A home’s exterior paint faces a lot of environmental challenges on a daily basis. During the warmer months, temperature and humidity can impact the exterior paint of your home. Heat and humidity can impact the exterior paint job’s durability, color, and texture. It is important to account for these factors when starting your next painting project. Our South Jersey painters provided some tips to ward off issues that come from high temperatures.
Heat
High temperatures can make performing a quality paint job quite difficult. Usually, paint reacts negatively to high temperatures because of the amount of sunlight exposure. Sunlight can cause paint to dry too quickly which leads to premature drying and lap marks on the surface. Premature drying can cause the painter to put on the second coat before the first coat fully is ready. This can cause flaking and peeling to occur. Be mindful of this when your project has to be painted in direct sunlight. Heat can affect the durability of the paint as well. The more sunlight exposure that is received, the quicker the paint will fade. In severe cases, the paint can become bleached or bubbled.
Humidity
Humidity poses a different set of challenges for painting projects. Humidity can make the drying process prolonged. For projects that are under time constraints, this can make meeting deadlines difficult. If humidity is extremely high, it can cause paint to start running by hindering the bonding chemical from working properly. Commonly, this happens on metal surfaces that tend to avoid heat and moisture a lot easier. The moisture will create a barrier between the paint and the surface, thus causing it to run off. Humidity can also cause growth like mold and mildew to form which can put inhabitants’ health at risk if ignored.
Solutions
There are a few different precautions you can take when heat and humidity are a concern for your painting project. There are certain paint mixtures that have additives in place to help prevent toxic mold from forming. These paints should be utilized when dealing with humid climates. For heat, there are specialty paints designed to be more resistant to fading. If your painting project is prone to natural or artificial heat such as a fire pit or a siding, you should consider purchasing a specialty paint. Keep in mind the environment around you. There are a lot of natural ways to take the stress of your paint job. Natural shade can be of great use and can add a nice touch to your landscape.
If you have any questions or concerns about the exterior of your home, reach out to Rainer Painting at 856-786-8121!