In a process for drying coated surfaces in a hot-air drier, part of the hot air in the drier is continuously circulated therein as a secondary airstream which is mixed with a primary airstream heated to above the drying temperature Tmax. This reduces the quantity of hot air to be fed into the drier and thus the material requirements are reduced and the heating time shortened. A hot-drier for implementing the process has, in the hot-air chambers (7, 8) arranged symmetrically on either side in the interior (6) of the drier, a separating wall (22) dividing an internal chamber (7) and an outer chamber (8) which has an intake aperture (9) at its lower end for secondary air. At the lower end of the inner chamber (7), the primary air is fed in at a higher flow rate and mixed with the secondary air taken in through the aperture (9).