get away with" not priming
It doesn't mean you should, and it doesn't mean it won't at some point bite you (or the next painter, or the homeowner) in the butt*

Now, what does the Kelly Moore say about coats?
If they say one coat is fine, your covered
...but that doesn't mean that two coats is not better



*Good example:
The we don't need no stinkin' primer new const. "painters"
They say "we never had a problem"
Of course not, they never had a problem
The paint failed years later, or during a re-paint

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Signature Quote

Quote:

Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

AAPaint

....and, when it does fail, both you and the homeowner can't fall back on the manufacturer because you didn't follow the right process. Simple as that. If you're having a hard time selling that second coat, show them the specs, but don't just rationalize it away. Let THEM decide if they want to risk having just one coat, and make SURE they understand it's wrong.

If you do at least that, you can say you've done your part. However, if it fails, and then they can't get help from you or the mfg. for warranty, it is your name that will be tarnished, not the paint's.

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-AAPaint

AA Quality Painting & Pressure Washing LLC
Jacksonville Painters
Jacksonville, FL.

saucedo80

Oh don't get me wrong guys, I do appreciate all of your input, and the reason why i decided to start this thread was because of my uncertainty. However I just wanted to express my point of view too. From now on when i go and give a bid for exteriors i will ask and inform them on one and two coats and let them decide. Perhaps even give them two prices on for one coat application and one for two coat application and then let them decide.

SgtBaldy

Sums it up.

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Tampa Painters

Robert S

my older brother taught me to paint about 22years ago he was fast and a perfectionist his work was a1 he varly ever advertised and he always told me that 2 thin coats are better than 1 and thats what i go by.there has been times when spraying i would go 1 in fear of having it to thick.

Paul_R

While I was spending a little time looking at pasts posts I came across this thread. This is a topic that has intrigued me for some time. What is the standard for one coat coverage? How thick can you lay the paint on to cover the surface?

Many paint cans say that one coat coverage is guaranteed, of course it is dependent on the surface preparation. I did run across a can of paint that said that some colors may require a second coat of paint to cover (Olympic). I know that even BM suggests that a primer that is tinted is recommended to assure coverage of darker colors. Dark colors simply do not have enough titanium dioxide to help cover the existing paint. So, do you still go for two coats, even when the new color is a light pastel, over another light pastel?

And then there is the color green. Seems like this is a hard color to cover, regardless what is going over it. Has anyone else had a problem with green coverage?

Thanks a bunch, Paul.

farrellpainting

i cant comment on coverage, but green(exterior) just does'nt hold up good at all! it seems like its not formulated right or maybe just attracts too much heat!
and for some reason green paint seems to always lift all previous layers right off of the wood substrate! every green repaint ive done has been this way! one house (not my contract) does this every year!what is it with that color?

almost forgot,if you tint the primer and you get a good result with your finish why would would you paint it again?i hear ya on mfg mil thickness if its new contruction. a durable paint job mostly depends on what lies beneath the new paint, the type of new paint,primer,weather,and the aggregates(any that are able to hold and disapate moisture) ability to breath properly,you could put 5 coats of whatever on, it aint gonna last 25yrs,maybe not even 1 in some cases!mfg tests the durability of the finish coat on previously bare primed wood,not 100 yr old lead paint!so in this case if it looks good leave it!the binders/resins of new high quality paint are so strong that they can actually promote adheshion failure of the old paint(mostly old poor quality oils) if you dont prime it first.even then its a crap shoot,now that this post has got me thinking why dont we treat ext paint jobs like decks?im kinda new to the biz but if on new construction if one follows the general rule of thumb,painting one side a year how long can you perpetually do this w/o paint failure?ruling out water damage and use of poor quality products and hacks?should we be stipping paint from wood every 5 yrs and starting over?my head hurts what do you guys think?

i think i nailed this one but i could be wrong somewhere?lets discuss this one further so we can all benefit!

Joewho

On any paint you use, there are specs on the wet and dry mil thickness. You have to look them up.

When they say guarantee one coat coverage, they mean one color will cover another color. They don't mean guarantee one coat will give you a long lasting job.

When using a sheen, from satin to gloss, either interior or exterior, I always see the difference from one coat to two coats. I think any kind of sheen should always be at least two coats.

Chris G

The manufacturers gaurantee only covers the cost of the paint, not the labour. Great, I get a few hundred bucks worth of paint to re-do a $3000 job. I think a lot of people overstate its importantance. Has anyone ever had to use it?

Traditions

If it is new construction and you are really on a budget tint a good primer 75% of wall color. Then go with one coat of a good flat wall paint. Any sheen at all and I would go with 2 coats. I think one coat tinted primer and one coat flat paint would be fine. Although i don't advise it. When in doubt, go with two coats.

Brushslingers

I worked a few govt jobs (mainly because noone else in the city didn't have a record) and ya, they check mil. I've had to use the warranty deal a few times.

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Benn

Paul_R

Exposing my ignorance, do you fellas actually measure how thick the paint is being applied, and what in the world is the way to measure it? Do you use a penny, and look to see how close the thickness come to Pres. Lincolns head? Hey by the way I am conviction free also! Thanks, Paul.

Brushslingers

They make several different testers, some electronic, some with a little needle. Google.

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Benn

4thGeneration

I never paint one coat on walls. I can see brushing one coat same color on trim using waterborne in the same gloss, but not walls.
First, I always check the color to see if it is a LH(low hide) color. If it is it does get a extra charge, but I will use a primer. Example of Red, I always use a gray primer, then top coat with two coats of bm regal matte or SW cashmere Satin. Patch walls, Sand walls, wipe walls down, prime if a LH, Two Coats Finish. Good color walls get the same except no primer if in good shape. If there are stains of water or grease I use the proper stain/sealer/blocker for that.

Joewho

A simple micrometer will work.

There are specs for all paints on how to achieve their mil thickness.
I'll see if I can find some. Otherwise, they have the books at the paint store.

Richard

lets just say that if you paint 2 coats of finish, you're most likely going to achieve the correct mils...so you'll have no worries--plus when you have 95% of painters in here saying 2 coats is best, how can you logically dispute that? we're not messing with you, we're giving our honest, professional opinion

saucedo80...you're cutting corners and saying that it's ok, point blank--If you want to cut corners, do it...just dont come in here looking for support to back it up. In here there are still hacks, and most of us know who they are...but there are also those of us trying to do it right...overall, it really just makes you look bad

just being honest and blunt

Paul_R

Hey fellas, thanks for all the great input. I appreciate the willingness of the folks here to help educate the ignorant masses. Especially me. I guess that my theory was to just lay it on thick as you could. But I have learned here that it tis better to apply multiple coats, and this does make sense. Sincerely, Paul.