Not too many years ago, it was a common joke that the weatherman was someone who “everyone listens to but no one actually believes!” Satellite imagery and analytical technology, however, have made weather forecasts incredibly accurate. This can help us greatly in planning our exterior house painting here in New Jersey. What type of weather should you be looking for? What are the best meteorological conditions for exterior house painting?
If we could choose the ideal, it would probably be about 75 degrees, partly sunny, with a slight breeze and about 55% humidity. Of course, we can’t choose the weather, however, so we need to be able to work with a range of conditions. Let’s take a look at what New Jersey weather conditions are acceptable for exterior painting.
Rain and Humidity
An exterior surface must be fully dry before you paint it, otherwise you will end up with bubbling or other types of serious paint failure. After a wall has gotten wet with rain (or from a sprinkler), give it a day to dry out. It may take even longer for some types of siding and in high humidity.
Additionally, the weather should remain dry for at least 24 hours after the paint is applied. If it gets wet too soon, it will not yet be fully cured, and all kinds of unsightly problems could result.
The ideal humidity range for optimal curing is between 45% and 70%. If the weather is too dry, the paint cures too quickly, and the reverse happens if the humidity is too high. This is not as serious an issue as rain, and you can push those numbers slightly, but do try to keep within them if you can.
The Best Temperature for Exterior Painting in New Jersey
Typical paints for a home exterior are formulated to cure best between 50 and 85 degrees. Too cold, and the paint cures too slowly. Too hot, and the reverse occurs. Either extreme leads to poor performance and appearance in your new paint. Keep in mind that not only the weather needs to be the right temperature. You also need to wait until the surface itself has warmed up or cooled down to the appropriate range.
if you find you really need to paint in colder weather, there are some varieties of exterior paint that are specially made to work in lower temperatures. Ask the employees at your local paint store for more details about this.
Is Sunlight Good for Exterior Painting?
As much as we love the sun, we have to say that direct sunlight is not the best for exterior painting. Like high temperatures and very low humidity, direct sunlight causes paint to dry too quickly, which can lead to uneven paint distribution and other unsightly results.
One good way to manage this is to plan your painting according to the path of the sun throughout the day. Here in New Jersey, the north and west sides of the home are shadier in the morning, while the south and east sides are out of the direct sun later in the day. On a day with moderate temperatures, some direct sunlight is not a significant issue.
New Jersey Exterior House Painter
One great way to beat the weather is to hire an exterior house painting company. There are several ways in which a company like Cherry Hill Painting can help you with this:
- We live and work in New Jersey, so we are accustomed to the weather patterns.
- We work efficiently and effectively, so that the whole project can be done in a shorter window of time.
- We have the experience and product knowledge to be able to perform exterior painting in the widest possible range of weather conditions.
Cherry Hill Painting has been serving New Jersey and the Philadelphia region since 1968, offering a wide range of interior and exterior painting services, including wallpaper removal and kitchen cabinet refinishing. We would be happy to provide you with a free estimate for any of our house painting services. Just call our office or use our online contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!