What You Need to Know About Painting and Humidity
We all know it’s a bad idea to paint your Naples home in extreme conditions. You wouldn’t call professional painters during a thunderstorm, of course. But it can be trickier to decide if the conditions are acceptable when we’re talking about humidity. Florida’s year-round humidity can present a challenge, but one that Naples professional painters know how to face.
Conditions are rarely perfect
If you waited for the perfect weather to paint your home, the project would never be completed.
The good news for those of us who live in humid climates is that the moisture on the surface of your home is a much bigger issue than the moisture in the air. That means that in most cases, you should be ready to paint so long as the dew or rainwater has dried.
Wait for a few sunny or windy days to pass if the wood siding on your home is very wet. Letting the siding dry completely ensures that your paint will dry properly and last long as well.
How humidity affects paint
The reason humidity is such a problem with exterior painting is the drying time of the water and solvents in the paint. If the water does not dry faster than the solvents, the paint can’t form a hard surface. This kind of problem can’t be solved after the paint has already been applied. Your paint will simply not adhere correctly.
This issue also applies to oil-based paints. No matter what kind of paint you and your professional painters choose, you need to know how what to do about humidity.
How humid is too humid?
The ideal time to paint is when relative humidity levels are between 40 and 50% or even lower. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t paint outside of that range.
Most painters recommend you wait until the relative humidity is below 85%. In those conditions, your paint will remain in a gummy, gel-like consistency until the humidity lowers. Once your paint does dry, it will have a wavy texture. This texture is not just unsightly, it will shorten the life of your paint job. Paint is more likely to crack and peel faster if it can’t dry properly.
However, it is possible to paint if the relative humidity is up to 70% or even slightly greater. The drying and curing process is much slower than in ideal conditions, but this shouldn’t prevent you from painting. Your paint should still dry correctly and last for years.
Use temperature to your advantage
The temperature can work to your advantage on a humid day. Time your painting project so that the temperatures are rising as you’re working. Start a few hours before the day’s peak temperature in the late afternoon.
The rising temperature works for you in two ways. First, the heat chases moisture away, helping your paint dry quickly. Second, you avoid dew that forms late in the day. This afternoon dew and moisture could create adhesion problems and staining. Painting just before the hottest time of the day helps you avoid these problems.
Humidity and raw wood
With a coated surface, it is easy to tell when the moisture has evaporated. When there is no visible dew or moisture, it is safe to start painting. However, more care needs to be taken when painting raw wood.
Raw wood is very porous, so moisture might be hiding below the surface. The wood may look and feel dry, but it could be retaining moisture in its core. By the time you wait for this water to completely evaporate, it’s too late in the evening and moisture is starting to form again. This leaves you frustrated with no time to start painting.
Unfortunately, if you want to paint raw wood you need to simply wait for a drier season. Although you can usually beat the humidity, in this case it’s recommended to just wait for the weather to cooperate.
Interior painting in humidity
While it can be very frustrating to paint exteriors in humid weather, there’s less reason to worry about painting interiors. More control over the climate means more freedom to paint.
First, you shouldn’t need to worry about moisture on the surface of your walls. Unless there is a leak in your home, the walls will be completely dry. No need to wait for the afternoon to start painting.
Air conditioning, heat, and dehumidifiers are very helpful. Keeping one of these systems running while you paint helps remove any excess moisture from the air. Your walls should dry perfectly, leaving you worry-free.
For more information about the professional painters at A1 Painting Management, contact us here or call us at 887.705.1146.