Are there any interior paints which are really "one coat"?

[dennis thompson]

I am getting ready to paint the living room and dining room. They are currently a light beige.
Are there any interior paints which are truly "one coat"?
Thanks

[Jason Roehl]

I am getting ready to paint the living room and dining room. They are currently a light beige.
Are there any interior paints which are truly "one coat"?
Thanks

Not if you want a quality paint job.

[Bill Gugel]

Good answer.

[Jason Roehl]

Good answer.

Been living that answer for 19+ years.

[ken masoumi]

You could use one coat of paint over a good quality primer .:D

[Phil Thien]

You could use one coat of paint over a good quality primer .:D

I even suck at that, I need two coats of the color coat for a good result.

I know I am a painting failure, it takes me forever.

[glenn bradley]

You could use one coat of paint over a good quality primer .:D

Thanks a lot Ken. I just blew a mouthful of PB&J all over the monitor.

[George Bokros]

If I have to prime I still apply two top coats, just seems to produce a much better job.

[Chris Padilla]

No, no, no!! I think the minimum is always 2 coats. It is just the way it works. :)

[Bruce Page]

Been living that answer for 19+ years.

Jason, when you're painting a large wall surface area do you use a roller, power roller, or spray?

[Brian Elfert]

I had real good luck with Behr Ultra last fall. It only took one coat after I applied primer. The only spots that needed touch up are spots where we missed with the roller. I had to prime all the walls due to using three buckets of mud to patch the walls and also because the walls were absolutely filthy from the previous owner.

[Jason Roehl]

Jason, when you're painting a large wall surface area do you use a roller, power roller, or spray?

Simple answers? In new construction, I spray (and back-roll while wet), and on an already-painted surface, I roll. I use an 18" roller if it's going to be more than about 3 gallons, 9" roller if less. Almost always a 3/4" nap.

If you want more in-depth answers than that, you'll have to swing by Lafayette and buy me a beer or three sometime. ;)

[Jason Roehl]

If I have to prime I still apply two top coats, just seems to produce a much better job.

I agree it does, for 3 main reasons.

1. Color coverage. Paints have certainly gotten better about this in recent years, but generally it takes two coats minimum to fully change colors. With a very stark color difference, it may even take three or more.

2. Sheen change. Especially if you're going from a flat paint to satin or eggshell (or shinier), the full sheen won't be achieved with one coat, so you'll see where the paint is heaviest (usually where the cut-in and rolling overlap, called "hat-banding" locally).

3. Durability. It's all about the mils, baby. The more you have on there, the less likely a scuff or bump is to go through the paint film.

I guarantee your time is worth more than the paint, so don't skimp on the paint. Why waste all that setup, prep and breakdown time on one measly coat that looks cheap? A second coat goes pretty quickly.

[Brian Elfert]

The windows, interior doors, trim and flooring were all out of my house last fall when I painted. I sprayed a primer coat on all walls plus I sprayed the ceilings. The final coat on the walls was done the old fashioned way with a roller. It was really easy with no interior doors or trim installed. No, I didn't do two coats except in limited areas.

[Jim Becker]

...and there are some colors that require three coats, even over properly primed surfaces. Nature of the beast. The best paint job is the one done correctly and that process can vary with multiple factors. Buying good paint isn't an option, however... ;) ...it's necessary regardless.

[Myk Rian]

We used an egg shell in the bedrooms. Covered in one coat.
Behr.

[ken masoumi]

Do you guys save the rollers or do you throw them away as soon as you're done painting? be honest now.

[julian abram]

Do you guys save the rollers or do you throw them away as soon as you're done painting? be honest now.
Throw 'em the trash when the job is finished. Will wrap them in a kitchen trash bag each night until the job is finished.

[ken masoumi]

Throw 'em the trash when the job is finished. Will wrap them in a kitchen trash bag each night until the job is finished.
My wife decided to wash the 4 rollers she had used to paint the kitchen , but after a few months I took them out and dump them in trash can, she still thinks we have a few used but nicely cleaned rollers in the closet.

