4 Reasons Why Painting in the Winter Isn’t a Bad Idea

Ask the average homeowner about the best time to start a painting project, and chances are slim that wintertime will be mentioned—but that doesn’t mean that paint and cold weather can’t mix. It’s true that painting your home during the winter can be a little tricky, but if you’re careful, starting your painting job in the winter can turn out to be just as great of a project as putting on a fresh new coat in the summertime can. Here’s a list of reasons why you might want to consider pushing that painting project to the top of your to-do list this winter:

Exterior Painting

Just keep an eye on the temperature! Many painting professionals agree that if air and surface temperatures stay above 35 degrees, an outside painting job will go fine. Overnight temperatures will often chill exterior surfaces even if the ambient temperature is above 35, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get the job done and give your newly painted house adequate drying time. The best way to do this is to start painting in the late morning after the sun has had some time to warm up the surface of your home and to stop painting for the day around mid-afternoon. This schedule gives your paint enough time to set before the cold evening air puts a damper on your project. There are also paints, stains, primers, and coatings designed for use in low temperatures, so it might be worth the time to look into adding those materials to your project.

You’ll save money finding a contractor in the winter. Since handling an exterior painting project is more complicated in the winter than in the summer, many painting contractors are busiest during the summer months. Looking for a bid during the winter when contractors have fewer jobs coming in might land you a great deal.

Interior Painting

Your paint will dry faster. When you paint the interior of your home, it’s always important to ventilate in order to protect yourself from paint fumes, and the best way to air them out of your home is to keep your windows open. While it’s true that keeping your windows open in wintertime might drive up your heating bill slightly, it will also to help your paint dry more quickly. Paint takes longer to dry the more humid the air is, meaning that crisp winter air will help your paint set much faster than it would during a humid summer heat wave.

You won’t have to wait as long to get a job done. As mentioned above, painting contractors are busiest in the summer months, doing exterior work. Starting any painting work in the winter, in addition to being less expensive than a summertime job, will take a shorter time to get going since it’s far less likely that you’ll need to wait for painters to get through a list of clients before they can start working on your home.

Painting your home in the winter, whether inside or out, takes careful planning—but so does every painting project. With a good plan and the right Best Pick contractor, there’s no reason not to take this winter to get going on that home painting project you’ve been itching to start.