How Does The Cold Affect Painting In Prescott?
"When is it too cold to paint?" is a question I am often asked by homeowners. One of the best things about Prescott is the weather, and for the most part, it doesn’t affect us.
Top-of-the-line paints from Sherwin Williams and Dunn Edwards can be applied at temperatures of 35 degrees and warming. And, as you know, most days here in the Prescott area easily meet that criteria.
Of course, it is a little more complicated than that, so here are a few things for your information:
- We need a surface temperature of 35 degrees and warming also. We use a temperature gun to measure surface temperature. We won’t work if there is snow on the ground out of safety concerns.
- We need the surface to be dry and we check it by using a moisture meter.
- A typical day for us when the temps are low, starts with prep. We can wash, scrape, sand, mask and many other prep steps when the temps are low. Usually the temperature comes up around 9am. We can start painting then, and we stop painting earlier than usual to allow for the paint to dry before the temperature starts falling.
- As the temperature starts to fall: We need to pay attention to the dew point. This is the temperature at which dew may start to form. Our humidity is so low that it is usually not a big concern. But we need to pay extra attention to metal surfaces, because they will cool off quicker than wood or stucco.
In higher elevations of 6000’ and up as well as heavily forested areas can be eliminated because the sun doesn’t warm the surface enough. But most of the greater Prescott area can be painted throughout the winter months if snow is not on the ground.
written by Jimmy Cordier
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