[Bruce Page]

My wife decided to wash the 4 rollers she had used to paint the kitchen , but after a few months I took them out and dump them in trash can, she still thinks we have a few used but nicely cleaned rollers in the closet.

You live dangerously Ken..

[Bruce Page]

Simple answers? In new construction, I spray (and back-roll while wet), and on an already-painted surface, I roll. I use an 18" roller if it's going to be more than about 3 gallons, 9" roller if less. Almost always a 3/4" nap.

If you want more in-depth answers than that, you'll have to swing by Lafayette and buy me a beer or three sometime. ;)

Thanks Jason. I've been trying to work up the courage to tackle a full interior paint job. I've been working on it for a few years.. :rolleyes:
Swing by Albuquerque and I'll buy a case or three. :)

[Cody Pierce]

Benjamin Moore paint is amazing. It WILL do it as long as the surface is reasonable. Of course some shades not as well but neutral earth tones will work. Pinks, oranges etc not as well. If you've never used it you owe yourself a favor. It really is that good.

[Jason Roehl]

Do you guys save the rollers or do you throw them away as soon as you're done painting? be honest now.

I clean them. I can clean and dry a 9" roller in about 2 minutes (literally), so it's well worth it when a good 9" roller cover can be $6-7. Also, I don't have to keep as many in stock then.

[Ole Anderson]

It depends. If you are just refreshing a similar color and sheen and you know how to lay it on, yes if you use a good paint, not a K-mart $10/gallon paint. Key is good paint and knowing how to carry a lot of paint to the wall with a good roller. My problem is I can roll fine, but my cutting in needs two coats. I can lay a lot more on with a roller than a brush. In fact I need to be careful I don't get runs (in the paint) when I roll. I know others will disagree, but I stick to Behr Premium for walls and have never been disappointed.

[Matt Meiser]

The red we used on an accent wall on the second floor of our foyer and later on our front door took 4 coats in both SW interior and exterior paints. Looks awesome though.

The latte color (what we referred to as "the new white" based on seeing it in every new house we looked at) that we used throughout the common areas took 2 coats. as did all our bedroom colors. None of those colors are very light and our whole house was some shade of white before.

The garage and basement stairs were white and were painted with an almost white called swiss coffee that our contractor recommended to hide a little dirt he was able to do just one coat. Probably not as wear resistant like Jason said but there were were just trying to freshen things up.

[ken masoumi]

I clean them. I can clean and dry a 9" roller in about 2 minutes (literally), so it's well worth it when a good 9" roller cover can be $6-7. Also, I don't have to keep as many in stock then.

Good quality rollers are worth keeping for sure, just like good paint brushes.

[Mike Cogswell]

The red we used on an accent wall on the second floor of our foyer and later on our front door took 4 coats in both SW interior and exterior paints. Looks awesome though.



Use a gray primer first, then two coats of red. It will look perfect.

[Joe Tilson]

My brother and I used Valspar paint with primer and did one coat in the living room and hallway. I looks great. On the other hand we did a very light blue room eggshell with non primer paint and will have to two coat.

[Jason Roehl]

No offense intended here, but there are a bunch of people here who are NOT professional painters (nothing wrong with that or against DIY) who are proclaiming a very subjective "looks great after one coat." I would submit that an inspection by those with experience in the field would render, at best, a "looks okay." Once you know what to look for, and how to look for it, it's difficult to not see the difference--and sooner or later, you may very well see those differences in passing.

Just like I ignore a compliment from someone who walks into a room I just painted, briefly glances around and proclaims, "Looks great!"

[Mike Cutler]

I am getting ready to paint the living room and dining room. They are currently a light beige.
Are there any interior paints which are truly "one coat"?
Thanks

Dennis
I am not an expert by any means, but I have never found one. It usually takes me two or three coats to get the results even.

[Ole Anderson]

I had a pro painter buddy (since passed) that put me onto buying a decent roller cover then cleaning and reusing it. I scrape the excess paint off with a painter's combo tool, then under running water in the laundry tub spin it with a manual paint roller spinner until the water run runs clear. I have reused one roller cover probably six times. I clean my paint trays too. But I can attest that my buddy didn't clean his. There are at least three of his at church that must weigh several pounds each.

