Moist air and fresh paint
Paint dries by giving up its water or solvent to the air around it. When that air already holds a lot of moisture, the process slows, and a coat that would firm up quickly on a crisp day can stay soft for much longer. That affects two things on a Daphne job: the time between coats, and keeping mildew off the finished surface.
NOAA's figures, from Mobile
NOAA doesn't publish engineering weather data for Daphne. The figures it does publish here are for Mobile, and they describe Mobile, not measurements taken in Daphne. In an average year at Mobile, NOAA counts about 1,957 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 3,780 hours above 67°F, the measure engineers use to flag a humid climate.
For painting, a long count of hours above those thresholds is a reason to plan for slow drying, especially early and late in the day, when surfaces cool and moisture can settle on them.
Exterior paint: what to plan for
- Start after the dew is gone. A painter should check that siding and trim are dry before the first stroke, not just that the rain has stopped.
- Stop early enough. Paint applied late in the afternoon may not firm up before evening moisture forms on it. Surfactant leaching, a sticky or streaky residue, is a common result when fresh latex gets damp too soon.
- Wash first. Mildew, pollen and grime on old paint keep the new coat from gripping. Ask whether the proposal includes washing, what cleaner is used on mildew, and how long the surface dries before painting.
- Choose products for the conditions. Many exterior paints carry mildewcides in the film. Ask what the proposed product contains and whether stained or bare areas get primer first.
Storms and the repaint after repairs
Hurricane Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores on September 16, 2020, with maximum sustained winds of 95 knots, a category 2 hurricane, and the National Hurricane Center reported damage to trees, power lines and buildings across Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Storm damage often ends with a painter: new siding boards, replaced trim, patched soffits or a rebuilt porch ceiling arrive bare or primed and need finishing to match the rest of the house.
A few points help that part of the job go smoothly:
- Bare wood and new trim need priming. Ask whether the primer coat is in the painter's price or the carpenter's.
- Matching an existing color on a weathered wall is hard. Painting a whole wall, corner to corner, usually hides a repair better than a patch.
- If the inside of the house took on water, drywall and trim need to dry fully before any primer goes on. Paint sealed over damp material can blister and trap moisture.
- Keep the paperwork. A written proposal that lists each surface makes it easier to show what the painting part of a storm repair involves.
Indoors: bathrooms, kitchens and closed-up rooms
Inside, moist air slows drying most when the house is open, and less when the air conditioning is running and the windows are shut. Bathrooms and laundry rooms add moisture of their own. Ask about a finish made for those rooms and whether exhaust fans will run while it dries. Our guide to paint sheens and finishes explains why satin and semi-gloss wipe clean more easily in damp rooms.
Lead in older paint
EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule says anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If your home was built before 1978, the painter should plan for plastic sheeting, dust control and careful cleanup whenever scraping or sanding is part of the job. You can ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Questions to put to a painter in Daphne
- How do you decide when it's dry enough to start, and when to stop for the day?
- How will mildew be cleaned off before painting?
- Is priming of new or repaired wood included?
- Which product and sheen do you suggest for the bathrooms?
- How will older paint be handled if the house was built before 1978?