When it comes to the East Bay’s paint needs, look no further than the Lumberyard at Truitt & White in Berkeley. At Truitt & White, we combine the highest quality paints, from Benjamin Moore, with our unmatched expertise. Visit us today and let the experts in our paint department help you find the perfect color match for your home or commercial paint project. Since 1883, Benjamin Moore has been creating products that not only protect the exterior of homes and buildings but also preserve their beauty with an extensive line of paints and finishes. Benjamin Moore is a leader in the architectural coatings industry with products that set the new standard of excellence. Benjamin Moore paints is also the number one choice among interior designers. The people that choose Benjamin Moore know that they will get the inspiration to make their concept or dream a reality. With the highest quality paints and finishes in the industry, Benjamin Moore is committed to creating new colors and creating hues that will give customers confidence in their product choices. 5 Useful Tips for Exterior House Painting in Summer When the weather gets warmer, thoughts not only turn to beaches and backyard barbecues, but also outdoor work and new projects at home. Some people’s thoughts even turn to painting the exterior of their house in summer, a huge project that takes a lot of planning and organization. A project this big takes some strategy, the right products for the job and a little insider knowledge from folks who have done it before. Fortunately, you can get all the help you need from Truitt & White Lumber.
1. Avoid Conflicting Conditions
In warm weather, paint dries very quickly, which can be helpful and harmful at the same time. In order to ensure that your paint dries correctly, there are a few outdoor conditions that you should keep in mind on your painting days. When you’re painting outside in the summer, it is best to avoid temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and painting in direct sunlight at the same time, and either of these conditions should not be combined with painting a hot or porous surface. Avoiding painting when two or more of these conditions are present is important for ensuring that your paint job ends up as successful as possible.
2. Pay Attention to Temperature and Humidity
Many people have a desire to paint the outside of their house during the summer, but there is definitely a temperature guideline to be followed when it comes to outdoor painting in the heat. If it’s too hot outside, the paint will have difficulty properly binding to the exterior of the house, and this can result in cracking and peeling. For a more specific temperature guide, check the label on the cans of paint you choose, but a general idea of the perfect outdoor painting temperature is around 70 degrees. Humidity also plays a role in when you should work on your outdoor painting job, because high humidity affects the amount of time it takes paint to dry and cure. It is advisable to wait until there will be a stretch of good weather to start your project, so that you do not have to constantly start and stop. 50% humidity is ideal for outdoor painting.
3. Rinse the House And Let the Sun Dry It
One of the most crucial parts of preparing to paint the outside of your house is rinsing it to get rid of any mold and mildew, and the summer is a great time for this. Start by spraying the house with a diluted bleach solution and then rinse it with a hose (power washers can be too powerful and damage the wood) and then wait a few sunny days after rinsing to proceed with the painting. The sunnier and warmer, the better for drying.
4. Chase the Shade
When painting in the summer, the sun is bound to be out, but staying in the shade is one of your best bets for summer exterior painting. In order to do this, start painting on the shady side of your house and follow the shade as the sun movesacross the sky throughout the day. Staying in the shade is important because direct sunlight increases the temperature of the surface that you are painting on, and can bring the temperature of the outside of your house up to 15 degrees above the temperature of the air.
5. Complement the Landscape
When it comes to making the outside of your house look beautiful, the summer is one of the best opportunities. In the summer months, plants are at their greenest and flowers and trees are in full bloom, so there is no better time to ensure that the color you have chosen for your house matches the rest of your property. Your yard will be the most colorful and vibrant in the summer, so it’s the perfect time to spruce up the exterior of your house as well.
