Is it true you should always let each coat of paint dry fully before adding the next

[BankHolidayBlues]

This one is genuinely mostly true, though the actual specific details matter significantly more than most casual DIY advice tends to actually let on. Applying a second coat before the first has genuinely properly cured can trap real moisture underneath the surface, leading to actual visible bubbling, real uneven texture, or genuine premature peeling later on down the road as the whole paint job continues to age over time.

The real important nuance here is the actual meaningful difference between dry to the touch and fully cured. Most standard paints feel completely dry within just a few hours, but full actual curing, where the paint reaches its true final hardness and complete durability, can genuinely take anywhere from several full days up to as long as an entire month depending on the specific paint type, the local humidity, and the actual ambient temperature in the room at the time.

For most typical basic home DIY projects, waiting the paint manufacturer's own specifically recommended recoat time, which is usually printed directly and clearly on the actual paint can itself, is genuinely sufficient for a good quality practical result. That specific recoat time is meaningfully shorter than full complete curing time, but it is long enough that the first coat has already solidified enough to properly accept a second coat without trapping real moisture or genuinely disturbing the layer underneath.

Where people most commonly run into genuine real trouble is specifically humid environments or when working with a notably thicker paint like some higher quality furniture finishes. Where the actual manufacturer's stated standard recoat time can honestly be genuinely too optimistic for those specific real conditions, and rushing the very next coat in that kind of situation is exactly when visible real problems most commonly tend to actually show up later.

So the honest short version is yes. Respect proper recoat times, but check your actual specific paint can for the manufacturer's own real specific recommended timing rather than just guessing, and genuinely add some extra real buffer time if you are working in a humid space or with a notably thicker type of paint

[Comet Barrel]

TLDR, yes this is true, but dry to the touch and fully cured are meaningfully different things. Check your actual paint can for the manufacturer's specific real recoat time rather than just guessing at it yourself