I paint my walls with as many coats as needed until they look good to me and my wife. Three in the case of a near white over dark blue, one in the case of an off white over a different off white. Could someone else find flaws in my one coat job with a very careful eye? Probably.

[Rich Enders]

LOML was in Montana with the grandkids so I decided to paint the spare bedroom. Restoration Hardware green over (out of fashion?) white. Lowes had their lower grade Glidden Supreme on sale, so for a spare bedroom who cares... I haven't done painting in years and I was pleasantly surprised. One coat only; Edged with a brush, and the rest rolled. You cannot tell where the one ends and the other starts. I don't know what kind of brush, and it was a cheap throw-away pre-packaged roller set. It didn't matter. I guess paints have come a long way. Probably light over dark would be harder to cover in one coat.

It turned into another project because when she came home she wanted the master done the same way.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

LOML was in Montana with the grandkids so I decided to paint the spare bedroom. Restoration Hardware green over (out of fashion?) white. Lowes had their lower grade Glidden Supreme on sale, so for a spare bedroom who cares... I haven't done painting in years and I was pleasantly surprised. One coat only; Edged with a brush, and the rest rolled. You cannot tell where the one ends and the other starts. I don't know what kind of brush, and it was a cheap throw-away pre-packaged roller set. It didn't matter. I guess paints have come a long way. Probably light over dark would be harder to cover in one coat.

It turned into another project because when she came home she wanted the master done the same way.

No good deed goes unpunished?:rolleyes:

[Phil Mueller]

I've hired pros over the years to do major interior jobs. Without exception, and regardless of color, they always applied a minimum of two coats. With a major color change, primer plus two coats. And they all used Ben Moore. So if I'm doing a small project, I do the same. Why would a pro go to the extra work if there was no added benefit? By the way, really like the Ben Moore ADVANCE. Great on trim.

[Scott Hearn]

I had real good luck with Behr Ultra last fall. It only took one coat after I applied primer. The only spots that needed touch up are spots where we missed with the roller. I had to prime all the walls due to using three buckets of mud to patch the walls and also because the walls were absolutely filthy from the previous owner.

+1

I've used Behr Premium and when used with Zinsser primer tinted with the same color mix as the paint, it was one and done. I've never had a paint do one and done before. Ever! That's interior, if you are talking exterior always do two coats. Always.

Also I've tried the "paint & primer" mixes a couple of times and think they are a joke. If you need a primer, put on an actual primer before you paint. Total waste of money...

[ken masoumi]

Also I've tried the "paint & primer" mixes a couple of times and think they are a joke. If you need a primer, put on an actual primer before you paint. Total waste of money...
+1,
I tried it once and couldn't see the difference between it and a good quality paint.

[Larry Edgerton]

No offense intended here, but there are a bunch of people here who are NOT professional painters (nothing wrong with that or against DIY) who are proclaiming a very subjective "looks great after one coat." I would submit that an inspection by those with experience in the field would render, at best, a "looks okay." Once you know what to look for, and how to look for it, it's difficult to not see the difference--and sooner or later, you may very well see those differences in passing.

Just like I ignore a compliment from someone who walks into a room I just painted, briefly glances around and proclaims, "Looks great!"

I would agree with all that you have said here. Always two coats on my houses, one before trim, one after. Trim gets back primed, primed on the face one color coat, and one when done.

Jason, have you tried Grahams Ceramic paint? It is a tad more but works well on walls, cleans up better than any I have found. Latex trim paint works well, sprays good with extender, and brushes out very well. Its what I use the most of these days.

Larry

[Prashun Patel]

Jason, which paint have you had the best success with for the standard residential interior wall? I have been using benjamin Moore aura because it is easy to get but it is pricey. Any reco for something better? What's your opinion of this paint?

[Jason Roehl]

Jason, which paint have you had the best success with for the standard residential interior wall? I have been using benjamin Moore aura because it is easy to get but it is pricey. Any reco for something better? What's your opinion of this paint?

