Would you like to know how many coats of white paint you need? Well, we have researched this topic and have answers for you. It is essential to layer the correct number of coats of white paint to ensure your paint job has desirable results.
The standard number of coats of white paint needed for most jobs is two. However, painting over darker colors and using lower quality paint will require more layers to achieve the desired look.
In this article, we will learn how many coats of white paint you need to paint in different situations. We will also learn the answers to other interesting questions such as, what are some high-quality white paints, and should you use primer when painting? Keep reading to learn more.
How Many Coats Of White Paint Do You Need?
The exact number of coats of white paint you need fluctuates depending on a couple of key factors.
The most important of these factors is the color of paint you're trying to cover. Darker colors will require more layers of paint to conceal completely. Also, remember that colors with deep hues will bleed through the white and require additional layers.
The quality of your white paint is the other key factor determining how many white paint coats you'll need.
Let's learn how many coats of white paint you need to cover different colors assuming you have high-quality paint. Then let's look at how lower quality paint affects the number of coats of white paint required.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Gray?
The shade of gray you try to cover will determine how many coats of white paint you need. If you are covering a light gray, then two coats of white color should be sufficient, but if the gray you are covering is closer to black, you will need three or four coats to cover it entirely.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Beige?
Two coats of high-quality white paint should be plenty to ensure complete coverage since beige is a lighter color.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Black?
Black is famous for being one of the most challenging colors of paint to cover. You may be able to get away with only painting three coats of white paint, but you may need four or five coats to ensure your white looks bright.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Pink?
How deep the hue of your pink is will determine how many coats of white paint will be required to cover it adequately. Two coats of white paint will be enough if your pink is closer to white. Darker pinks that look closer to red than white will require three or four coats of white paint to have no color bleed through.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Blue?
You should only need two coats of high-quality white paint to cover light blues. If your blue is deep and dark, then you may need three or four coats to ensure no blue is visible through the white.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Orange?
If the orange you are trying to cover is lighter, then two coats of white paint will be enough. Dark oranges with deep hues will require three or four coats of white paint to hide all the orange.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Red?
Covering red paint with white paint is notoriously difficult. If even a tiny amount of red color shows through your white paint, you will end up with a pink finish.
Three to four coats of white paint should be enough to cover lighter reds, while you will need four to five coats for darker reds.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover Drywall?
If the wall you are painting hasn't already been painted, you may be wondering if you still need more than one coat of paint. It is best to use two coats of paint when painting drywall to ensure a proper-looking paint job.
How Many Coats Of White Paint To Cover White Paint?
When painting white paint over white paint, it is okay to use one coat as long as the previous white paint is the same as the new paint. If the color of the white paint isn't the same, then you will need two coats to make the color turn out correct.
How Do You Tell If Your White Paint Is High Quality?
When painting, you must use high-quality paint to ensure you won't need additional coats. Some qualities to look for are price, prime pigments, hiding, percentage of solids, binder concentration, and fillers.
Price
When you are looking at paint, price tends to indicate quality. The more a color costs, the higher quality it is.
Paint costs anywhere from $15 a gallon to over $100. On average, quality paints cost about $30 to $60 a gallon.
Prime Pigments
Prime pigments are added to the paint to help prevent what you are painting over from showing. When choosing your color, you should look for one that contains more titanium dioxide or titanium white.
Titanium white is one of the highest quality prime pigments, so paint with this ingredient will be more expensive. However, it will take fewer coats to paint and may save you money in the long run.
Hiding
Higher quality paints have better coverage, also known as hiding. Look for a paint that says it has "one-coat hiding." This means that it promises full coverage in one coat of paint.
Percentage Of Solids
Solids are an essential ingredient because they are what the paint leaves behind when it dries. High-quality paints will have between 35% to 40% solids.
Be aware that a high solids concentration isn't the only factor when considering paint quality. Some lower-quality paints will meet these criteria, but not the other factors we have discussed.
If the paint has a lot of solvents, it will be of lower quality. Solvents evaporate while solids stay behind, so a higher concentration of solvents to solids will give you a weaker paint.
Binder Concentration
Binders hold the paint pigment together and directly affect its performance. The binder used determines adhesion, washability, and fade resistance.
You will want to look for paints with a 100% acrylic binder because it is considered the best performing binder. Oil-based binders are prone to oxidation and will yellow quicker than other binders and should therefore be avoided.
Fillers
Low-quality paints will have more fillers and less active ingredients. Some of these are clay, mica, silica, and glass powder.
While these ingredients can be added to improve performance, some brands add more than is necessary. If there is a high concentration of fillers, the pain may be thinner and need more to provide coverage.
Should You Use A Primer Before Painting?
The purpose of primer is to seal the surface you are painting, improve adhesion, and ensure a smooth area to paint. It would be best to use a primer before painting porous, glossy, or stained areas to provide the best results.
This is because porous surfaces absorb your paint, making it take longer to paint. Paint will not stick to glossy surfaces without being primed, and stained surfaces may show up through your paint if a primer isn't applied first.
Other reasons to use a primer before painting are to eliminate odors and if you are doing a significant color change. Primer is a sealant, so any smells in the walls can be sealed in and stopped by using a primer. If the color you used before was significantly different than what you are painting with, the primer will make it easier to cover it up.
Do You Need To Prime If Your Paint Has Primer In It?
Most paints that claim to be "paint and primer in one" do not have any primer in them. The majority of these paints are just thicker than standard paint.
Since these paints don't have primer, you should still prime your walls before painting. However, if your walls have already been painted with latex paint and primed once, you may be able to skip priming.
Final Thoughts
This article taught us that you need at least two coats of white paint to provide full coverage. However, this number can change depending on paint quality and the color your wall was previously.
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