Speaking of painting... light coats, or heavy?

[Buzz]

The management company sent their painters over here a couple of days ago to repaint the kid's closet for the first time since the building was built in 1969. The painters' "trick" was to use very light coats, in order to dry quickly, so they could re-coat sooner.

I used to prefer a bit heavier coat, but always had other stuff to deal with, so drying time was never an issue and I always allowed adequate time to apply each coat without drips or runs.
Is there a preferred method amongst the MRF crowd?

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[space-time]

so you say besides color, brand and quality, there is another parameter to select?

[davester]

Depends on the paint.

[rgG]

Typically, several light coats are better than fewer heavy coats. It usually gives a more even appearance.

[testcase]

Multiple light coats should give better results than a thick coat.

[Carm]

Depends on the paint. Most good quality paint will work with a single coat. Unless there are major color differences in what was there and what color is currently being applied. In that case, I would suggest a similar colored primer, then paint.

I would only do multiple coats on just finished drywall/texture wall job, after a primer of course.

Edit: It also depends on how it is being applied. Spray vs roll/brush on.
For spray I would do two light coats. For roll on/brush on, I would only use one coat.