When you’re looking at re-painting the exterior of your home or a commercial building, a question often arises: do I need one coat or two coats of paint? In most instances, a painting professional or contractor will tell you two coats of paint are better and, typically, when providing a quote for a painting project, two coats of paint is included in the estimate. But, are two coats of paint necessary or better?
Durability and Longevity
The first and most common answer to the question of why two coats of paint is a standard painting protocol is the application of two coats leads to a longer-lasting and more durable paint finish. Painting the exterior of a building is, typically, a time-consuming, costly endeavor. Hence, it’s most desirable for a paint application to last for as many years as possible. Applying two coats of paint is the best way to insure a house or building will not need to be repainted in the immediate future.
Coverage and Bleed-Through
The other primary reason to apply two coats of paint is to insure the color of the finished paint surface is consistent throughout. Depending on the chosen paint color and if that paint is being applied over an existing color, one coat of paint may not provide enough coverage to prevent bleed-through of an underlying color. In general, two coats of paint creates greater opacity and prevents bleed-through and the appearance of splotchiness and inconsistency in the desired color.
Smoother Finish
An additional benefit of a second coat of paint is an additional layer of paint tends to even out any inconsistencies in the first coat due to aberrations caused by brush strokes or other surface anomalies. A second coat of paint will fill-in those areas and make for a smoother, more consistent finish.