When paint dries too fast
Much painting advice is written for damp places, where the worry is that paint won't dry. NOAA's figures for Coeur d'Alene point the other way. In dry, warm air, paint can lose its water so quickly that it doesn't have time to flow out and level, and that causes its own set of problems.
The Coeur d'Alene station
In an average year at Coeur d'Alene, NOAA counts about 27 hours at 93°F or hotter, no hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and only about 28 above 67°F: a dry summer climate. That's NOAA's engineering weather data for the Coeur d'Alene station, quoted as NOAA states it.
What fast drying looks like
- Lap marks. A section dries before the next one is rolled into it, leaving a visible band where they overlap.
- Brush marks. The paint sets before it can level, so every stroke shows.
- Poor flow on trim. Enamel on doors and window casings can drag instead of flowing smooth.
- Weak bond on hot surfaces. Paint on a sun-baked wall can skin over on top while it's still soft underneath.
Keeping a wet edge
The cure is mostly technique. A good painter works in manageable sections, from one natural break to the next, such as a corner, a window or a trim board, so a wall is never left half done. They roll into wet paint, not dry. On trim, they finish one piece before moving on. Some products accept an additive that slows drying; ask whether the painter uses one and whether the maker approves it.
Working with the shade
On the outside of a house, the simplest rule is to paint where the sun isn't. Start with walls the sun has left, and leave the sunny side until the shadow reaches it. That keeps the surface cooler and gives the paint more time to level. On the hottest stretches, many crews start early and stop in the afternoon.
Paint or stain on wood
Wood siding, shingles, fences and decks can take paint or stain. Paint forms a film that hides the grain and shields it from the sun, but it can peel if moisture gets behind it. Stain soaks in, shows more of the wood and wears away gradually rather than peeling, so it is usually renewed more often but with less scraping. Solid-color stains sit between the two. Which suits your house depends on what's already on it: stain won't soak into wood that has been painted. Our deck and fence staining page explains the choices.
Older paint
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. On a house built before 1978, scraping and sanding the old film counts as disturbing paint. Ask the painter how they'll contain chips and dust and clean up afterwards.
Idaho's registration rule
Idaho's Contractor Registration Act requires anyone who performs construction, defined as building, altering, repairing or improving any building or other structure or any part of one, to register as a contractor; a single casual, minor or inconsequential project under $2,000 in total price is exempt. That is the Idaho Legislature's wording, printed with its source below. You may ask a painter whether they are registered under it.
Questions for a summer job
- How will you keep a wet edge on long walls?
- Which side of the house will you paint at which time of day?
- Paint or stain on my siding, and why?
- What will you do if a wall is too hot to paint?
Our exterior painting page covers preparation and coats on the outside of a house.