Frequent Painting Questions
At Monk’s, we take every precaution to ensure a successful project. When it comes to exterior painting, wepay special attention to the weather. Weather doesn’t always cooperate and every year the seasons are different. The most common questions we have about exterior painting and the weather are below.
“When do you stop painting outside?”
“How late in the season can you paint?
“When is it too cold to paint outside?”
There isn’t a specific day on the calendar when we stop painting outside.Once it starts freezing overnight on a regular basis, we stop painting exteriors.This is usually around Halloween, but we have stopped painting as early as October 15th and one year we almost painted until Christmas. If we see that a night is going to be too cold, we treat that day as a rain day and do not paint.
We use Duration Paint from Sherwin-Williams and Aura Paint from Benjamin-Moore.
” If you need to paint outside with latex paint when temperatures are moving up and down like a yo-yo, I suggest you use one of the latex like Duration, Resilience, or SuperPaint. These products can be applied and will cure at lower temperatures, as low as 35° F. Traditional latex-based paints need temperatures above 60° F to cure properly. Warmer temperatures are needed to allow the latex particles to coalesce, or melt together. That is why the spring and fall can be tricky times to paint outside. A common mistake is to paint when the daytime high temperature gets above 60° F and the nighttime temperatures get much cooler because dew forms on almost everything as soon as the sun goes down. Even though the temperature was OK at the time of application, the paint can stop coalescing. This permits moisture to get into the uncured paint film allowing certain ingredients to come to the surface when the moisture evaporates, causing surface staining and possible adhesion problems.”
Paint Details from the Benjamin-Moore Website
Regarding Aura Exterior Paint – “This high solids formula issuitable for a variety of exterior surfaces and can be applied aslow as 4.4 °C (40 °F).”
At this time of the year you still have time to schedule anexterior painting estimateand get on our schedule. We are a full-service home improvement company and in addition to handlingpainting your outside, we can handle:
Can I get on your Spring exterior painting schedule?
Absolutely!If it gets too late in the season, we are happy to put you on our list for the spring. We will schedule an painting estimate now, in the Fall, so that you will know how much it will cost. To guarantee your place on our spring schedule, we ask for a $100 dollar deposit. We never really know when our exterior season will start until we see what the weather is like.Once it gets over freezing on a regular basis, we are back outside painting exteriors again. This is usually around late March to early April.
If you are planning on painting the exterior of your home, we would love the opportunity to discuss your painting project with you.
FAQs
What temperature should you not paint outside? It is highly suggested not to paint below 50 degrees Fahrenheit if you use latex-based paint. If using oil-based paint, you can get away with 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but anything below that is too cold.
What is the coldest temperature you can paint outside? ›
“It should be at least 50° F when you're applying the paint and shouldn't drop below 32° F at night for several days after,” says Rico de Paz, who oversees Consumer Reports' paint tests.
What temperature should paint dry outside? ›
As a rule of thumb, the best temperature to paint outside is 40 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with an ideal painting temperature range of 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This translates to roughly 4 to 32 degrees Celsius as the best temperature range and 10 to 21 degrees Celsius as ideal temperatures to paint exteriors.
What month can you paint outside? ›
"The best time of year to do external paint work to a house is spring to summertime, start in the morning & check the weather to make sure there's no rain forecast." "The best time would be late spring once the sun is up longer, give the external paintwork time to dry.
How late in the year can you paint outside? ›
We always advise folks to address exterior painting during the months where temperatures won't impact the product. This also goes for exterior caulk. If the surface temperature is to cold, the caulk will not bond to the surface. We will typically stop all exterior painting by mid- November or so.
Is it OK to paint in the summer? ›
In the winter, you really shouldn't paint in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for oil based paints and 50 degrees for latex based paints. In the summer, the high temperatures for perfect application are 90 for oils and 85 for latex paints. Temperature is not the only consideration.
How long does it take for paint to cure? ›
Paint doesn't cure, or reach maximum hardness, until days after the paint is dry. How long it takes to cure depends on the type of paint: Oil-based paints - about 7 days. Latex paints - about 30 days.
Is it OK to leave paint outside in cold weather? ›
Paint Storage Best Practices
The space you choose should be cool (but not cold), dark and dry. Outdoor structures like sheds are problematic because they become too cold in winter, and may have moisture problems as well. To further protect your paint, store it in an air-tight container.
How long does exterior paint need to dry before rain? ›
After two hours, light rain will not completely ruin your work but you may still have to repaint some of it when it is dry. It really takes paint six hours of sunlight to dry completely but if you want it to be its most durable, five days of normal weather is ideal.
What happens if you paint when it's too cold? ›
When the temperature drops below 55°F, it affects the speed at which the paint cures and will require a paint rated for lower temperatures. When the paint takes longer to dry, the surface stays wet longer, attracting insects, dirt, grime, and other debris.
Does paint dry quicker in heat or cold? Paint dries quicker in heat. However, high humidity doesn't allow paint to evaporate adequately. Dry heat, as opposed to humid heat, is best.
What is the best weather for paint to dry? ›
Each paint formula is different, but as a general rule, for most oil-based paints, the ideal temperature to apply should be between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. For latex-based paints, it's 50 to 85 degrees, although some more innovative paints are formulated to dry at lower temperatures, even as low as 35°F.
What weather is not good in painting? ›
The temperature of your house affects the performance of paint. The wall temperature can vary from the weather temperature and must be above 10°C and below 35°C throughout the painting process. You should generally avoid painting in extremely hot or cold conditions.
Why can't you paint outside in winter? ›
Exterior painting with emulsion paints
The temperature must be above 7 degrees, and stay above 7 until the paint is dry. If the temperature drops, and the paint freezes, then it will simply fall off the wall in time.
What is the best season to paint outdoors? ›
Painting the outside of your house is best done in the fall or spring when temperatures are moderate, and the weather isn't too hot or too cold.
Can you paint outside in the summer? ›
The summer offers the largest window for optimal temperatures. Back in the golden age of exterior painting, 50 degrees Fahrenheit was the minimum necessary temperature for the paint to cure properly,” says Darr. “Today, the average cutoff line for most paints is 40 degrees thanks to advances in technology.
Can you paint outside in the fall? ›
Fall Provides the Best Weather for Exterior Paint Projects
If it's rainy, too hot, or too cold, your paint won't dry or cure properly. That said, in the summer it may be too hot and humid for painting. During the spring, it's often too rainy with those spring showers that set in.
Can you paint outside in 90 degree weather? ›
Latex paints work best when applied in temperatures between 50° and 85° Fahrenheit. However, if you decide to use oil-based paint, their ideal range is slightly broader — 40° to 90° Fahrenheit.
