Is there a best time to paint or a bad time to paint?

by Visitor

I was wondering what the best time to paint is. Plus, is there any problems when painting indoors during cold weather or should a person only paint when it's warm?

Answer

There is a best time to paint but it depends on what you are doing. This can be broken down between exterior painting and interior painting. The rules are easy to understand and following them shouldn’t be a problem.

For exteriors the best time to paint is when the weather is warm without bad weather on the horizon. Problems can occur if you paint during or shortly before bad weather.

During warm weather rain is the main problem. Sagging or deep depressions can be the result if it rains just a couple of hours after painting.

Another effect of rain is the lifting of the colorant from the paint or an uneven sheen. This looks like streaks of color on the surface or flat and shiny areas across a surface. This doesn’t drastically affect the paint itself but the areas will require repainting, adding to the time and cost of exterior painting.

Applying paint in cold weather can have a similar effect and will drastically reduce the life of all paints. Typical effects of cold weather painting are sags, bubbling and cracks in the paint film as it freezes.

Most paint manufactures recommend 50 F degrees and rising but low temperature acrylic paints can be used down to 35 F degrees. Even oil base paints require decent temperatures.

For interiors there are no such restrictions. As long as the home is kept warm any type of paint can be applied. The effects of cold weather on interior painting can be excessive condensation on windows and slow dry times. It is best to have some ventilation during and immediately after painting in order to dissipate fumes and help with drying. So good outside temperatures can help with interior painting.

The best times to paint for all types of house painting are from the spring to late fall. A general rule is if it is comfortable for you then it is good for the paint.