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Is It Ok to Paint In Hot Weather?
With summer here you may think any day is fair game to paint the exterior of your home. I can tell you from first hand industry experience, that is simply not true!
A beautiful exterior done by a #piparmy member in 2020!
Siding: Benjamin Moore - Steel Wool (2121-20)
In fact, in my business we have had more issues with paint/stain being applied when the temperature is too HOT than too cold.
Paint manufacturers (especially in Canada) spend a LOT of time with their formulas to make sure that the exterior paint season can be extended as long as possible, and paint can be applied outside in the lowest temps possible.
So what happens if it I paint when it’s too hot?
The most common failure that occurs when paint has been applied to a surface that is too hot to receive it is that it the top of the layer will dry too quickly, creating a gel in between the layer and the surface that does not cure properly and will *usually* peel during/after the first winter.
Check out this deck that we stained in my first year of business in the paint industry. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the perfect temperature when we started. However, by the end of the day, the surface temperature of the deck had become too hot unbeknownst to the staff.
Sure enough, the next May I received a call from the client that the stain had failed over the winter. We went out and had to redo the prep and re-stain the deck for them.
So how do I know if it’s too hot to paint outside?
When painting exterior it’s extremely important to make your game plan according to the weather. You can plan to work on sides that are out of direct sunlight and work your way around. You can plan to get things done very early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. You can plan to NOT work on days that you know are too hot.
You can test your surface temp with this handy tip!
Simply place your hand on the surface to be painted prior to application. If you can barely place it there for a second, it is without a doubt, TOO HOT!
You must keep in mind that the surface also requires enough cure time BEFORE it reaches that temperature to ensure you have no problems down the line.
Try a test at the highest temperature the day before, and you can consider painting at that same temp the NEXT DAY, if the surface feels cool enough to touch.
24 hours of cure time should be allotted when applying STAIN (especially outside), before exposure to any extreme elements (rain included). You should always allow at least A MONTH before exposure to FREEZING temperatures (overnight included).
How to Paint Stucco like a Professional Painter
You may not realize that painting your stucco is an option, but painting stucco is an easy and cost effective way to update the look of your exterior without a huge investment.
The first step when painting the stucco on your house is to make sure it is nice and clean. You’re likely going to need a little more pressure than a garden hose can offer. When we are prepping stucco for painting, we are usually using a gas powered pressure washer with around 2500 psi. We start the pressure wash at the top of each wall and slowly work our way across and down to ensure no dirt actually gets pushed back up into the grooves. We want to make sure we are staying a safe distance away from the stucco as to make sure not to damage it.
After the stucco has been washed and has had plenty of time to dry out (time varies depending on the weather at the time), it is time to fix any patches of the stucco that may have cracked or damaged over the years. If the fixes are minor, grab some stucco patcher from your nearest home improvement store, as well as some putty knives and get to work! It is quite easy to patch little stucco sections so that they blend on your own. If your home has some bigger sections to be repaired, or a trickier stucco pattern to mimic, it might be time to call in some pros.
Once all the patching is done and had time to cure, it’s time to paint your stucco! The paint for the stucco can either be applied by brush and a really fluffy roller or by spray (likely with backroll). Make sure to choose a paint that is high quality and possibly an elastomeric. Chat with your trusted paint store rep to decide which option is right for you and your home. When you do exterior painting, it’s typically not the best place to cheap out on paint. A high quality product will really pay off with the durability of the paint and extend the life of your exterior paint job.
If you have questions relating the stucco painting or exterior painting, be sure to check out all articles related to the topic on our site.
If you’re not up for the challenge yourself, contact us for a referral from our professional painting network.
How to Paint A Garage Door
An extremely common piece of your exterior that’s likely to fail is the bottom of your metal (and let’s face it, ANY) garage door.
Today we will talk about your aluminum garage door and what you can do to remedy the situation.
Now, for this set of photos, I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like initially. But if you’re here, chances are you already know. ;)
The first step you are going to take is to clean up that rust and get yourself as smooth and rust free as you possibly can. A wire brush usually works best or sandpaper. Go very gently and adjust the pressure as you need to.
The next step is to apply some bondo to the damaged area. Again, your goal is to fix damage, fill any holes, and create a nice smooth surface to paint over.
Once that is dry, you may have guessed it….your next step is sanding. As a psuedo-professional painter, sandpaper is like your number 3 best friend. So if you hate doing it (we all do), you’re going to want to make friends with it and accept it for what it is - a giant pain in the ass.
Next step is another kind of pain thing to do, and it’s priming.
The good news - Now depending on your door, AND which product you are putting on it, you may not have to prime the WHOLE thing. You will definitely need to prime the repaired spots, and any other possible problem areas. Not all primers are created equally, so make sure to talk with your local paint store about which primer (and paint) they recommend you using for your specific situation. I will be creating some guides, but every region has different product offerings.
Follow up with your paint (number of coats totally depends on what color you are, what color you are going, etc).
When painting, start with your cuts (As Shown Above) and follow up with your rolls. Keep that wet edge as you go, meaning don't let your cuts dry before you roll them.
As you start each new section, double back quickly to the last section you painted to make sure any drips or runs aren’t forming and lightly tap them off with your brush or roller.
As always, work top to bottom, left to right to keep yourself organized and complete the project in the fastest way possible.
Finished lower corner repair.
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