Contrary to popular opinion, summer's a great time to paint your home, inside and out. While there is a risk of paint drying too fast – which means your brushwork shows and paint can be harder to handle – there’s a few tips and tricks to warm weather painting that will get you a perfect finish every time.
How to paint outdoors in hotter weather.
- Watch paint drying. Paint dries according to the ambient moisture and temperature of the air. But there are ways to slow down how long it takes for paint to dry. You can find water-based additives at your local hardware store designed to help stop your paint drying too fast. The good news is that it will also give your exterior walls better coverage by increasing the flow on the brush.
- Choose your time. The best time to paint exterior walls on hot days is early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun isn't at its height – ideal during daylight savings. You can then focus on prep work in the middle of the day, including sanding and filling holes. Never paint on days over 35 degrees and/or blazing strong wind speeds – it can make the paint dry too quickly.
- Stay on the shady side. Focus your work on the walls that are in the shade and follow the shade around as the sun moves. Hot surfaces will prevent paint bonding to your wall.
Why it’s good to paint indoors in summer.
- Throw open the windows. Warmer weather allows you to open up your windows and air out your house from the strong paint fumes. It also has the bonus of thinning your paint for easier application.
- When it’s perfect drying weather, you can limit your wall prep time so you can get down to adding colour faster. Just watch out for searing temperatures – on days above 35 degrees you can get fans or air conditioning going to keep down the heat.
- Shine a light. Bright sunshine gives you a better idea of how certain colours will look on your walls, taking into account direct light, shadows and everything in between.
Too hot to handle.
Here are a few more tips for making the most of your summer painting times.
- Avoid extremes – it’s no fun painting outside if it's raining or boiling. Humidity can be just as tricky as rain because porous wood or mortar might be damp, making the paint too thin for an even coat.
- The early summer months are probably ideal exterior painting weather, depending on where you live. There’s likely to be less rainfall and fewer fluctuations in temperature.
- Make sure you choose a period when you're likely to get a few days of dry weather immediately after you paint, too, because you don't want moisture slowing down your drying times – especially if you're doing multiple coats.
If in doubt, call in residential painters who know their stuff – we'll get the job done fast and to your complete satisfaction.