Painting Facia (how many top coats)

I have prepared my facia by sanding down and going over with an undercoat / primer.

I have now done a top coat of gloss.

Do i need to sand this top coat if i put another coat on? If so how many days do i wait to sand it down ?

Is a second coat needed ?

 

You would be the best person to make that call mate. Depends on the prepared surface below and how well the coverage is.

You aren’t going to see it from the ground I suspect so if a 2nd coat is needed just apply it without sanding

 

Don't leave it too long before applying the second coat. After so long the paint will be fully hardened, and won't accept another coat without it peeling off unless it's sanded.

 

Ok i do need to add a bit of a coat to the front facia underneath because you can see a little of the old colour.

How many days before it hardens ? I will do it tomorrow so it will be about 6 days between coats.

 

I am happy to apply second gloss coat within up to two weeks of the first coat of gloss. Any longer, I lightly sand it with 180 to 220 grit silicone carbide (and not rigid aluminium oxide paper).

If your paper is too rough or rigid, it may scratch/rip the paint.

Don't forget to remove any dust from the sanding before applying the next gloss.

If the paint is pretty poor quality or a "special process colour" (a euphemism for- needs loads of coats) then try to minimise time between coats.

*Important* I am assuming that you are using oil based paints. If water based paints- you may find that any grade of sandpaper either clogs instantly or rips the surface as the paper starts to clog. If you want to sand waterbased paints then Abranet might be better.