Call: 925-294-8062

Cooler Weather Tips for House Painting in Pleasanton


Cooler Weather Tips for House Painting in Pleasanton

Sometimes, it is unavoidable to do house painting in Pleasanton even when the weather is chilly. It is common knowledge that low temperatures affect the quality and performance of paint. In Pleasanton, average temperatures in the winter are between 56 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is generally considered not the ideal time to go outside and paint. But if you really need to paint the exterior of your own home there are some important pointers that you will want to consider.

Whether you use an oil-based paint or a latex paint, both of them will be remarkably affected by very cold temperatures.

When applied under low temperatures, the oil-based or alkyd (synthetic) paints will quickly become more sticky and gooey. So if you have to use an oil-based paint, make sure that you have thinner ready as you will need lots of it in order to allow you to continue painting as well as to allow the paint to dry properly and evenly.

You may have a harder time using latex paint because since it is water-based, it will quickly freeze in a cold weather. Latex paints also contain volatile ingredients which even hasten the freezing process. In this case, you need to have special anti-freeze additives to slow down the freezing in your latex paint and enable a less troubling paint-brushing or rolling job.

Latex paints have the tendency to freeze and thaw in extreme conditions. So how can you tell if your latex paint has undergone several freeze/thaw cycles too many times and is now unfit to be used again? Open the paint can and check the paint. If it has a lumpy consistency, then you know that it’s no longer usable and should be discarded.

Paint manufacturers have also come up with “low temperature” acrylic house paints and you may see them in some markets. The great thing about low-temperature house paint is that it allows you to paint in much lower temperatures (from 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Now, although a low temp paint sounds like great news, proper handling and care should still be considered in using this kind of paint. A lot of people assume that by using this product they can paint at any time of the day until late in the afternoon when all of a sudden the temperature plunges much lower at night and the paint doesn’t have much time to cure. As a result, it is exposed to adverse conditions due to the temperature drop and the paint film may not form properly as it should.

Indeed, one of the challenges of using the low-temperature acrylic paint is the drop of temperature. That’s why as said before, proper handling and care should be considered in using this kind of paint. A low-temperature acrylic paint should be totally cured before being exposed to unfavorable conditions due to a much lower temperature dip.

When you decide to buy a low-temperature acrylic paint, check out the paint can label and look for the manufacturer’s recommended range of temperatures. For instance, the paint manufacturers recommend that temperatures should be no colder than 40 degrees Fahrenheit after the paint has been applied. Those temperatures should remain the same for two to three hours to allow it to cure before the temperature dips late in the day into the 20’s (or lower) and the paint could experience drying problems.

If anything at all, house painting in Pleasanton during cooler weather should be avoided unless you have a deadline to meet or you’ve seen further improvements in house paints.

Archive

Swatch Book

Custom Painting Inc

Tell A Friend

Fremont, Hayward Area
(510) 795-0903
Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton Area
(925) 294-8062
San Ramon, Danville, Alamo Area
(925) 866-9610
Walnut Creek, Concord Clayton,
Pleasant Hill Lafayette, Orinda Area
(925) 686-0903