How Weather Affects Exterior Paint

An exterior paint job on your building is an investment. With this investment exposed to the elements, it is essential to know how the weather will affect the paint on your building. If you are a business owner painting the outside of your space, you know how important the aesthetics of the building are to your curb appeal. If a business looks run down or dingy, they are less likely to have people come in than a building with a solid, aesthetically-pleasing paint job. No matter your climate, you should review how the weather will affect your exterior paint job to make the right choice for your business. 

Just as UV rays harm our skin, they are detrimental to exterior paint jobs. If your building has little shade around it and you live in a sunny area, you’ll want to take extra care when choosing a commercial painting company to complete the job. UV rays beating down on your building can be a problem during sunny summer days and sunny winter days if you have a lot of snow near your building – the white snow reflects the UV rays onto your building. 

When your facility is overexposed, you risk your paint job fading or becoming chalky. A knowledgeable commercial painting team can recommend the best types of paint for a building that’s exposed to a lot of sunlight. If your commercial painting company doesn’t mention how the paint they use can withstand UV rays, you should check in with them. The investment with your exterior paint job will fall if you constantly have to repaint due to fading every year.

If your building is in a geographical area where temperatures seem to fluctuate wildly, you’ll want to watch out for your paint job expanding and cracking on the surface of the building. Just as potholes form on the roads, quick temperature changes can cause cracks on the surface of your building and impact the integrity of the paint job.  

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to prevent this from occurring. Weather patterns are what they are. However, a trustworthy commercial painting team should use high-quality paint that may crack less than lower-quality paint. During the winter, you should inspect your building for cracks in the paint to be sure snow and rain aren’t getting caught in the gaps, which can worsen the problems.  

The exterior color of your building isn’t just an aesthetic choice – it’s also a functional choice. The color of the paint on your building can either absorb heat or reflect it. Darker and duller shades typically absorb heat, while lighter and paler shades reflect light. Consider looking into darker tones and shades if you want your building to attract heat. 

If you are interested in keeping your building cool, a lighter color may be a better choice for you. That being said, using high-quality paint is still paramount, whichever color you use, since how the building is exposed to the elements can outweigh the color regarding the upkeep of the exterior. There are also other effective ways to impact the temperature of your building from the outside, other than the paint color. 

Finding the right conditions to paint in is essential. A skilled commercial paint team knows when the client wants to paint and when the weather cooperates do not always match up. Although there are always exceptions, a general rule is that the air temperature should be between 40-90°F for outdoor painting. 

Within this range, 50-70°F is the most optimal for many paint types. During the paint job, the conditions shouldn’t be too windy, as this can cause the paint to dry too quickly and not bond well with the surface. Similarly, if rain is expected within eight hours after the paint job is completed, this can cause issues even if the paint is mainly dry. 

Making your building’s exterior paint job last starts with having a solid professional painting team behind you. Commercial painters who know the best types of paint to use, the best techniques, and the ins and outs of the industry are the best for your investment. Business owners should also frequently inspect the paint on their building for cracks, peeling, fading, and any other discrepancies. 

Here at SmithPro Commercial Painting, we are ready to take on any exterior (or interior) paint jobs you have in mind. We take pride in our work and view our company as a community. Our painters have been with us for an average of eight years and are the best in the field. Further, we have been around for over 50 years and have connections throughout the Greater St. Louis area. If you are interested in our commercial painting services or have any other questions, we would love to hear from you – get in touch today !