How to Paint Your House during Summer Heats

Finding the ideal time for painting your home is not at all easy, especially if we are talking about the exterior. It would be great if we could schedule it when the weather conditions are best, but we often have to accommodate only our own busy schedules.

In general, every season has its major problems when it comes to painting, so summer why avoid summer at all costs if it is the most convenient time for you. Even if you do it yourself, it is possible to do it without too much trouble, let alone if you leave it to the professionals who work equally well in all conditions. These are the thing to pay attention to, as suggested by home painting pros at Painterly.

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Avoid Direct Sunlight

One of the first, basic rules is to never paint in direct sunlight. Instead, follow the shade around the house and paint as it goes. The paint dries too quickly in direct heat and could become too thick. You can use early mornings when it is not so hot to paint some parts, most conveniently the southern side as it should be in the shade then.

The east side is also a good idea in the early morning, or late afternoon. The paint dries too fast because of the direct sunlight, but also because the surfaces heat up too much, which highly influences the quality of the work, so that is another reason to hide in the shade while painting.

Stay Away from the Wind

Another element which is not your friend during the summer painting is the wind. It may sound great to have some cooling breeze while you are painting, but it can actually ruin all your hard work. The paint evaporates faster in the windy weather.

Of course, you can add more water, up to ten percent, and keep thinning the paint in batches, but the wind is really not helping you with this one. Another damage the wind can do to your paint job is to bring the dust and debris to your still-wet paint. When these get stuck, it can really get messy.

Be Careful of the Rain

It may sound like it is never the right time to paint in the summer as you are to avoid all weather conditions, but there must be some “Goldilocks” moments in between all these. Even though the rain can bring some cooling, like the wind, despite the lower temperatures, it is not advisable to paint before nor immediately after the rain as it will definitely ruin your finish.

Cool Down Your Bucket

This is a simple trick which can make your painting job in the heat a lot easier. Before putting in the liner and filling the bucket with the paint, drop in a few ice cubes. This will prevent the paint from thickening too much in the bucket before brushing it on the walls. A cold bath does miracles in the summer, for people as well as for the paint.

Prepare the Surfaces Well

The painting experts say preparing the surfaces is equally, if not even more important than the painting itself. It is recommended to spend as much time on the preparations as on the painting process itself. Another important part which requires more time in the summer is letting the layers dry for a longer time. Take twice as much time to let the first layer get dry, especially if the humidity is high. If you put on the next coat too soon, the first layer could just peel off due to the humidity accumulated underneath.

The ideal temperature for painting is around 20-22 degrees Celsius with 50 percent humidity, but this is not so easy to attain, so just follow the steps above and your painting job should go without too much pain.