The best weather for painting: a homeowners guide.
Summer is here and outdoor projects are the name of the game and that includes painting. Whether you want to tackle the inside or the exterior of your home, there really is a perfect temperature to help get a quality finish.
Beyond weather conditions, air temperature and humidity play a huge part in getting a perfect paint finish. Drying time, paint adhesion and the longevity of the paint job are all affected by heat and humidity.
So what is the perfect temperature to paint? Well, it can range from 4 to 32 degrees Celsius, but the ideal painting temperature range is 10 to 21 degrees Celsius. This is just for the air temperature. Making sure the surface you are painting isn’t overly hot from baking in the sun is also important. Using the path of the sun and painting from west to east is one method to stay in the shade and work on a surface that isn’t too hot.
The other factor to consider is humidity. With more water vapor, especially when the surface you’re painting is in direct sunlight, paint takes longer to dry and has a tendency to blister. If you do notice some paint blisters, avoid popping them for a day or so. Latex paint can flex with temperature changes and may shrink back making the blisters unnoticeable. Or, you’ll be scraping them off and starting over. Something else to consider is making sure the bottom coat of paint is completely dry before applying a second or third coat.
Cold weather painting
On the opposite end of the spectrum, painting in cold(er) weather also has its tricks and challenges. We absolutely don’t recommend painting in temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. Paint and people don’t work as well when the outdoor temperature drops below freezing.
Interior painting
On the inside, mostly the same rules apply, but you do have a bit more control over the environment. You won’t have to worry so much about being in direct sunlight, but temperature and humidity still play a big part.
If the temperature is too hot, the paint will dry too quickly. Too cold and there could be issues with drying and curing. Too much humidity and the paint won’t cure properly and will take longer to completely dry between coats.
Ideally, the temperature for indoor painting is between 10 to 27 degrees Celsius with the humidity around 50%, with a range between 40 and 70% being acceptable. In the colder months, you’ll need to monitor the temperature and humidity a little more closely and turn up the heat or use a space heater to maintain a good curing temperature while the paint dries. Winter is hard for humidity. The challenge in lower temperatures is the humidity level can rise as moisture builds up inside. This slows the curing time. To beat this, you can either use a dehumidifier or open a window. If the humidity is too low, which can also happen in the winter months, a humidifier can be used to increase the humidity. Just be careful you don’t increase it by too much.
When the weather outside is frightful, it can be a perfect time to paint indoors. Following our tips on interior painting will help get you a quality finish you can admire for years to come.
As always, if you’d rather leave the paint job to us, we are happy to quote you. With Imagine Painting you don’t pay until you are completely satisfied and our professional team always delivers a quality paint job.
