Hey everyone! I have a bit of a dilemma with my painting contractor. A couple of years ago, he did a fantastic job on the exterior of my house, so I asked him to paint the inside this time. He mentioned using Benjamin Moore's Superhide for the walls, but I wanted to upgrade to Regal, which he said would cost an extra $150. He also planned to use Kilz 3 as the primer.
When I checked in, I noticed he had buckets of Glidden Diamond paint in my chosen color. He explained he'd mix the Kilz with the Glidden to use as a primer, with Regal as the finish. But when I asked if there would be two coats of Regal, he said no, just one coat of primer and one coat of Regal instead of what my quote specified: two coats of paint.
I told him primer isn't the same as paint, and I expected two coats of Regal to match what was in the quote. He countered by saying he never specified two coats of Regal, only two coats of paint, meaning one coat of primer and one coat of Regal. If I wanted two coats of Regal, he said it would cost an extra $350 plus another $320 for paint. He even offered to refund me for what he's done if I wasn't happy.
I'm just wondering if my expectations are off-base. Isn't it standard to have two coats of paint? Any advice on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
You’re definitely not alone in thinking two coats are standard! While mixing primer with paint can sometimes be acceptable, it’s a bit unconventional. Typically, you'd do either no primer and two coats of paint, or one coat of primer followed by two coats of paint. The latter is generally recommended to ensure full coverage and an even sheen.
You’re right to ask for clarification on this. The standard approach is to do two finish coats on the walls. It may cost a bit more, but it’s worth it to ensure that everything looks great and lasts longer. If his quote mentions two coats, then that’s what you should expect, not just counting primer with that. Talk to him again and be clear about what the quote entails!
Absolutely! I once had a similar situation, and it actually helped to remind the contractor of the written quote. Just be firm about what you want; it’s your home!
From my experience, I’d say expect one coat of primer and two coats of your finish paint. Mixing primer with the paint isn’t what most painters do, and it may not provide the coverage you want. You want your walls looking great, so if you're not satisfied, pushing for those two coats sounds fair!
That’s exactly what I thought! When I worked at a paint company, our standard was always two finish coats for better quality. It might seem like a hassle now, but it really pays off in the long run.
I agree! A good paint job should always have two finish coats. Even if one coat looks decent initially, it could lead to touch-ups looking uneven later on. So yeah, I wouldn’t settle for just one finish coat.