We figured we’d address this question directly as it’s perhaps the single most common question posed by our customers. Not to mention, probably the most important question of all when you’re planning to paint your home.
The long and short of it is simple – the weather outdoors will have a huge impact on both the work involved and the final result. If you fail to time your painting project strategically, you stand to make things significantly more difficult than they need to be. All while compromising the quality of the finish and the appearance of your home’s exterior.
So, it can be concluded that ideal conditions should be sought before going ahead. The question being – what exactly do we mean by ‘ideal’ conditions for painting?
Ideal Conditions
Without getting too bogged down with the science of the whole thing, the paint drying process is affected by moisture and temperatures. Specifically, there’s a fair amount of moisture in the paint you apply to your home, which needs to evaporate and leave nothing but the dry coat of paint behind. Hence, the more difficult it is for the moisture to disappear, the trickier it becomes to create an even finish.
This is precisely why painting your exterior when it’s too hot or cold isn’t a good idea. Even when temperatures are ideal, you also need to think carefully about atmospheric humidity. And of course, if there’s even the slightest threat of rain, you might want to hold off for a while.
When considering humidity levels outdoors, you also need to assess the potential impact of recent wet or humid weather. Things may look pretty good today, but how about the moisture that made its way into your home’s wooden surfaces yesterday or the day before? Even if it looks dry, there could be residual moisture in the materials that stands to cause you nothing but problems.
Your Window of Opportunity
The idea is to choose a time when extreme temperatures are out of the equation, along with rapid and excessive temperature fluctuations. When temperatures are varying wildly from daytimes to night times, this can also have an adverse effect on the paint’s curing process.
Temperatures and general atmospheric conditions in the fall can be great, though with one slight issue to consider. That being, the tendency for vast quantities of leaf litter and general debris to be blowing all over the place in the wind. For obvious reasons, not the ideal partner for a home covered in wet paint!
Narrowing things down, you’re therefore left with two all-round ideal times to paint your home – springtime and summer. Precisely why we strongly consider getting on top of those nagging home improvements right now! There’s a relatively restricted window of opportunity (as far as perfect conditions are concerned), so you might as well make the most of it!
Planning and Prep
As we always say, the secret to success in all aspects of pro painting lies in the prep. The more time and effort you focus on planning and preparing, the easier it becomes to create a flawless result. Painting your home’s exterior means taking into account the weather forecast and ensuring you’ve everything you need to get the job done quickly and seamlessly.
What you don’t want to do is allocate insufficient time, leave the job 40% done and attempt to come back to it three months down the line. That said, it’s also important to avoid the temptation to rush the job to completion. Consider how much time you have available, whether decent weather is on the cards and whether you really have it in you to tackle the job yourself!
Ask the Experts…
If you’d prefer a simpler, more convenient and even more affordable alternative, you can always ask the experts to handle things on your behalf. Here at Homm CPS, we offer a complete range of exterior home painting services to suit all requirements and budgets.
For more information on our professional painting services or to discuss your requirements in more detail, contact the team at Homm CPS today.