Why Spring Is the Best Time to Repaint Your Exterior, According to a Pro

Color choice is important, but timing is actually everything when it comes to painting your home’s exterior. If you’re tackling this project as a DIYer, now's the time to get to work.

“Spring is a great time to paint—the weather is optimal and it inspires you to get painting,” Anthony Kulikowski, franchise owner of Five Star Painting, tells us.

How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Here are some tips to help you prepare for success in painting your home’s exterior.

Meet the Expert

Anthony Kulikowski is a franchise owner of Five Star Painting located in South Bend, Indiana.

Before Getting Started

As the days grow warmer, it’s simply more conducive to work outdoors, especially when those projects require dry time. But if you’re in a region where April showers also lead to May showers, Kulikowski says it’s fine to do the work in summer, too.

Paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore pegs the perfect temperature for painting at 77ºF, though it notes you’ll be okay working anywhere between 35ºF to 100ºF.

That’s good news if the temperature tends to swing like a pendulum where you live. But even more important than the thermometer reading is the humidity level—it must be low for the paint to cure.

Start with a Clean Surface

Eager as you might be to start painting, prep work comes first. With any painting project, you’ve got to start with a clean, dry surface if you want the finish to look good and last. With exterior painting, this means pressure washing your home first to remove dirt, debris, and mildew.

You can purchase or rent a pressure washer to do this task yourself, but extreme caution is advised. If you set it to the wrong pressure or use the wrong cleaning solution, you could end up causing more harm than good to your home’s exterior.

Use the Right Painting Tools for Your Comfort Level

You won’t get very far with just a paintbrush, which begs the question: roller or sprayer? As with pressure washing, the right answer depends on your level of skill and comfort. 

• A paint roller is much easier to manage for beginning DIYers, but the work will also take much longer. You’ll still need a paintbrush for the tight spots, and depending on the paint color, you might need to do an additional coat for proper coverage.

• A paint sprayer covers large areas more quickly without the strenuous arm workout. But there’s a steep learning curve to avoid splattering while spraying, not to mention more money spent on purchasing or renting a paint sprayer.

You can certainly improve your technique with either a paint roller or a sprayer, but it’s a good idea to practice and commit to one before the real work gets underway for the most even coverage.

Watch the Weather Forecast

A rainy forecast will certainly put a damper on any painting project, but it’s especially bad news for your home’s exterior. When rain is forecasted, avoid painting your home's exterior to prevent the paint from being washed away or becoming streaky, Kulikowski advises.

Choose the Right Paint

However, all is not lost if you can’t catch a break with Mother Nature this spring or summer. “The right type of paint will be much more forgiving with inclement weather,” Kulikowski says.

Before you get your heart set on a paint color, make sure your brand of choice offers something similar for optimal results.

Always Work in the Shade

Warmer temperatures cut down on dry times, but you don’t want paint to dry too quickly because the surface won’t have time to absorb it properly.

To avoid harming the finish, Kulikowski recommends that you work only in the shade, moving only as the sun moves. Aside from this being better for your house, it’s also naturally cooler for you. As such, Kulikowski suggests doing any of the work that requires a ladder earlier in the day.

“Roofs tend to get really hot, and it is more difficult to stay on a hot roof for a longer period of time,” he explains.

Put Safety First

If any talk of roofs and ladders gives you pause, take all the time you need before you proceed with painting your home’s exterior. No matter how proficient you are with other painting projects, you should always put your safety first.

“A doctor's bill and time off of work is more costly than any contractors’ fees to paint your home,” Kulikowski says.

Read the original article on The Spruce.