Variations in the weather can impact the quality of a paint job, particularly the exterior surfaces. Hot summers and cold winters, dry days and wet days, high humidity and low humidity – they all have an impact on painting projects. At Painters Inc., we know the best and worst time to take on a painting job, but we also have the tools and knowledge to get the best results, regardless of the season.
The best time of year for interior and exterior painting can also depend on your environment. For example, if you have many trees close to your structure, bringing in a painting crew during the spring before the leaves have filled out the trees would be a better option than the summer, when the foliage gets in the way and is a hindrance for the painters.
The best time of the year for interior painting can also depend on a number of factors, including the type of paint that is being used. Some specialty paints are oil or solvent-based, which means they will give off a lot of fumes, so you wouldn’t want to apply them during a time of year when you can’t open your windows (super-hot summer days or bitter cold winter days and nights). When you talk to your painting contractor about all the variables, you can nail down the perfect time of year to do either exterior or interior work.
How temperature and humidity affect paint and painting application
When moisture is in the air (humidity), there is moisture on your surfaces, leading to a slow paint drying process. Temperature also impacts how paint dries. Quality painting contractors know how temperature and humidity impact quality and they know how to avoid adverse situations.
The effect of ambient temperature
Paint thickens in low ambient temperatures, which means if it’s cold enough, the paint never really dries and you run the risk of having your paint sag or see long runs and/or creases. Paint is also more difficult to apply in the cold. Most paint manufacturers recommend painting in temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees, but top quality brands, like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Willams have developed formulas for some of their paint that allow painters to do their work in temps as low as 35 degrees.
When temperatures are too hot, the paint dries too fast, which leads to bumps and wrinkles. When it dries too fast the binding properties in the paint never get an opportunity to do what they are designed to do, thus the wrinkles and bubbles or blisters. This is especially true when the surfaces are in direct sunlight on hot days.
The effect of relative humidity
Relative humidity plays a role in how paint adheres to surfaces. For example, when the humidity is high, surface areas are exposed to water vapor, and when paint is applied on top of that moisture, you’ll get bubbling and/or peeling paint as a result.
The preferred humidity is between 40 and 70 percent, because this is within the range that paint can properly adhere to surfaces.
The effect of wind
If you see a cracking or blistering paint on a surface, it’s not always because of heat, humidity or age – it could be a result of paint applied on a windy day. Paint needs time to cure, but if you’re painting in the wind, instead of getting a slow and steady dry/cure over a 24-hour period, the paint dries too fast and doesn’t properly adhere to the surface.
At Reno Planet Renovation, we know that painting in winds exceeding a gentle breeze, around 8 mph, is a bad idea and will only produce problems down the line.
