How many coats of paint do you need?
Two coats is the usual answer for walls, and it's what Benjamin Moore recommends in its Regal Select Eggshell data sheet. One coat can be enough over a previously painted wall, or with a paint and color sold with a one-coat guarantee. Bare surfaces get two coats, and some custom colors may need a tinted Deep Base Primer first.
What do paint makers actually say?
Benjamin Moore's technical data sheet for Regal Select Eggshell puts it plainly: "Benjamin Moore recommends two coats to achieve full color development and to optimize performance." The same sheet allows that one coat sometimes covers, and splits the advice by surface: "On bare substrates, two coats are recommended; previously painted surfaces can be finished with 1 or 2 coats."
Behr offers a one-coat guarantee on its Dynasty and Marquee paints. It applies when the paint is tinted to a color from Behr's One-Coat Color Collection, or to one of a selected number of colors from its other palettes. Untinted bases and colors outside those lists aren't covered. Behr's terms also list cases where more coats are required: uncoated, porous, heavily textured or repaired exterior surfaces, woods with tannins such as redwood or cedar, and heavy stains, which may need spot priming, multiple coats or a longer dry time.
So a one-coat result depends on the product, the color and the surface together. Move any of the three outside what the guarantee covers and the one-coat promise no longer applies.
When is one coat enough?
When the manufacturer's own conditions are met. On the Regal Select sheet, that means a previously painted surface, where it says 1 or 2 coats can finish the job. With Behr's guarantee, it means a covered paint tinted to a covered color, on a surface its terms don't exclude.
You can also check for yourself. Roll one coat, let it dry fully, and look at it in daylight from a low angle. If you can see the old color or thin patches, it needs a second coat.
When do you need primer or more coats?
The manufacturer documents above name these cases:
- Bare surfaces. The Regal Select sheet recommends two coats on bare substrates.
- Some custom colors. The same sheet notes that "certain custom colors may require a Deep Base Primer tinted to a special prescription formula to achieve the desired color."
- Heavy stains. Behr's terms say they may need spot priming, more coats or a longer dry time.
- Uncoated, porous, textured or repaired exterior surfaces, and tannin-rich woods. Behr requires more than one coat on uncoated, porous, heavily textured or repaired exterior surfaces, and over woods such as redwood or cedar.
How much paint does each extra coat add?
Each coat covers the whole wall again, so each one adds about as much paint as the first. Take a 12 by 12 foot room with 8 foot walls, one door and one window. That's 351 square feet of wall. Here's the paint to buy, rounded up to the next quart:
| Coats | At 350 sq ft per gallon | At 400 sq ft per gallon |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 gal 1 qt | 1 gal |
| 2 | 2 gal 1 qt | 2 gal |
| 3 | 3 gal 1 qt | 2 gal 3 qt |
The coverage rate moves the answer as much as the coat count does. The Regal Select Eggshell sheet lists 400 to 450 square feet per gallon. Our paint calculator starts at a more cautious 350 and lets you type the figure from your own can. At 400, two coats come to an even 2 gallons.
Primer is its own line. The calculator works it out at one coat and its own rate, separate from your finish coats.
For your own room, the paint calculator takes your walls, doors, windows and coat count. If you're weighing paper instead of paint, the wallpaper calculator does the same job in rolls, and the rest of our home project calculators cover flooring, tile and concrete.
Does paint and primer in one mean you can skip primer?
Sometimes. The Regal Select sheet says the paint "is self-priming on most properly prepared surfaces," and it lists drywall as self-priming. The same sheet is also where the Deep Base Primer note for some custom colors appears. The data sheet for the exact product you're buying is the place to check, because it carries the conditions in full.
Common questions
Is one coat of paint ever enough?
Yes. Benjamin Moore's Regal Select sheet says previously painted surfaces can be finished with 1 or 2 coats, and Behr guarantees one-coat hide for covered paints in covered colors. The Regal Select sheet still recommends two for full color and performance.
Does one-coat paint cover in any color?
Not under Behr's guarantee. It covers its One-Coat Color Collection and a selected number of colors from other Behr palettes. Untinted bases and other colors are excluded.
How long should I wait between coats?
Use the recoat time printed on your can or its data sheet. It differs from product to product.
How many coats of paint do I need on bare walls?
The Regal Select sheet recommends two coats on bare substrates. If you're painting new drywall or something else that's never been painted, plan for two.