Commercial painters in Tracy have worked with a wide range of commercial spaces to know enough that each business has its specific requirements. One of those requirements may include the number of coats of paint needed to sufficiently cover a surface.
Typically, two coats of paint are enough to cover a surface. While you may be concerned about the cost, you would rather think about the performance of the paint how long will it hold up, how long the color will last, etc. For most surfaces, it might be true that it doesn’t make any difference if you paint the surface with just one color.
However, applying the surface with two coats of paint will guarantee greater durability, protection, achieving the paint’s true color, as well as color retention. How many coats of paint you have to apply will depend on several factors, such as the type and condition of the surface, or coatings other than paint:
- Painting the same color on an interior or exterior wall – Painting can be one of the simplest and easiest ways to freshen the look of your interior space. If you are painting the wall with the same color as the existing color on your wall, one coat of paint is enough. To ensure proper adhesion, wash and clean the surface first, then let it dry.
- Painting a new color on an interior or exterior wall – You probably need at least two coats of paint to properly paint a new color over the old color. However, it still depends on the original color. It is fine to paint a darker color over a lighter color, so you may need two coats the most. But if you decide to paint a lighter color over the original dark color, you may either need at least six coats of paint. Or you may use a primer first before applying the new paint. You may need two coats of primer to make sure that that the existing darker paint won’t bleed through the new (lighter) paint.
- Painting a textured surface – If you are painting a textured, rough or porous wall or ceiling, you will apply the same number of coats of paint as for smooth (two coats), but you will need a lot more paint. In general, one gallon of paint colors 400 square feet of a smooth wall. But for textured surfaces, one gallon of paint might cover 200 to 300 square feet, so you’ll need at least another one gallon.
- Quality of paint – Many paint manufacturers themselves (Sherwin-Williams, for instance) even specify on their products that they recommend two coats of paint. It’s because this is the way their products are formulated for such a number of applications. But if you buy cheap paints, you may need more than two coatings, but do not expect them to perform at par with the high-quality paints. High-quality paints contain better performing ingredients, which is why they need only two (or even just one) coatings to adequately cover a surface. Plus, high-quality paints hold up longer and retain colors better than cheap paints.
In general, commercial painters in Tracy plan on at least two coats. However, they may need more than two coats of paint depending on the condition of the surface (for example, painting a lighter color over a darker one). Also, they always use high-quality paints to ensure that the surfaces are properly covered and give them a smooth, flawless finish.