What Is The Ideal Weather For Painting?
The suitability of weather is a necessary condition for effective painting and a fine dry climate is the ideal weather for painting.
This usually happens in spring, summer and fall.
During this periods of the year, humidity, rains and strong winds are rare.
In the not so distant past, painters waited for fine dry weather to paint houses.
Hence, residential painting was a seasonal activity.
However, the advancement of technology, competition and urgent need have made it possible to paint houses at any time of the year except during extreme weather conditions like heavy rains, high winds and snowy weather.
There are many places in the world where the climate is diverse and sometimes unpredictable.
For instance, one country may have a tropical northern portion and a temperate southern region at the same time of the year.
There are also places that have long winters and short summers or vice versa.
Still others experience unusual rainfalls during the summer time.
Painters need to brace themselves up with innovative techniques to counter the varying weather conditions in their areas so that they can stay in business the whole year round.
Specifically, they need to know how to paint effectively during hot or cold weather conditions and not just depend on the ideal weather for painting.
Painting during cold weather The two most common types of paint are latex and oil.
Latex is effective in temperatures not lower than 5 degrees Celsius while oil can withstand temperatures not lower than 10 degrees Celsius.
Below these temperatures, high moisture levels can cause cracking, blotches, undesirable shadows or unappealing colours and significantly longer drying time.
It is important to note that the temperature we speak of here applies to the temperature of the air, the substrate and the paint itself.
The substrate is the object on which paint is applied.
Painting during hot weather As in cold weather, effective painting during hot weather requires the right temperature for the air, the substrate and the paint.
Most painters agree that air and substrate temperatures higher than 30 degrees Celsius can negatively affect the proper formation of the paint film.
Excessively hot conditions can also cause lap marks as well as pinholes during application while direct sunlight exposure can cause blisters on the paint film.
During the hot summer months, painting can best be done in the early mornings and late afternoons.
Hot paint also tends to flow unevenly resulting in lumpy or bumpy substrate surfaces.
The ideal temperatures when effective painting can be achieved, therefore, are those between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius.
But sometimes, urgency dictates that painting must be done whatever the temperature is.
This is a risky proposition that both the painter and consumer must carefully plan.
Professional painters are particular about the quality of the paint they use, especially in places with sudden weather patterns.
Colour retention, durability and washability are the test of quality paint.
In order to retain colour longer, the paint must contain more pigments than liquid or fillers, ingredients that are added just to increase volume.
The binder should be of quality material so that the pigment particles form into a uniform paint film that firmly adheres to the substrate.
All in all, quality paint allows for easier application, better hiding and protecting power and more rewarding visual effect.
While most homeowners prefer to wait for the ideal weather for painting, professional painters are fast acquiring skills and techniques so that they will be able to practice their profession the whole year round.
Special equipment and tools, innovation and creativity have taken over traditional methods that can be used limitedly during fine weather conditions.
This usually happens in spring, summer and fall.
During this periods of the year, humidity, rains and strong winds are rare.
In the not so distant past, painters waited for fine dry weather to paint houses.
Hence, residential painting was a seasonal activity.
However, the advancement of technology, competition and urgent need have made it possible to paint houses at any time of the year except during extreme weather conditions like heavy rains, high winds and snowy weather.
There are many places in the world where the climate is diverse and sometimes unpredictable.
For instance, one country may have a tropical northern portion and a temperate southern region at the same time of the year.
There are also places that have long winters and short summers or vice versa.
Still others experience unusual rainfalls during the summer time.
Painters need to brace themselves up with innovative techniques to counter the varying weather conditions in their areas so that they can stay in business the whole year round.
Specifically, they need to know how to paint effectively during hot or cold weather conditions and not just depend on the ideal weather for painting.
Painting during cold weather The two most common types of paint are latex and oil.
Latex is effective in temperatures not lower than 5 degrees Celsius while oil can withstand temperatures not lower than 10 degrees Celsius.
Below these temperatures, high moisture levels can cause cracking, blotches, undesirable shadows or unappealing colours and significantly longer drying time.
It is important to note that the temperature we speak of here applies to the temperature of the air, the substrate and the paint itself.
The substrate is the object on which paint is applied.
Painting during hot weather As in cold weather, effective painting during hot weather requires the right temperature for the air, the substrate and the paint.
Most painters agree that air and substrate temperatures higher than 30 degrees Celsius can negatively affect the proper formation of the paint film.
Excessively hot conditions can also cause lap marks as well as pinholes during application while direct sunlight exposure can cause blisters on the paint film.
During the hot summer months, painting can best be done in the early mornings and late afternoons.
Hot paint also tends to flow unevenly resulting in lumpy or bumpy substrate surfaces.
The ideal temperatures when effective painting can be achieved, therefore, are those between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius.
But sometimes, urgency dictates that painting must be done whatever the temperature is.
This is a risky proposition that both the painter and consumer must carefully plan.
Professional painters are particular about the quality of the paint they use, especially in places with sudden weather patterns.
Colour retention, durability and washability are the test of quality paint.
In order to retain colour longer, the paint must contain more pigments than liquid or fillers, ingredients that are added just to increase volume.
The binder should be of quality material so that the pigment particles form into a uniform paint film that firmly adheres to the substrate.
All in all, quality paint allows for easier application, better hiding and protecting power and more rewarding visual effect.
While most homeowners prefer to wait for the ideal weather for painting, professional painters are fast acquiring skills and techniques so that they will be able to practice their profession the whole year round.
Special equipment and tools, innovation and creativity have taken over traditional methods that can be used limitedly during fine weather conditions.
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