Exterior house paint with contractor, one coat or two?

Hello-

My father in law has called a few contractors to bid on around a $4000 exterior house paint and deck paint job. The guy that came in with the lowest quote, so far, is around $600 less than the others, but he only quoted one coat of paint. The others had two coats.

For a home's exterior, is the extra cost of 2 coats of paint worth it, or is a single coat sufficient?

 

Are they going to spray or use rollers & brushes? Is a coat of primer included?

 

Hmmmm..... All good questions. What does a roller vs. spray vs. brush matter? Does a house or deck need primer if it is already painted?

 

A good quote will include what's to be done. Discussing the job with the painter/estimator along with multiple quotes and reference checks is a must!

A good paint job starts with the prep. Most houses benefit from cleaning - paint doesn't adhere well to dirt or chalk and won't stop mildew growth if that's an issue. Primer usually isn't needed over sound paint, raw wood from scraping should be primed. Spraying is ok IF all the right steps are taken. There is no excuse for getting over spray on anything! Sprayed coatings should be back rolled or back brushed to work the coating into the substrate. A 2nd coat of finish generally makes for a longer lasting job but each job needs to be evaluated separately to figure out if the added expensive is worth it.

$600 isn't much of a discount for one coat versus two..... but I've not seen the job or know what kind of job the different contractors do.

It's rarely ever a good idea to paint a deck, stain is better. With the exception of a few rare occasions - stain doesn't need a primer.

 

Thanks for that. I will take a closer look at those quotes and ask them about all of that.

 

its not one coat or two coats that makes the difference. what you are looking for is millage. the thickness of the paint.
depending on the paint product the contractor is using, one coat of good quality paint can give you more milage then two coats of junk paint.
paint is nothing more then a skin, thicker the skin, the more protection.
i agree with getting references. but also make sure the contractor is using the product you are quoted for. tell the contractor you prefer that all empty cans be left behind and you will dispose of them. this way you know what product is has been applied.
so the myth of two coats dont apply. just make sure its a good quality paint.

hope this helps
Robert
Master Painter 20 years Experience

 

Robert

What are some good quality paint brands that I should be asking the contractors about? Are there any brands that I should avoid?

Thanks

 

Robert was banned from the site, so I will attempt to answer your most recent questions.

Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are the two brands of paint which receive the most endorsement here but keep in mind every manufacturer makes multiple lines of paint and you don't want to use anyone's bottom line. Additionally, you will find better service and supplies at a paint store than a paint department so asking some questions in your local paint store may help you quite a bit as well (including finding some recommendations for a contractor).

 

.......................... Thanks!

 

BM and SWP have great paint [mid line or better] but so do quite a few other manufactures. It's quite likely that the contractor will want to use the paint from the store he trades at. That should be fine, just check out the line he intends to use so you know that your getting the best coatings you can afford.

 

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Thanks!