Can You Paint Outdoors Even When It is the Rainy Season?

Can You Paint Outdoors Even When It is the Rainy Season? The answer is Yes, but obviously, there are some conditions that apply.

Painting season is determined by weather conditions such as moisture and temperature. As long as safe boundaries exist work can be done even on the exterior of a home or office.

Here are 4 vital factors to consider:

1. Is there any visible water or moisture on the surface of where I will paint?

Even a few drops count as wet.

2. If Not, When Was It Last Wet?

Not all moisture is visible.
A wall that was rained on could require up to four hours or more of drying time even in direct sunlight and 73+ F temperature to be fully dry for painting. If possible wait a full workday.

Check to see if other areas are still wet such as sections that are hidden from the sun.
This includes trim and molding, hairline cracks in the siding, and nail holes.

3. Is the Temperature Right?

Check your paint can for its minimum and maximum temperature for ideal application. Temperature and moisture work in conjunction with each other. The lower the temperature, the longer it will take for your exterior surface to dry.

4. Will Temperatures Drop Below Minimums?

Are the temperatures expected to drop within hours of the work being completed?

Be reasonable. Say for example the paint you have can tolerate temperatures as low as 34 F. If you are painting at exactly 34 F at 10:00 am, and you expect it to hit freezing at 6:00 pm, you are unreasonably pushing the envelope. Give yourself a buffer zone.

So the answer is yes, it just depends on the exact conditions. As you might imagine this can be helpful to know if you live in Seattle or London where it rains constantly. Even here in San Antonio it might be frustrating to see the level of rain fall recently. But don’t despair, you might still be able to make that paint project before the summer hits.

Just call the paint experts at Hendrick Painting. You can count on us to examine the conditions and analyze the best course of action.