When Is the Best Time to Paint Your House Exterior?

Whether you’re still searching for the perfect exterior paint color or you’ve already chosen the best exterior paint for your home, you may be itching to get started on transforming your house into the perfect aesthetic for maximum curb appeal. But before you take out the rollers and paintbrushes, you need to know the best time to paint your home’s exterior to get the most out of your paint job. We’ve got you and your home covered: Here’s the 411 on when to paint your home.

When to Paint Your House Exterior

Let’s cut to the chase. The ideal moment to do exterior painting depends on external conditions.  You’ll want to check the forecast and choose a day when the weather is mild, the surface is dry, and there’s no chance of rain. 

For most regions, spring or fall is the right time of year for such a day, but there are many factors at work to prove this isn’t always the case. As for the best time of day, get started early in the morning so you have lots of daylight hours to get the work done.

Factors That Affect Exterior Painting

Every paint job is different and will depend on a number of external factors. From where you live to daily weather fluctuations, you’ll want to plan your paint schedule around the following conditions. 

Outdoor Temperature

The best temperature range for painting your exterior home is anywhere between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit for oil-based paint and between 50 and 85 degrees for latex-based paint. 

Consider the type of paint you have when painting your home. Temperatures that dip below the temperature range can lead to cracks in the paint and splotchy colors, while temperatures exceeding the range can blister or form bubbles.

Paint Type

Again, latex-based paint has different temperature limits than oil-based paint. It’s important to know which type of exterior paint you have and to follow the specifications from the manufacturer to ensure your paint job comes out looking stunning.

You’ll also want to factor in drying time to the equation. Latex paint takes about three hours to dry between layers while oil-based paint takes much longer—up to a full day. 

Time of Day

The time of day that you paint your home also impacts the success of your project. A bright, sunny day during the perfect season is only ideal if you begin working at the right time, as there’s only so much light left in the day if you start mid-afternoon. It’s best to start around 10 a.m. when humidity and dew have dried.

Your home benefits from exterior painting early in the morning because:

• It gives the paint plenty of time to dry before sunset.

• Doing so helps prevent humidity from forming under the paint during the night.

• You can better air out the smell of new paint that enters your home before going to bed for the night.

• Painting later in the day can lead to harsh sunlight that prevents your paint blister from drying too quickly.

• You don’t have to worry about running out of daylight and having to start again in the morning.

Climate Type 

Choosing when to paint a home in Texas or Florida is far different from choosing when to paint a home in Washington or Maine. 

While the general rule of thumb is to paint in spring or fall, you might want to wait until early or late summer for northern regions where temps drop below 40. Likewise, early winter may be a good option for southern regions where you may have temperatures that hit above 85 or 90 degrees in the fall or spring.  

Type of Weather

Painting in the rain can damage the paint and hike up the cost to paint your house’s exterior, so check the forecast before you get started. While exterior paint can handle rain around six hours after you’ve finished painting, play it safe by aiming for no rain in the forecast for five days. Playing the waiting game gives the paint enough time to harden and build up durability.

Worst Time to Paint House Exterior

Covering every angle can help you turn a DIY oops into a DIY win that will have friends and family wondering if you hired a local exterior painter to do the job. It’s a good idea to be armed with the knowledge of when not to paint your home’s exterior. 

Here are the worst times to paint your home’s exterior:

• When it’s raining or about to rain: Paint needs time to fully dry, or cure, after you apply it. If the weather forecast calls for rain in the next few hours or days, or if it's actively raining, the moisture will disrupt the drying time. 

• At night or in the late evening: Even with lighting, it can be more difficult to see in the dark, making painting your home at night a risky project. You're also less able to see if you're applying the coats evenly. Additionally, nighttime temperatures tend to be cooler, and humidity tends to be higher, which affects drying time. 

• In blisteringly hot weather: Paint dries quickly as temperatures rise, making it tricky to get a smooth, even coat. Plus, painting when it's above 85 degrees Fahrenheit will be pretty uncomfortable for you—possibly even dangerous.

• In temps below 40 degrees: On the flip side, cold temperatures slow down drying time. If you use water-based paint, the water can freeze before the rest of the paint dries, affecting its adhesion and curing.

• When there’s high humidity: The ideal humidity range for exterior painting is between 40% and 70%. Any higher than that, and there's too much moisture in the air, which, you guessed it, slows down drying time. The longer it takes paint to dry, the more likely it is to bubble or adhere poorly.

Cost to Paint Your House Exterior

For homeowners, painting a house's exterior costs $3,150 on average, with a price range spanning from $1,810 to $4,500 or $1.50 to $4 per square foot. Several variables impact the final pricing, including the residence's size, the siding material, necessary prep work, height, accessibility, layout complexity, paint scheme intricacy, location, labor, and the chosen paint type.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

DIY can save on labor expenses but requires purchasing materials and may come with a learning curve. You must assess your painting skills and consider the complexity of your home's design. Multi-story homes present even more significant challenges, requiring scaffolding and additional safety equipment—not to mention the time commitment for getting the work done.

Professionals have experience, skills, and tools for high-quality, efficient work. This often means work is done faster with less disruption to your routine. There's also the issue of quality assurance. While hiring a local exterior painter can be expensive, it can be worth the price for your safety and a long-lasting, quality paint job.