Just when things are going smoothly and we feel like we’re in control, nature throws us a curveball and reminds us who really is in charge. Cold and icy weather like we recently had in Austin can really throw us for a loop, interrupting numerous projects and giving us vacations when we don’t want them. What should we know about painting in cold weather?
What Type Of Paints?
Houses traditionally were painted with oil-based paints. While providing a great looking finish, these paints tend to dry slowly which is a bad quality in cold weather. When the temps would drop at night, the paint still hadn’t dried. Add in rain or snow to the mix, and the result would be a runny, chalky finish.
Acrylic house paints then became popular, especially for painting in cold weather. These paints dried more quickly and had more flexibility which helped with large temperature changes. Many of these options are 100% acrylic and are ideal when painting in good weather, typically 50-80 degrees.
When it is too cold, paint will generally start to exhibit several negative characteristics. First, paint becomes too viscous and difficult to apply. It also has trouble drying to a uniform finish, and sometimes will have a chalky appearance. Because latex paint uses water as a solvent, the freezing point and drying time becomes a MAJOR issue when painting in cold weather. While a second coat of latex paint can be applied within 4 hours during the summer, it can be as long as 48 hours between coats when it is in the 30’s outside.
What About Cold-Weather Paint?
This is actually a thing now! In the last decade, paint manufacturers have made great strides in improving latex paints for painting in cold weather. These special formulations allow paint to be applied in temps down to 35 degrees and are able to withstand freezing temperatures more quickly.
Here are some examples of paints formulated for cold-weather use:
- Sherwin Williams Duration
- Sherwin Williams Superpaint
- Sherwin Williams Resilience
- Benjamin Moore Aura
- Benjamin Moore Regal Select
- Behr Marquee and Premium Plus
The new technology in coatings has also carried over to other products as well. For example, Polyurea is now our first choice for garage floor coatings due to its toughness and ability to be applied in colder temperatures.
Other Tips For Painting In Cold Weather
We’ve talked about the paint, but keep in mind all the other various materials needed for a paint job. Many of the materials we use during a project may or may not be applied in cold or near-freezing conditions. Examples would be fillers, putty, caulking, and primers. Paint sprayers also don’t work as well in near-freezing temps.
We prep many houses using a power-washer. Cold temperatures cause water to evaporate much more slowly, meaning the prep time for a job increases. Obvious issues related to freezing will exist if paint was applied over a surface that isn’t completely dry.
Project Interruptions
While it is never fun to delay or interrupt a project, it is sometimes inevitable (and out of our control). If your job is delayed because of poor weather conditions, we will resume as soon as it warms up again… and that usually isn’t very long in Texas!
