How does hot weather affect exterior painting in Charleston and Hilton Head, South Carolina?
Are you planning an exterior painting job for the summer? Maybe your schedule is more flexible, or you hope that the weather will lead to better conditions for a paint job.
While it’s possible to perform successful exterior painting in the summer, there are also some risks to keep in mind: heat and humidity. As a South Carolina resident, you’re familiar with these weather conditions. However, you may not know how they can affect paint jobs.
The potential problems of exterior painting in hot weather
Interference with drying and curing
A short amount of time after applying paint to your home’s exterior, the coating can feel dry. If you gently press your fingers against it, it won't easily wipe away or leave wet smudges on your hands. However, even though the paint has superficially dried, it isn’t yet fully cured.
When paint fully undergoes curing, it reaches its peak hardness and is dry throughout, not just superficially. One way you can tell that paint isn’t fully cured is by pressing your fingernail into it. If you can make a dent in the paint, it’s a sign that it still needs to finish curing. Once it's cured, you can actually wash the surface without ruining the paint job.
Although paint may take an hour or two to dry, it can take days or weeks to fully cure. When you paint on a day that’s extremely hot, the high levels of heat can disrupt proper drying and curing.
Extreme heat speeds up these processes too much, weakening the paint's adherence to the surface and potentially leading to bumps, wrinkles, and other kinds of unevenness. Your paint job may also form blisters within a couple of days, making it susceptible to peeling as it cures. Furthermore, exposure to harsh sunlight contributes to discoloration.
Moisture issues
Excessive humidity can exert a damaging effect on paint jobs. For example, let’s say you’re painting a wood surface. When the wood takes in a high amount of moisture from the air, it can swell, and the paint job becomes vulnerable to cracking.
In excess, humidity also interferes with drying and curing by introducing too much moisture to these processes. This can compromise the quality and longevity of the paint job. Surface irregularities form, and the paint job looks less even and attractive. It's also less resilient and does a poorer job resisting deterioration.
How do professional home painters help you avoid these problems?
When you hire professionals for exterior home painting services, you can count on their extensive knowledge of all the factors affecting a paint job. These include paint products, surface materials, and environmental conditions.
Knowledge of ideal weather conditions
Not all paint products are the same, and professional painters will understand the best temperature ranges for different types of paint. With latex-based paints, for example, the ideal range is 50 to 85 degrees. In general, paint jobs are in danger when temperatures climb above 90 degrees.
Keep in mind that air temperature isn’t the only factor to consider. It’s also critical to pay attention to surface temperatures, particularly in areas of the home with direct exposure to sunlight. The surface temperature may wind up being higher by 10 degrees or more.
What about humidity? If humidity levels are at 85 percent or higher, it generally isn’t a good idea to paint your home’s exterior.
When top professionals provide you with exterior home painting services, you can be assured that they’ll monitor weather conditions. They’ll work out a schedule that’s both convenient to you and beneficial for your paint job. If you're worried about excessive heat and humidity in the summer, you may also want to consider scheduling your paint job for the spring or fall.
Thorough preparation
Along with accounting for weather conditions, professional house painters will also know how to make all the necessary preparations for a durable and beautiful paint job.
By properly preparing the surfaces, for example, they’ll reduce the effects of excessive moisture. They’ll also make sure not to leave cans of paint and other products in direct sunlight or excessive heat. These precautions prevent damage to the products and preserve their high quality for applications.
Painters near me in SC: Colorworks Painting & Designs
If you live in or around Charleston and Hilton Head Island, SC, don't hesitate to reach out to us for an outstanding paint job. Licensed and insured, we're available at 843-683-0780 and through our site.
You can rely on our highly skilled work and our consistent dedication to your needs. We also invite you to consult with us on every aspect of exterior painting, including choosing the right colors and picking days with the best weather for beautiful and long-lasting results.
