Both exterior and interior painting processes require concentration and some additional knowledge which include paint and painting tools selection, wall preparation, and paint technique monitoring. Besides these extremely important steps, you need to think about one more factor that will without a doubt influence the final look of your house. Let’s find out what is the best time to paint!
Friendly-Painting Weather
Painting is not only an energy-consuming but also an expensive process. That’s why you need to do everything right from the first try. The best weather for painting is dry and sunny which will help you to prepare walls, sand them, cover and let the paint cure properly. This process normally takes about 3-4 days, so you are looking for about a week of painting positive weather. The other reason to wait for sunny days is the painting drying procedure itself. It consists of three stages – water evaporating, paint particles deforming, and aging. Notice that the work will be ruined if during the two first stages there will be rain or just too wet weather. The thing is that paint is the perfect protection for wood or metal it was applied on, but its exploitation period comes only on the aging stage when the paint is perfectly cured. More than that, you need to be sure that fluctuations in temperature aren’t that big during day and night. Such “shocking therapy” for paint is more than dangerous because it creates cracks. Generally speaking the best weather with dry sunny days and low-temperature shifts are during early summer and early fall when rainy season hasn’t yet come.
Warm Weather isn’t Your Best Friend
Both water- and oil-based paints need time to set. Definitely sun and high temperatures will speed up the process, but the quality of the final look will be knee-high. The boiling sun could make oil-based paint too thick. You won’t be able to mix it properly hence the final look of the wall will be “decorated” with brush hair and paint bubbles. You’ll be forced to dilute the paint for better mixing. In this way, it can lose in color intensity. Water-based paint though will face alike problems. Cracks will be one of the biggest ones as too fast drying will evaporate water and deform particles. Plus painting exterior under the blazing isn’t good for your health. Paint fumes that evaporate more actively in the sun can cause dizziness and nausea. Remember to drink plenty of fluids.
FAQ
Could I paint it immediately after rain?
No! The surface you are going to paint should be perfectly dry. Especially if you are going to paint with oil-based paint. Even if the painting area seems to be dry check-up trims and little holes. They may consist of water that’ll ruin the whole renovation. So, 4 hours after rain is minimal time you should wait. Ideally a day of sunny and warm weather two days before and after the painting process.
Why Couldn’t I Paint When it’s Cold?
As well as extremely hot temperatures, cold weather could make your paint chunky and barely mixed. This will ruin your plans and couldn’t help to buy more expensive paint. Moreover, such cold drying will make your paint vulnerable towards warm temperatures. The layers will be thinner as a result paint pills off easily.
Does climate affect the best time to paint my house?
Obviously, as climate affects weather in your region. For example, a general recommendation is to paint up to the end of September. However, southern dwellers could paint up to the end of December if the weather isn’t too wet at that time.