With summer here you may think any day is fair game to paint the exterior of your home. I can tell you from first hand industry experience, that is simply not true!

A beautiful exterior my company did in 2020!
Siding: Benjamin Moore - Steel Wool (2121-20)

In fact, in my business we have had more issues with paint/stain being applied when the temperature is too HOT than too cold.

Paint manufacturers (especially in Canada) spend a LOT of time with their formulas to make sure that the exterior paint season can be extended as long as possible, and paint can be applied outside in the lowest temps possible.

So what happens if it I paint when it’s too hot?

The most common failure that occurs when paint has been applied to a surface that is too hot to receive it is that it the top of the layer will dry too quickly, creating a gel in between the layer and the surface that does not cure properly and will *usually* peel during/after the first winter.

Check out this deck that we stained in my first year of business in the paint industry. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the perfect temperature when we started. However, by the end of the day, the surface temperature of the deck had become too hot unbeknownst to the staff.

Sure enough, the next May I received a call from the client that the stain had failed over the winter. We went out and had to redo the prep and re-stain the deck for them.

So how do I know if it’s too hot to paint outside?

When painting exterior it’s extremely important to make your game plan according to the weather. You can plan to work on sides that are out of direct sunlight and work your way around. You can plan to get things done very early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. You can plan to NOT work on days that you know are too hot.

You can test your surface temp with this handy tip!

Simply place your hand on the surface to be painted prior to application. If you can barely place it there for a second, it is without a doubt, TOO HOT!

You must keep in mind that the surface also requires enough cure time BEFORE it reaches that temperature to ensure you have no problems down the line.

Try a test at the highest temperature the day before, and you can consider painting at that same temp the NEXT DAY, if the surface feels cool enough to touch.

24 hours of cure time should be allotted when applying STAIN (especially outside), before exposure to any extreme elements (rain included). You should always allow at least A MONTH before exposure to FREEZING temperatures (overnight included).