Like residential painters, commercial painters in Lathrop also depend on good weather to paint the exterior surfaces of your building. You may not have known or noticed it, but for these professionals (and many experienced DIY painters, as well), the weather and the season are things that should not be ignored.
Choosing the right weather and the right season is very important – and that’s not an understatement. When will they be able to paint is, in fact, one of the key factors of a successful paint job. There are a couple of good and valid reasons for this:
- Temperature and temperature changes
- Humidity and moisture
Temperature and temperature changes
Everyone knows that the right temperature is important, especially for commercial painters. The general rule of thumb is that latex (water-based) paints can be applied in temperatures that range from 40 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while oil-based paints can be applied in temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
It means that it’s not OK to go out and paint outside when the temperature is too low or too high. The paint will not bind properly to the surface under these extreme conditions and will likely create surface problems in the future.
Most beginners will assume that painting under hot weather simply means that the paint will dry faster. While this is true, it is not always the case. There are also cons of painting during a very hot day or under direct sunlight. The paint may not cure properly and dry too fast, likely resulting in an uneven finish or more surface problems like speckling, blistering, or “alligatoring.”
The paint brushes and rollers will also dry too quickly when the temperature is too high, and they will be more difficult to use when applying paint to the surface. Using spray paint under extremely hot temperatures is not a good idea either, as the paint dries in the air even before it hits the surface.
While the winter season may be the best time for interior painting, it is otherwise the worst time for exterior painting. It simply ruins your paint job – the temperature is just too cold and the winds are just too sharp for the paint to cure properly. And if you do to go out to paint during the dead of winter, the paint would most likely flake or peel off. That’s why wintertime is not the exactly the busiest time for commercial painters (and obviously, you should not look for them during this season). Of course, if you live in an area where temperatures don’t go very low, this may not be as much of a problem for commercial painters in Lathrop who are painting your building’s exterior.
Temperature changes or fluctuations should also be considered. Many paints react negatively towards these temperature changes between day and night. An ideal season to paint the exterior is late in the summer and early in the fall since the likelihood of extreme temperature changes throughout the day will be very low. However, that still depends on the region you live and its climate conditions.
Humidity and moisture
When the level of humidity goes around 40% to 70%, it allows for the best conditions for drying paint. It goes without saying that you should do exterior painting only when the surface is perfectly dry and when humidity is low. It will accelerate the drying process of the paint.
Do not paint while the surface is still wet, or while it’s raining or snowing. Higher moisture or humidity means slower drying time for the topcoat. A wet surface will allow things like dust and soot to stick to the paint, and you don’t want to see a dirty paint finish.
So as you can see, it’s important to choose for the right season as it is also one of the key factors of a smooth and successful paint finish. You can look at the abovementioned factors as your guide, but it still depends on the area you live and its specific weather or climate conditions. In the end, it’s entirely up to you to decide when is the right time to hire commercial painters in Lathrop to paint the exterior of your commercial space.
