Is It Too Hot To Paint?

With the long days of summer it is easy to knock a few things off of your honey-do-list after work or over the weekend. If any of your items involve outdoor painting, there are a few things that you may want to consider first and weather is one of these. Although it may just sound like a good excuse to get out of doing the job, it really may be too hot to paint. 

What Is The Ideal Temperatures?

If the weather is too cold, you run the risk of your paint not going on correctly, not drying, or not being absorbed into your surface, but if the weather is too hot, you run the risk of your paint baking instead of drying. Exactly what is the ideal painting temperature. It is recommended that when painting with an exterior paint, you do so when the temperature is between 50 - 90F.

Even if you are below 90 but at the high end of the spectrum, you may want to try to stay in the shade while you paint. Not only will this help to keep you cooler, but it will also reduce the surface temperature of what you are painting. Try painting opposite of where the sun is shining. Avoid painting during the height of the day when the sun is directly overhead. 

What Is The Ideal Humidity?

If everything was absolutely perfect, the day or days you choose to paint would only have 40 - 50% humidity or lower. If you can't find one of these days, you can actually paint with the humidity up to 70% but the higher you go, the more your drying and curing time will be affected. It is not recommended that you paint when the humidity is at or over 85%. Many types of paint will fail to dry and solidify.

If you live in a very humid environment, it may be very hard to find the ideal conditions during the summer months. Many times you may be better off completing a painting project in these areas in late fall, or very early spring, when the humidity levels have fallen or prior to them beginning to rise.

Your local paint store can give you the best advice on when you will want to paint in your area. They will also be able to help you to pick out products and paint manufacturers that will produce the best outcomes for the job you are planning to do. For more information, contact a service like Klenosky Paint.

Share