Fall can be a tricky time to paint outside. In many parts of the country, you need to consider just how late into the season you can paint home exteriors with latex paint and still give your customers long-lasting results.
Mistakes to avoid
A common mistake is to paint when daytime temperatures rise above 50° F and nighttime temperatures drop below 35° F. Even though the temperature may be acceptable at the time of application, the paint can stop coalescing, or melting together, when the temperature drops.
Additionally, dew will form on almost everything as soon as the sun sets, and seep into the uncured paint. When the moisture evaporates, certain ingredients rise to the surface causing surface staining and potential adhesion problems.
Which products work best?
My best advice is to use a paint that is made for painting in temperatures as low as 35° F and that is resistant to moisture 50 percent faster. That product line is called Resilience®.
With Resilience Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint, the threat of rain or dew will not slow down or delay the job because it is specially formulated with breakthrough MoistureGuard™ technology, resisting moisture twice as quickly as standard exterior latex coatings. Newly painted exteriors develop resistance to moisture in just two hours rather than the four-hour minimum most coatings require.
All your other favorite Sherwin-Williams exterior paints are also formulated for low temperature application down to 35° F, including Emerald®, Duration®, SuperPaint® and A-100®.
Answers to reader questions by Frank Flores, Product Manager, Sherwin-Williams. Check out our full archive of answers to pro painter’s most pressing questions.
