Best Time Of Year To Paint The Outside Of Your House
The best time of year to paint the outside of your house in the UK is late spring to early autumn, roughly from April or May through to September, when the weather is warm and dry enough for paint to go on and cure properly. That said, the calendar matters less than the actual conditions on the day. Exterior paint needs a dry surface, a temperature above the level stated on the tin, and a spell of dry weather either side of application, and those can occur outside the ideal months and fail to appear within them.
The reason timing matters so much outside is that exterior coatings are far more sensitive to temperature and moisture than interior ones. Paint applied when it is too cold, onto a damp wall, or with rain coming will not cure correctly, and the finish fails long before it should. Our team has been decorating across Kent for over 30 years, and the exterior jobs that come back to haunt people are almost always the ones painted in the wrong conditions rather than with the wrong paint.
Why The Season Makes Such A Difference
Two things govern whether exterior paint will succeed, temperature and moisture, and the time of year affects both.
Most exterior masonry and wood coatings need to be applied above a minimum temperature, often around five to ten degrees depending on the product, and they need that warmth to hold while they cure, which can be overnight as well as during the day. They also need the surface to be genuinely dry, and walls hold moisture for a long time after rain. In the colder, wetter months the temperature drops too low, walls stay damp, and the short days do not give the paint time to dry before the evening cold and damp set in. That is why winter is the wrong time for almost all exterior work.
Temperature, Moisture And The Forecast
Getting exterior painting right is mostly about reading the conditions rather than the date.
The surface must be dry before you start, which usually means a few dry days beforehand, and no rain should be forecast within the drying window afterwards, or fresh paint is washed off or ruined before it has set. Check the temperature is above the minimum on the product datasheet, not just during the day but overnight, and be aware that a bright spring day can still be too cold first thing. It is always worth reading the manufacturer’s guidance for the specific product rather than relying on the forecast alone, because the thresholds vary from one coating to another.
The Hottest Days Are Not The Best Days
It is easy to assume the height of summer is ideal, but that is not quite right.
In our experience, a mild, dry spell in late spring or early autumn works better than the middle of a hot summer for exterior painting because paint applied in strong, direct sun skins over and dries too quickly to flow out or bond properly, which leaves visible lap marks and can affect how well it sticks. The cooler, stable conditions on either side of high summer often give a better and longer-lasting finish than a scorching July afternoon. If you are painting in hot weather, the answer is to follow the shade around the building rather than working on the elevation the sun is directly on, so no surface is being painted in full glare.
Spring Is The Time To Assess The Damage
Spring is the natural point to look at the outside of your house, because it is when the effects of winter become visible.
We’ve found the enquiries that come in during spring are often from people who have spotted flaking paint, cracked render or bare timber that the winter has exposed, and dealing with it early means it is sorted before the next winter rather than left to get worse. Catching failing exterior paintwork early also keeps the repair smaller, because bare or cracked areas let water into the surface underneath, and the longer that goes on the more there is to put right.
Access And Working At Height
The time of year is not the only practical consideration on an exterior job. Most exterior painting involves working at height, on ladders, towers or scaffolding, and that is both safer and more straightforward in dry, settled conditions than on wet or windy days. Damp surfaces underfoot and gusty weather make working at height more hazardous, which is another reason the calmer months of the year suit the work.
Book Ahead For The Season
Because the exterior season is relatively short, good decorators fill up quickly through spring and summer, and the demand is concentrated into those months for exactly the reasons above. From working with clients, the exterior enquiries that arrive in late summer wanting work finished before winter are often too late for that year, simply because the reliable weather window is closing. If you want exterior work done in a particular season, it pays to enquire several weeks ahead rather than in the week you want it started.
Getting The Timing Right
The outside of your house is best painted in dry, mild conditions from late spring to early autumn, on a dry surface, above the temperature on the tin, and out of scorching direct sun. Get the timing and the conditions right and a good exterior finish will protect your home for years.
If you would like your exterior work planned for the right time and done properly, our team at A-Z Decorators offers exterior decorating throughout Kent, with over 30 years behind us and a warranty on completed work. You can see finished work in our gallery, or get in touch for a free, no obligation quotation.