How cold is too cold to paint outside? Our November rule
Exterior paint is a race against the first hard freeze. Here is how we decide, house by house, whether a job goes ahead or waits for April.
Every fall, someone calls on the first of November and asks if we can still paint their house. Sometimes yes. Often, honestly, no.
The numbers we watch
Most exterior paints and stains need the surface and the air to stay above 50 degrees while they go on and for a day after. Some low-temperature paints go down to 35, but they cure slowly, and a wet coat that freezes overnight can chalk or crack by spring.
We look at the forecast for the day and the overnight low. A sunny 55-degree afternoon followed by a 25-degree night isn’t a green light, because the surface is cold in the morning and dew sits on it until noon.
What we do instead
We finish what’s started and book new exteriors for April. In the meantime, interior projects, cabinets and drywall repair don’t care about the weather, and the crews are happy to be inside.
One last thing for this week
If you have a deck you want sealed before the snow, call us now. Stain needs a dry three-day window, and there may only be one or two left this year.