Updated: Apr 4, 2020

You know WhatTheySay... “Don’t Paint When It Rains.”

When you're about to tackle a home project, such as painting, you want to make sure it goes as planned. When it begins to rain, you may think you have to put a stop to painting both indoors and outdoors. With some precautions, you can still get your walls done.

Check the Temperature of the Room

The minimum required temperature of a room for painting is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it's still ideal to check the directions on your paint as the recommended temperature could vary. If your room isn't within the temperature range it should be, consider turning on a small heater to warm the room. Another tip is to apply multiple thin coats so the paint will dry a bit faster.

Warm Up Temperature of Surface

Not only do you have to keep track of the room temperature but also the surface temperature. The surface temperature of what you're painting is going to be a bit colder than the overall room temperature. Consider letting the room get above 50 degrees Fahrenheit when painting so the surface can get warm as well. So you're not sitting there waiting for the walls to warm up, you can start prepping the walls by cleaning them off. Paint doesn't go on smooth with a dirty wall.

Allow Extra Drying Time

If you don't have patience, you may want to skip out on painting indoors during rainy weather as the paint will dry slower. Although, you can move the drying time along by opening some doors and windows for extra ventilation and air flow.

Exterior Painting With Rain

If rain is on the way and you want to paint, you still can before the rain arrives. However, you need to make sure the humidity is not high as it can damage the paint. If it has already rained and you're wondering when you can begin painting, you can begin within the next few hours. Avoid oil paint if you're not completely sure if the walls are dry. Latex paints are okay to use during rainy weather and can work even if the walls are wet. You may paint when it's raining if your exterior walls are covered by some sort of shade that doesn't allow the rain to fall on the walls directly. For paint to go on smoothly, try only painting when the temperature is at least 34 degrees Fahrenheit outside, unless otherwise noted on the paint can, and make sure it won't rain within the next eight hours.”

- Heather Burdo


Burdo, Heather. “How to Paint Walls When It's Raining.”Hunker, Hunker.com, 26 Apr. 2018, www.hunker.com/13413000/how-to-paint-walls-when-its-raining.

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