Two sources, one theme
Two federal sources say something about moisture in the air around Deltona, and both are worth knowing before you plan a repaint.
DOE's Building America guide to climate regions by county (August 2015) lists Volusia County, Florida, in the Hot-Humid region and IECC climate zone 2A.
In an average year at Daytona Beach, about 23 miles from Deltona, NOAA counts about 2,460 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 4,634 hours above 67°F, the measure engineers use to flag a humid climate.
The NOAA figures are the Daytona Beach station's, not Deltona readings. The DOE listing is for the county as a whole. Neither tells you what the weather will do on the day your house is painted, but together they explain why so much of a good paint job is about moisture.
How moisture changes the work
Paint goes on wet and has to lose its water or solvent to form a film. In damp air that takes longer. A few consequences follow:
- Longer recoat times. The second coat should wait until the first is ready, and the label's recoat time assumes certain conditions. A crew that rushes the second coat can trap moisture between layers.
- Surfaces stay wet after washing. Wood and stucco hold water. Ask how long a crew waits after a wash and how it decides a wall is dry enough to prime.
- Mildew comes back if it's painted over. Discolored patches on shaded walls and soffits should be treated and rinsed before primer. A mildew-resistant finish helps, but it doesn't kill growth already on the wall.
- Indoor finishes take time to harden. Doors, shelves and cabinet faces can feel dry quickly but still mark or stick if they're used too soon.
Inside the house
Indoors, the air conditioner is a painter's friend: it dries the air as it cools it. Ask the crew whether the system should stay on during and after the job. Bathrooms and laundry rooms deserve a finish made for moisture, and kitchens one that cleans easily. Our paint sheens and finishes guide explains how sheen affects both.
For walls with cracks, nail pops or old patches, the repair and primer matter more than the topcoat. The surface preparation guide goes through it.
Outside the house
An exterior repaint is mostly preparation: washing, scraping loose paint, sanding edges, filling cracks, re-caulking joints and spot-priming. Those steps are slow and easy to cut when a bid needs to come in lower. When comparing quotes, line up the prep descriptions before you look at the totals. Our exterior painting page explains each stage.
Disturbing 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.
If your home was built before 1978, scraping and sanding are the steps to ask about. A painter following lead-safe practices will plan containment, avoid dry sanding and power planing of old paint, and clean up carefully. Ask whether the firm holds RRP certification if your home falls under the rule.
Florida's DBPR on paint work
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation lists paint and wallpaper among examples of work that do not require state licensure. That's the wording in DBPR's Construction Industry FAQs, and we don't add to it.
We don't check or recommend firms. A written proposal and proof of liability coverage do more to protect you than anything we could say about a painter.
What a solid proposal shows
- which rooms or elevations are included, and which are not;
- the wash, mildew treatment and drying time;
- crack, joint and wood repair, and who does any carpentry;
- primer and finish products, sheens and coats;
- recoat and cure times the crew will follow;
- a start date and what happens on rainy days.
For costs, see the pricing guide.