It's hard for me to talk about what paint might be of value to non-contractors, as I generally get a very good discount off shelf price from the paint stores (and I really shouldn't disclose those numbers here). However, some that I do like are the Glidden Ultra-Hide 150, which is about the cheapest paint I buy (but is a very good value, IMO). The eggshell, lo-lustre and semi-gloss are quite good for the price I get, the flat is okay (scuffs easily, but touches up easily also). This weekend, I'm painting our dining room and hallway, and I'm using Sherwin-Williams' Cashmere Lo-Lustre. It's going over ProMar 200 Satin (since reformulated) which we hated due to a poor choice of color on our part, but the paint also burnished/scuffed easily, and we first put it on when our kids were 9, 7, and 6, the younger two being boys. The ProMar 200 used to be good paint, but the VOC crackdown has rendered the reformulations poor (it spatters badly, and I hate spatter). For a trim enamel, I'd have to go with S-W's Pro Classic Waterbased Acrylic/Alkyd (NOT the latex version). It's a bit tricky to use in that it's prone to runs, but it levels out and looks like oil, with the feel of oil, too. Many other acrylic trim paints still look and feel like latex--soft and rubbery. The downside is that it's pricey.

I have not used BM paints. They don't have a store locally, and I avoid buying paint at the big box stores--they aren't geared toward serving contractors.

[George Bokros]

Jason, what is your opinion of SW Duration? When we started repainting the interior of our home 3 yrs ago Cashmere just came out and we were told the color (a white) we wanted to use for the ceiling could not be mixed in Cashmere so I dropped down to Duration for walls and ceilings.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I know I am a painting failure, it takes me forever.

A man's gotta know his limitations.

I'm firmly in Phil's camp. There are things I can do, and things I hire out.

I hire out painting, to professionals like Jason, so it gets done correctly, looks good, at a fair price, with no time wasted on my part.

When I have have tried it, I went 0 - 4 on those criteria.

I never even ask about number of coats, primer v. finish coat, materials, nuttin. I don't care to know, because I don't need to know, because I will never use the knowledge.

[Jason Roehl]

Jason, what is your opinion of SW Duration? When we started repainting the interior of our home 3 yrs ago Cashmere just came out and we were told the color (a white) we wanted to use for the ceiling could not be mixed in Cashmere so I dropped down to Duration for walls and ceilings.

What you're actually talking about is Duration Home. Duration is the exterior coating (a very good exterior paint, mind you, though I would say that the slightly cheaper Resilience is the better value, and Duration is not good over peeling paint--it bonds too tightly, in a sense, causing the peeling to continue).

Anyway, I can't say I've been able to tell a significant difference between the Duration Home and the Cashmere, which tips the scales in favor of the Cashmere for me due to price (Cashmere is cheaper).

I normally just use a moderate grade of flat paint for ceilings, unless they're smooth. Cheaper flat paints tend to touch up invisibly, which is not necessarily the case for higher-end paints, whose "flat" tends to be more of a velvet, matte, or velvet matte than a dead flat.

[Jim Becker]

Prashun, I'm also a fan of the Benjamin Moore Aura, but will likely try the Sherwin Williams Emerald when I do my daughter's room this summer because I can get a much more attractive price due to SW's discount program.

Jason, the trim on our home was done with the Duration and it's holding up really, really nice. This was both "new work" relative to the addition and "old work" over properly prepared surfaces. (really top notch painters did that work)

[Rich Enders]

Spot on Ken........

[Chris Padilla]

Just like I ignore a compliment from someone who walks into a room I just painted, briefly glances around and proclaims, "Looks great!"

You 'look great' in your avatar there, Jason. :D

When I found a sale on BM Aura, I picked some up but even on sale, it is easily 2-3x the cost of the borgs. It painted nicely, looks great to us, and I put on two coats. Now will it stand the test of time in our new bathroom? I guess we'll see on that. I did notice that the Aura doesn't blend so well fixing spots or perhaps that is my amateur hand.

[Jim Becker]

The benefit to the Aura is that it's fully washable, even in flat or eggshell sheen. And yes...I've tested that out... ;)