How Hot Weather Impacts Rhode Island Exterior Painting

When you really want to transform the outside look of your home, exterior painting can be well worth the investment. If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll wait until the summertime to schedule exterior home painting services. While painting in relatively warm weather is a necessity, waiting until the summer months can actually do more harm than good.

Paint Drying and Curing

When it comes to getting a great exterior paint job, the paint needs to have adequate time to dry and cure. Drying is simply the amount of time it takes for the outermost layer of paint to have its solvents evaporate. When the paint is dry, it will feel dry to the touch. This typically takes a couple of hours.

However, it can take a couple of weeks for your paint to entirely cure. Curing means that all paint layers are completely dry and your paint coating has reached its maximal hardness. It’s crucial to remember that faster isn’t better when it comes to painting. When the paint does have adequate time to cure, it can lead to a number of unwanted issues like blistering, bubbling, peeling, cracking, and even more.

Ideal Application Temperatures

Exterior paint application in East Greenwich RI often take place when the temperature of your home’s exterior surface is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Latex paints are a bit more temperature specific, with application temperatures ranging from 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s important to realize that the ultimate temperature decider is the temperature of the exterior materials on your home, not just the ambient outside temperature.

For example, let’s say that the outside temperature is 82 degrees. While this may fit the original bill to be within the perfect temperature range for exterior paint application, you need to consider the sunlight’s role. If any side of your home receives direct sunlight throughout the day, it can actually increase the exterior siding of your home by up to 20 degrees.

This means that instead of being just 82 degrees, any side of your home that receives direct sunlight may end up being 102 degrees. That is too hot for paint application. If you were to undergo exterior painting services when it’s too hot outside, the paint would prematurely dry. This can lead to unwanted blistering, peeling, cracking, and other imperfections in the paint job.

Humidity Also Plays a Role

Apart from being mindful of the outside temperature of your home, it’s crucial to also take into consideration the amount of humidity that is in the air. On hot days where humidity levels are high, the excess moisture can seep into your paint. This will alter the water to solvent ratio in your paint, which can affect both the paint’s curing time and its overall finished look.

Additionally, the humidity will wreak havoc on any wood surfaces that you have. Excess moisture will easily penetrate the wood. This can lead to paint peel, cracking, and other unwanted faults in your paint. It’s never a good idea to apply paint when humidity levels are high.

Is Painting in Cold Weather Better?

When you first discover that exterior painting shouldn’t be done in the hot summer weather, you may immediately jump to thinking about painting in the colder winter season. Apart from dealing with snow and ice, painting in too cold of weather can be dangerous as well. Exterior surfaces, like wood and stone, will retain more moisture in the colder weather. This can keep the paint from adequately being absorbed into the surface.

Exactly, When is a Good Time to Undergo Exterior Painting?

Ideally, you should have your home’s exterior professionally painted between springtime and early summer. This creates the perfect weather for the paint to dry and cure properly. It’s a good idea to contact Two Brothers Painting prior to get your home scheduled. We consistently monitor the weather to ensure optimal application temperatures and curing conditions. We want every single paint job that we do for your home to turn out perfect the first time around.

Don’t Search Google For Painters Near Me

If you reside in East Greenwich RI, then you should contact Two Brothers Painting for all of your exterior painting needs. You never want to rely on just any painting company to do the job. As you’ve learned, getting a great exterior paint job requires some finesse and understanding of weather and temperature conditions. Our painting specialists will only opt for painting your home when weather conditions are ideal for a great job.