How Many Coats of Paint Does a Wall Really Need?
The honest answer to how many coats a wall needs is 2 topcoats for most jobs, and the times it's more than that are usually down to something you can see coming before you open the tin. So rather than a magic number, here's what changes the answer and how to check whether you've actually finished.
Why 2 coats is the usual answer
The first coat puts the colour on the wall, and the second one evens out the thin patches and the sheen so the wall reads as one colour from every angle. Even when a first coat looks fine while it's wet, you'll often find light patches once it dries, especially along the edges where you cut in with a brush.
When one coat can be enough
If you're freshening up a wall in the same colour and the old paint is sound and clean, one good coat is sometimes all it needs. Spread it at the rate on the tin, though, because a coat that's rolled out too thin to make the paint go further is the most common reason a wall ends up needing a third one.
When you'll need more than 2
A big change in colour is the usual culprit. A pale colour going over a strong one, or a light colour over a dark one, often won't cover in 2 coats on its own, so a prepcoat underneath does a lot of the covering work and saves you extra topcoats. Bare plasterboard and fresh patching soak paint up unevenly as well, and they need a sealer or prepcoat first so the topcoat doesn't dry patchy.
Patches you've filled can also show through as dull spots, which painters call flashing. Spot priming the filled areas before the full coat goes on is the fix, rather than piling on more topcoats.
How to tell when you're done
Once the last coat is properly dry, hold a torch flat against the wall so the light rakes along the surface. Raking light shows up thin patches and roller marks that you'll never see looking at the wall straight on. If it looks even in that light, you're finished.
Let each coat dry first
The recoat time is on the tin and it's worth sticking to, because a second coat rolled over paint that's still soft underneath can drag and lift. Cold or damp weather stretches that time out, so give it longer on a winter's day.
Shop related products
- Unifiber 230mm Roller Kit, 11mm nap. A frame and cover for a standard interior wall.
- Phoenix 230mm Plastic Paint Tray. It takes the 230mm roller cover.
- Paint Brush Utility 100mm Synthetic. For cutting in along the ceiling and the skirting.
- Uni-Pro Canvas Drop Cloth 1.5m x 3.6m. Canvas stays put on the floor, which plastic doesn't.
Did you know we also keep the Haymes prepcoats and Haymes Low Sheen Acrylic in the shop, and there are Taubmans sample pots for trying a colour first. Paint is classed as dangerous goods and can't be posted, so it isn't something you can order online. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.
We mix and tint paint to order in the shop from the Haymes and Taubmans range we stock, and there's more about how that works on the paint mixing page. The rollers and brushes that are online sit in paint and accessories.
Read next
- How to avoid lap marks when painting with a roller
- How to choose a roller sleeve for your paint finish
I always tell myself the second coat is the last one, and the torch along the wall is what keeps me honest.
Candeece
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