How Cold Is Too Cold To Paint

Painting can be a real chore in the wintertime. You're geared up to become everything finished and and so so a cold front end moves in and you're wondering "Do I really have to wait for information technology to warm upwardly once more?"

Always ask your paint manufacturer first and utilize these tips to make up one's mind if you really can paint in cold weather or if y'all should expect till warmer days prevail.

The reply may not exist the 1 you like, but recollect this: Patience is always cheaper than having to exercise it twice.

Paint & Cold Weather

By cold conditions painting, we are talking about temps below 55°F. If you're using water-based paints, information technology should be a no brainer that water freezes at 32°F so whatever h2o-based paint that has been exposed to freezing temperatures will no longer be viable.

Sure, y'all can thaw it out if it sat in your shed all winter and maybe you'll become lucky and information technology will work alright, simply I wouldn't have the chance. If your pigment has frozen, I would recommend getting new paint. If yous're wondering if your pigment is still good check my mail Tin can Paint Go Bad?

When temperatures start dipping into the 50s or below, many paints won't dry properly and it can cause big problems. There are some premium or specialty paints that tin be applied in temps downward to 35°F so check what the actual limits of your detail pigment are. Some of the bug mutual to painting in cold weather are:

Poor colour uniformity
Water spotting in latex paint
Extremely slow and inconsistent drying time
Moving picture cracking

Proper Scheduling is Central

Nobody wants to have these issues, so information technology's best to expect for warmer temperatures to avoid these altogether. I do realize that there are times when you simply tin can't wait. I'm not encouraging impatience here, but some projects can't wait 6 months for wintertime to pause.

Scheduling your projects for the right time of yr is the outset step to avoiding issues. Don't plan that siding overhaul in January unless you're okay waiting a few months before any of information technology can be primed and painted.

If you are painting in the colder months of the twelvemonth, plan your painting for warmer days and programme your application of the paint for the warmest times of the day. Painting outside between 10AM – 2PM is commonly your best bet for warm temps.

I terminal affair well-nigh scheduling, paint can take up to a month to finish curing even under normal temperatures. So, even if you lot paint on a warm twenty-four hours and the paint has a couple days to dry, it is still more sensitive to extreme conditions in those get-go couple weeks. Don't paint earlier a fell cold snap is expected. Sub-zero temps can wreak havoc on freshly painted surfaces fifty-fifty if the paint has been dry to the touch for a day or and then.

How to Pigment in Common cold Weather

So, y'all've decided that despite my warnings, you need to paint in common cold weather. Okay, brave soul! I've washed information technology before and y'all tin too, it just takes more careful planning and prep. None of these are foolproof ideas and you lot can still end up with issues if everything doesn't become just correct. I'll say it again that you should expect for warmer weather, just if you tin't look, hither'south what I would practise:

1. Check the Weather – Cheque your local weather condition forecasts and discover the warmest days and calendar week, and that's when yous want to paint. Don't just look at the high temps, the virtually important number is actually the low for the solar day. If the overnight temps will dip below the recommended temperature on your can of paint so even if it went on smoothly during the day yous will have big bug afterward. The temps demand to stay above the minimum temperature your paint is rated for the whole fourth dimension information technology is curing preferably, but at least for a few days after awarding.

2. Check the Surface – The air exterior may exist warming up a bit, but that doesn't hateful the surface you're going to paint is warm yet. Make sure the surface is warm plenty to take pigment ~50°F. If the air temp is over 50°F but the surface is still cold, utilize a hairdryer or rut gun to warm the surface upwardly a bit. Don't cook the existing pigment off, just warm it up to the touch. Paint goes on best between 70°F and 80°F, so it won't accept much applied heat to bring the temp up.

3. Build a Bubble– If the air temps are not above fifty°F, then you'll take to create your ain little greenhouse. Using iv or vi mil plastic create a bubble around the surface area you promise to pigment. You tin build a frame with 2×4's or by using zip poles. Put a pocket-sized space heater in the area and allow it run for a lilliputian while so that the building surface is warmed besides as the air. Don't make the area too hot. Ideally, y'all desire the temperature to exist in that optimal 70°F to 80°F range. Paint inside your chimera and leave the chimera up with the heater maintaining that temp as long as you tin can, but for a minimum of a few hours. Don't leave the heater on unattended overnight to avert the risk of burn down!

iv. Use Additives – Pigment gets thicker in colder weather which makes it harder to work with and get an even coat. The best way to counter this trouble is by using the proper additives. Apply Floetrol for water-based paints and Penetrol for oil-based paints. Follow the instructions for how much to add to your pigment and these additives will proceed things flowing properly.

That'south about all y'all tin can exercise when it comes to painting in common cold weather. For those of you suffering through extreme cold, you lot'll only have to wait until the mercury is on the rise again. I promise that this mail service will either help you lot extend the periods that you can paint effectively or encourage you lot to wait for warmer weather. Either way, you'll be prepare upwards for success!

Subscribe At present For Your FREE eBook!

Founder & Editor-in-Primary

I beloved sometime houses, working with my easily, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only requite information technology the adventure.