How Many Coats Of Dry-Erase Paint Should I Use?

Introduction
The manufacturer’s instructions that come with most standard types of paint, such as interior and exterior latex house paint, state that it’s necessary to apply at least two coats of their products to a substrate to obtain the optimal results; namely, a completely opaque, uniformly colored, durable, and cleanable surface. Similarly, many dry-erase coating companies advise applying two layers of their products to get the best effect; that is, a long-lasting surface that is easily written on with dry-erase markers and readily erased with standard dry-erase erasers or cloths. However, with ReMARKable Dry Erase Paint, only one coat is required to obtain a highly resilient, impermeable, and easily written on and erased dry-erase surface that will last for ten or more years of regular use before needing to be replaced.

ONE COAT OF STANDARD PAINT IS INSUFFICIENT FOR ADEQUATE COVERAGE

In contrast, depending on the hue and condition of the surface to be painted, one coat of any standard type of paint is almost never sufficient to provide complete coverage because the color of the substrate tends to seep through the topcoat and thus negatively affect the appearance of the surface tone. This is especially true when the material to be painted on is a substance like wood or metal or when the base paint is of a darker shade than the paint being used for the topcoat because one layer of a lighter-colored product will never thoroughly conceal a darker colored substrate.

THOROUGH CLEANING IS NOT POSSIBLE WITH JUST ONE COAT OF REGULAR PAINT

Also, in many cases, customers desire a cleanable painted surface, and a single coat of standard paint is hard to clean off effectively because these types of paints are easily absorbed into porous or permeable substrates, causing a spotty or irregular look when the surface is cleaned. On the other hand, when a second coat of paint is applied, a kind of seal or barrier is produced, making it easier to wipe off small soiled areas and to thoroughly clean the entire surface when necessary.

ONE COAT OF STANDARD PAINT IS NOT ESPECIALLY DURABLE OR DIRT-RESISTANT

Marks, nicks, and scratches can easily penetrate a single layer of regular paint, creating the need for frequent touch-ups and costing an individual or a company extra expense in time, energy, and money over the long term. The reason for this situation is that a coat of dry standard paint is permeated with countless microscopic pinholes that cause the surface to be porous and absorbent, thus allowing it to be more susceptible to dirt, staining, and untimely wear and tear. However, when two layers of paint are applied to a substrate, the chances of the pinholes lining up perfectly and causing such problems are significantly reduced.

MOST DRY-ERASE PAINTS ALSO REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF TWO COATS TO BE USEABLE

With most brands of dry-erase coating on the market, whether epoxy- or non-epoxy-based, the same basic type of prep work is needed before application, including the creation of a completely smooth, blemish-free surface and the use of two or more coats of an appropriate base paint whose chemical composition is compatible with that of the coating. However, many less expensive dry-erase paints, especially those available at home-improvement stores and paint retailers, require the use of two top coats if the finished surface is to be easily written on and erased and is to look attractive. If two coats are not applied, ghosting, streaking, and smudging are likely to occur since more layers of coating are needed to adequately build up the chemical compounds that allow the finished surface to be effectively written on and cleaned off. As a result, the manufacturers’ instructions for these lower-priced brands state that two-coat applications are needed to create a properly functioning and good-looking dry-erase surface.

When customers think about covering a certain amount of area, they may feel that using one of these less expensive brands of dry-erase will save them money. However, when they contact our customer service staff, who are also professional dry-erase coating installers, they come to learn that both the clear and white versions of our product require only a one-coat application to be completely usable, so it’s more cost-effective in the long run. This is so because, with the other coatings, the customers would need to buy twice as much material to cover the same amount of area and spend twice as much time and energy applying the products to get results like those obtained with a single layer of our product.

HOW PREMIUM DRY-ERASE COATING DIFFERS FROM OTHER BRANDS AND FROM REGULAR PAINT

Our industrial-grade product requires just a one-coat application. When applied according to instructions, the high-quality chemical agents in our coating’s formula, which is designed to produce easy writability and erasability, are plentiful enough so that only one coat has to be used on a given surface. And only in certain exceptional cases would a second coat be needed; for example, (1) if certain areas were missed or the coating was applied too thinly during the initial application; (2) if someone wrote on the coated surface with a permanent marker or another unsuitable type of marker; or (3) if the first coat were written or drawn on before it had enough time to thoroughly dry. With other brands of dry-erase coating, applying only one layer will create a surface that’s difficult to erase and is prone to smudging, streaking, and ghosting. In other words, it will be hard to get any writing or drawing completely off of the wall. Thus, these brands require multiple applications to build up a sufficient amount of the chemical compounds in their formulas that allow them to be written on and erased without problems.

As previously mentioned, standard types of paint such as interior or exterior house paint require two coats to be applied to produce a smooth and fully covered or opaque surface. If only a single thick coat is rolled on, you may cover a wall completely, but the result will be a textured surface, and this is not desirable, especially when a dry-erase coating is to be applied on top of it. In contrast, our product is actually a type of high-end coating and not a paint, so unlike ordinary paint formulations, it is not absorbed into a substrate but sits on top of it and has the capacity to transform a properly base-coated surface into a dry-erase that’s opaque, stain-resistant, and impermeable, and has superior writing and dry erase capabilities.

Conclusion
Other brands of dry-erase coating generally require a two-layer application to achieve the same effect you would get with one coat of our product, so with these other products, people have to buy twice as much material and pay a paint contractor twice as much money for the time needed to do a proper application. More specifically, even if another brand of dry-erase coating is less expensive than our product, a customer would have to spend at least one-and-a-half times as much money for the product and for the labor required to install it. In addition, the other brands of dry-erase call for at least a 24-hour waiting period between application of the first and second coats, thus creating an added burden for the customer in terms of time spent waiting instead of doing business or carrying out other activities. Yet another benefit of our high-end dry-erase coatings is that they’re backed up by our experienced customer service representatives, who are also professional coating installers and can explain in minute detail how our superior products are able to function at a high level for ten-plus years with just a one-coat application.