Painting - How long to wait before a 2nd Coat?????

We painted a 1st coat of paint (aqua pearl finish - like semi gloss - in latex) a few hours ago. When we painted the rest of the house, we were able to paint a 2nd coat in a few hours. The coat we put on today is dry to the touch, but upon reading the container, it said 12 hours to recoat. Is this necessary? Or can we paint the 2nd coat when it is dry to the touch??

Please advise...we'd like to do the 2nd coat tonight.

Thanks!

You can recoat when it is dry to the touch but it is better to wait. The first coat is still soft and can easily be damaged by the next wet coat of paint. Enamel takes longer to dry than flat. That being said I have applied 2nd coat earlier than I should and gotten by with. Wait if you can but if you must, proceed with caution.

The can directions originate from laboratory application ideals which are then filled out by lawyers to ensure that under no conditions - even extreme conditions - could the product fail. If the instructions authorised our good judgement, the company would be at risk. So safer insult everybody than enable us with, "You can recoat when it is dry to the touch but it is better to wait. The first coat is still soft and can easily be damaged by the next wet coat of paint."

Well, we decided to go for it and paint the 2nd coat after about 5-6 hours...and no problems. We also managed to squeeze in painting all of the trim as well...

Thanks!