Repainting the House: Why One Coat of Paint Often Costs Two

Repainting the house with textured paint (gotelé): one coat requires two

There is a paradox that trinc anyone deciding to repaint their house: the paint pot promising to cover everything in one go, yet almost no one believes it. The doubt is founded.
Among the products being discussed, there is up to a 25 euro difference, and several participants agree that paying more does not guarantee fewer coats.
The starting point of this discussion involves twenty years of white walls and ceilings covered in textured paint (gotelé), yellowish, without chips, with some scuff marks, and the intention to make it all equally white.

The pot's price is deceptive: what matters is the yield per liter

The expenditure begins on the shelf. The options discussed range from 73 euros for Montó One Plus to 48 euros for Eurotex L5000, passing through 64 euros for Titan Cobertura Total, 56 euros for Titan T400, and 49 euros for Revetón Profesional Alta Cubrición, all located in Leroy Merlin, Obramat, or the official Montó store, depending on who started the thread. The warning repeated is: comparing only the label is deceiving.

One argument repeatedly made by several participants has arithmetic logic: cheap paint, they argue, covers less per liter, drips more, requires more coats, and leaves a finish that dirties faster. If three passes are needed with the inexpensive paint and two with the good one, the savings evaporate.
Therefore, the most repeated advice is to measure the square meters of wall and look at the yield per liter and meter before deciding. The fine breakdown of this comparison, brand by brand, is what confuses the person who started the thread.

The water fixative: a step almost no one takes before painting

Regarding old paint, several participants warn that the new paint can lift bubbles and pull off the previous layer. The solution they propose is a coat of diluted vinyl fixative, mixed at a ratio of one part product to four parts water, before starting. The detail that they say almost no one respects is this: although the pot promises drying in six hours, it is advisable to wait 24, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. And not applying a second coat, because the wall would become too impermeable and the new paint wouldn't adhere.

Gotelé, ceilings and finish: matte or satin

The textured paint adds work: it is advisable to properly fix the surface before rolling.
The ceilings are, by far, the most difficult. Those who have painted them recognize problems with shadows and recommend diluting more, extreme technique, or using ceiling paint directly.

Regarding the finish, consensus breaks down. One participant argues that matte disguises wall defects and that satin highlights them, only making sense on smooth and perfect surfaces; another defends the exact opposite, that matte leaves the wall rough and that gloss works better on stucco.
In a patch with new putty or stucco, according to the first, satin reveals the repair. The electric gun is divided: some defend it as a shortcut, others warn that without covering absolutely everything, it ends up dripping puddles.

Painter or DIY? The dilemma no one resolves

Hiring a painter means paying for work that, according to one participant, is rarely invoiced by coats, but by time or by square meter. For those who want to go room by room, one a month, the logic of the professional clashes with the schedule: what is profitable for them is to finish the entire house at once.
The alternative of cheap plastics and a wet mop on the floor appears again and again as the trick to avoid scraping dry spots.

With one coat of paint requiring two applications, the thread leaves the decision between hiring a professional or painting in phases as a matter of patience and budget, without offering a single definitive answer.