Paint Tip Tuesday-Cold Weather Painting

Winter has arrived and many people have downtime due to the holidays being so close together. This is when most people tend to take a look at their honey-do lists and see what projects they can accomplish. So how do you paint in the cold weather? What is the best method? What factors do you have to take into consideration.

The main factor when painting cold weather is surface and air temperature. Your air temperature can be a perfect 50° fahrenheit but your surface temperature especially if it is metal can be as low as 27° fahrenheit and that is an unpaintable surface. Many paints can be applied at a surface and air temperature of 50° fahrenheit and some as low as 35° fahrenheit. Make sure to check your product data sheet for this information as if you were to apply it at a much lower temperature than what is allowed the top might dry to touch but underneath will still be wet and unable to adhere to the surface properly.

One trick during the cold months is to follow the sun. Start your project later in the day than you normally would during summer months and follow the direction of the sun to ensure you have a warm enough surface temperature. If there is mist or rain or sleet or snow it is best to wait to paint as additional moisture is never a good thing for paint. Or simply move inside and tackle those projects. Remember when painting follow all the manufacturer instructions on the product data sheets as the methods for painting have been tested vigorously and continuously, this will save you money of having to start over. Or you could just head inside for the winter months and tackle those interior project as well. It's warmer inside.