Advantages of a One-Coat Premium Dry Erase Paint Application
Applying only one coat of our premium dry erase paint to your walls will save time and money. After only 48 hours of dry time, you’ll be ready to use your new attractive whiteboard surface for various tasks. By installing our one-coat paint, you’ll eliminate excessive downtime from your daily schedule of work projects, home school lessons, or other activities. You will also pay for just the amount of paint you need to produce a highly cost-effective, long-lasting, and easily cleaned dry erase surface.
Low-quality Dry Erase Paints Typically Require More than One Coat
However, several other brands of dry erase paint on the market today require a two-coat or even a three-coat application to make their dry erase surfaces work properly. This is a significant factor to consider when choosing which dry erase wall paint to purchase. Two or more coats of whiteboard paint being required means buying more paint and working twice as long to apply it. This situation, in turn, means a higher end cost for the consumer with regard to both time and money.
Most dry erase paint brands that need multiple coats are epoxy-based. The directions on their containers frequently state they can cover a certain amount of square footage. However, the information on the containers usually needs to mention that two or more coats are needed for the finished dry erase surface to function as it should. With some of these products, a second coat might have to be applied immediately, and with others, a 24- or 48-hour waiting period is needed between coats. Either way, two containers of paint must be purchased to cover the same area that one container of premium dry erase paint will cover.
Many of these two-coat dry erase paints are lower-priced brands, such as those available at home improvement stores and retail paint suppliers. They require two top coats if the finished dry erase surface is to be suitably written on and erased. If only one coat of these products is installed, when the surfaces are erased, ghosting and smudging are apt to occur. These problems arise because the coating will need more chemical components in the finish to be effectively written on and cleaned.
Applying two coats of these paints will result in more expense for you. And if you hire a professional painter to install, your labor cost will be twice as high. Also, putting on two coats makes it twice as likely that your freshly painted surface will be damaged while drying. Passersby might accidentally touch it or lint from the surrounding air may more easily settle on it, because the surface will be wet for twice as long.
Applying One-coat Premium Dry Erase Paint is More Economical
So, the overall cost and inconvenience of applying two-coat dry erase coatings will be substantially greater than if you use our premium one-coat dry erase paint. With top-quality dry erase paint you save the added time and expense of needing to buy twice the amount of product to cover the same square footage, along with double labor costs if you hire a professional painter to do the application. For these reasons, it’s of great benefit to have a one-coat application.
Proper Preparation and Application are Essential for One Coat to be Effective
That being said, to complete a successful one-coat installation of top-quality dry erase paint, it’s critical to follow the instructions supplied with each paint kit carefully. Doing so will eliminate the need to put on a second coat to repair any issues caused by a faulty first coat. All problems with applying premium dry erase paint, such as drips, missed spots, or use of an improper base coat, such as flat paint, can be fixed with a second coat. However, a single coat that’s applied over a proper base coat is all that’s needed to give you a durable and easily erased whiteboard surface that will last for many years.
However, if you apply premium dry erase paint directly over a wall covered in flat paint, you will do so at your own risk, because flat paint is not a proper base coat and absorbs dry erase wall paint during application. When this happens, not enough ReMARKable paint will be present on the wall to provide you with an impermeable dry erase surface. This will, in turn, cause streaking and smudging when you try to remove dry-erase marker ink from your wall.
Fixing Issues Caused by an Inadequate Base Coat
The remedy for this problem is to apply a second coat of premium dry erase paint. However, the wall must be sanded with 220-grit sandpaper because the surface will be slick. In this case, a light going over with the sandpaper is all needed to scuff the surface and allow the second coat of dry erase paint to properly adhere. When sanding your wall, it’s vital to cover the entire surface, even the edges and corners. Afterwards, ensure the wall is entirely dust-free by carefully wiping it down with a microfiber cloth. Then, a second coat of dry erase paint may be applied. When the second coat dries, the wall will function as it should and be entirely impervious for dry erase marker ink and dirt.
Past Experience Shows that a Properly Applied Single Coat is All That’s Needed
Many people can’t believe that applying just a single coat of premium dry erase wall paint is enough to provide a functional, durable writing surface. But years of experience applying the coating in offices, schools, company headquarters, health care facilities, and other venues worldwide prove otherwise.
However, it’s essential to bear in mind several key factors to achieve a successful one-coat application of premium dry erase paint:
- Make sure that the surface you plan to coat is perfectly smooth and dust-free
- Make sure that you use a proper base coat (a full list of recommended base coats is available under the company website’s “Whiteboard 101” tab)
- Make sure to carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the suitable types of base coat to use for your particular application
- Be aware that before applying dry erase paint the base coat needs to dry for at least 24 hours, not just overnight
- Follow the instructions in the paint kit for adequately mixing the paint, such as don’t shake, stir gently, etc.
- Apply the paint as liberally as you can without producing drips or runs as you roll it on your wall
- Avoid pushing so hard on your paint roller that you extract every drop of paint from the roller and thus apply the coating more thinly than it should be
- Just gently, smoothly, and evenly lay the paint on the area where you’re working and then move on to the next area
- Avoid stretching the paint and trying to coat more square footage than the amount of paint in your kit is designed to cover (e.g., don’t try to make a 100-square-foot kit cover 150 square feet of wall space)
- Use the type of gentle pressure on your paint roller that you would use to wipe down the countertops in your kitchen with a dampened cloth
If you follow these basic guidelines and strictly adhere to the instructions provided with your dry erase paint kit, you will be assured of a flawless application. You will also have an attractive dry-erase surface that will last for ten or more years of continuous use without yellowing, peeling, or cracking.