It Might Take Longer than Expected

It has been a very cold and wet Spring in Northeast Massachusetts, which has put a lot of exterior paint jobs on hold.  Which brings me to a brief blog on ensuring that you read the back of the paint label. Whether you are planning a DIY job, or you are hiring a professional you need to know that there are limitation to what can been done in less than perfect weather conditions.

All paints and stains have a range at which a paint should be applied, which is usually between 50-90 degrees, and they all have a time a drying time, which can range anywhere from one to twenty-four hours.  It is very important that you adhere to the temperature range, and it is not just that air temperature that is important, it is also the surface temp.  If the air temp is hovering around either of the extremes of the temps it is best not to paint.  However, if you have a infrared thermometer, or a willing to purchase one you can easily find out the surface temperature before painting.  Just point and shoot, to get the temperature.

Moisture can cause two problems.  First if the air has a lot of moisture in it the paint will take longer to dry, which in turn means that you will have to wait longer to apply a second coat of paint.  Second, if the surface is wet you cannot paint.  And it is not as easy as looking or feeling the wood.  There are specially designed moisture meters that have prongs that are pushed into the surface to determine if there is to much moisture.  If the wood, or or another type of surface, has too much moisture in it, the paint or stain will not adhere properly.