When building a new home or commercial building, painting it on site has quite a number of factors that are out of your control which can cause some significant delays especially if you live in a climate that has cold winters or quite a bit of rain. Pre-finishing the exterior siding, trim and soffit before it is installed, will make that task much easier and can save money in the long run.
How Cold is Too Cold To Paint?
Most if not all paint manufacturers recommend a minimum temperature of 50 degrees when applying paint to any product including oil based and water based paints/stains. Even though many of today’s latex paints are formulated to dry at temperatures as low as 35 degrees, these lower temperatures can cause the paint to dry slower.
Minimum Overnight Temperatures
The minimum overnight temperature should be 35 degrees and should be above this mark for 24 to 48 hours to ensure proper adhesion to the siding. Other issues such as applying the paint when it is above 50 degrees but nighttime temperatures fall quickly, the dew can stop the paint from properly drying which again can cause staining and adhesion problems.
How soon should you paint after it rains or snows?
Rain and snow can cause further delays in getting a home painted on site. After a rain or snow event, the house still needs to dry out before the paint can be applied. Some southern facing walls will dry quickly while others (Northern or shaded sides) will need more time to dry. When the exterior is properly dry, the home will need 48 hours after the paint is applied to dry properly before the next weather event.
Solution To Cold Weather Painting
Here at Legacy Pre-Finishing, we work hard to solve these problems by pre-finishing (factory machine finishing) all types of exterior siding, trim, soffit and fascia products as well as interior wall and ceiling boards. Our 42,000 square foot facility is a temperature controlled environment where we are always above 50 degrees. We do our best to make sure all incoming material is dry but there are occasions that are out of our control that require us to dry materials on racks inside our facility. Once the material reaches the proper moisture level, only then will it be approved for production. We machine apply the finish whether it is a solid color paint or stain and then we place the products on racks where it is allowed to air dry per the manufacturer’s specifications to ensure the best adhesion possible. Once the finish has dried properly, the material is stacked down on pallets and prepared to ship to the desired location.
When pre-finishing, what colors are available?
Almost any color can be applied to the exterior siding for your new home. We have samples on our website of the most popular solid colors and stains, but if you have a color you absolutely love, let us know and we will create a sample for you to review. All products are made to order to your color specifications using only the highest quality stains and/or paints. Touch up paint is included with each order to repair small nicks and seal all end cuts.
Resources:
https://www.ppgporterpaints.com/tools-tips/how-to-paint-exterior
https://www.consumerreports.org/painting/how-cold-is-too-cold-to-paint-outside/
