Exterior painting in the rain – Can it be done?

With an extended rainy season in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, many of our clients have asked us when they can begin to paint the exterior of their homes. While interior painting can be easily done in all weather conditions, rain and humidity cause challenges for exterior painting projects.

Exterior painting on wet surfaces compromises the longevity of the project

At Even Better Painting, our professional painters do not paint exteriors in the rain. If your painting contractor is considering painting your project in the or on a rainy day during breaks in the weather, this could lead to both short and long term issues in the paint. Temperature and moisture can change the overall look of the paint job.

If it rains while your are painting the exterior of your home, deck, or fence, it is likely that the paint will wash away completely. Wet surfaces are also not able to absorb paint, and painting before the exterior surface has dried will lead to an uneven finish, or paint peeling and bubbling in the future.

The only way to safely paint an exterior in the rain is to ensure that the area is covered and no water will touch the paint. If there is rain in the forecast on the day you are considering painting, we recommend waiting for another day.

Temperature can impact the drying time of paint

When it comes to painting in the spring, keep in mind that high humidity, cooler temperatures, and the dew point can all impact the drying time of paint. This dew point refers to the temperature point before moisture begins to form on surfaces. For example, if the air is at 20 degrees Celsius and 60% humidity, that would be a dew point of 12 degrees Celsius. Since it’s important for there to be an adequate difference between the temperature and dew point, moisture can affect brand new paint jobs in different ways.

How long should you wait for exterior painting after it rains?

Ideally, five days of normal weather is the best when it comes to exterior painting. However, six to eight hours of sunlight can also help to dry the surface and typically will yield good results. At the very least, it is essential to wait until the surface is dry when touched before starting an exterior painting project.

It is also important to consider the type of paint being used on the surface as well. Oil based paints require completely dry surfaces while latex based paints can be applied after a few hours of dry weather.

How to tell if a surface is dry enough to be painted

If conditions are right, an exterior surface can be dry enough to paint within several hours after a rainfall (but we still recommend waiting at least a full day). Here are a few areas to look out for on your home as they may not dry as quickly as other areas.