Before painting the exterior walls or decks, washing is the first and most significant step. Once you have decided to do it, one question can arise in your mind; how long to wait to paint after washing the exterior?
The standard waiting time for painting the exterior after washing is 24 to 48 hours. After pressure washing or power washing the walls or decks, you should wait to dry it fully. Most of the time, it depends on the temperature, humidity, and atmosphere.
This guide will help you understand how long you need to wait to start exterior painting after washing. Keep reading and learn more about it!
How Long To Wait To Paint After Washing Exterior? Let’s Discuss The Whole Chemistry
It is mentioned earlier that you need to wait 24 hours to 3 or 4 days to start exterior painting after washing.
Then you can decide to start painting the exterior of your house. It is never a good idea to paint wet surfaces after washing.
For example, the wet woods under the siding begin to bubble during painting. But when the whole exterior with siding dries properly, the painting will be great and stable.
If you are a beginner, in this case, you should contact a professional service to avoid any damage to your house’s exterior.
They also know how to prepare your house’s exterior and how long you should stay quiet before you start painting.
If you have a better experience with pressure washing and painting and want to do it, you have to consider some factors.
Some significant facts determine the time needed for a home’s exterior painting after washing. Some of them have been discussed below:
1. Effects of Exterior Environment
The main fact will speak out how long after washing the house’s exterior you can paint the atmosphere of the home.
You have to give time to your house for drying can differ for several areas and other atmospheric conditions. It includes two most important parts:
Effect of Temperature
The temperature of the house exterior has much to do with the drying variety. The high temperatures can dry the exterior very quickly.
According to science and experts, “The heat plays a vital role to vanish the wetness of the walls of exteriors because of the higher speed of the molecules and as a result, dries it out.”
Air circulation is another matter that performs very well in drying out the exterior walls quickly. This circulating air vanishes the moisturizer from the walls and helps dry.
Effect of Humidity
Humidity is the most responsible for taking more time to dry the exterior. It affects the situation by linking water to moderately dried paint.
This condition makes the places complicated to dry. Plus, the recent moisturizer in the present air makes it more difficult for the water on the exterior walls to dry.
2. Weather Condition
Most timing of drying the house exterior depends on the weather condition. The exterior will be difficult to dry, especially in the rainy season. The humidity or cold temperature can affect the drying time between washing and painting.
In the rainy season, the atmosphere adds extra moisturizer into the air that hinders and takes a longer time to dry the wet surfaces.
So, when you try pressure washing in this weather condition, you just wish for a bad result. For this reason, I suggest waiting for the dryer weather for exterior painting.
3. About Paints
The types of paint are also important for exterior painting after power or pressure washing. If you wash the exterior of your house on a rain-free and sunny day, you can choose Multi-purpose Premium Latex Based PaintMulti-purpose Premium Latex Based Paint.
If you love to apply oil-based paints, you should take the time that we recommend above. Wait for drying fully from the base of every single item of your house exterior and start painting.
4. House Position
If your house is located in an open area and it is a sunny day, the drying time will be shorter than in a shaded area.
When several houses stay around your ones and have more shadows of trees, you have to wait more than 48 hours after washing. A sun-facing house takes a shorter time than a house under shade.
Hence, evaluate the above factors and decide how long you need to start painting the exterior after washing.
How Long Should You Wait For Siding Dry Before Painting The Exterior?
You should leave the siding of wood to dry for 24 to 48 hours under the sunlight or in hot weather. Before starting your painting, it is most necessary to check the sides of the woods of your deck. You can start if you think they have dried and are ideal for painting.
What Will Happen If You Start Painting On The Walls Without Fully Drying Them?
A bumpy, unsaturated, and patchy look of the exterior walls after the painting is the worst result of painting on damp walls. You will also notice the paint peeling off the walls soon after completing your painting.
So, I recommend waiting for days before painting your exterior surfaces so that the whole area can settle the texture properly. It dries your walls perfectly and helps you make a nice look again.
Always remember that your efforts, like washing, rinsing the extra detergent, and painting, can be ruined if you don’t let time dry the exterior surface.
When they dry completely, you can achieve bright and saturated paint on your house exterior. Any type of painting application is ideal after a time when the washed areas form a clean, smooth texture that is also stain-free.
Should House Exterior Be Washed Before Painting?
Yes, you must take the step of pressure washing or power washing your whole exterior before painting.
It helps the new coat of paint to link with the exteriors properly. The washing makes sure the painting is stable and long-lasting every time.
If you need to prepare our house for any large family occasion, party, family gathering, or sale, you need to prepare your house from the exterior.
Believe it, coating paint to make it look new and fresh washing is important before painting.
Why Do You Need to Pressure Wash Before Painting the Exterior House?
There is no denying the importance of pressure wash before painting the exterior. It cleans the whole house’s exterior surface altogether.
It eliminates the filth, grime, peeling, and even loose paint from every corner. It helps to touch the coat of paint on the surface properly and expand the life of the painting.
That’s why, for the best result, you should consult a professional pressure washing company that makes your task effective and easier. Or my personal opinion for you, if want to pressure wash by yourself then can purchase an electric pressure washer. It will save you money and time!
Pressure Washing VS Hand Washing
There are a few key differences between pressure washing and hand washing that you need to understand if you’re thinking of choosing one over the other.
Pressure washing uses high water pressure to clean surfaces. This can be advantageous because it can get into nooks and crannies that a standard hand wash cannot. However, this also means that the surface being washed is subjected to intense pressure and can damage paint, wood, and other surfaces. Handwashing does not use as much water as pressure washing, so it’s less damaging on surfaces; however, it can’t reach deep into cracks or crevices.
When it comes to cleaning power, there’s no question that pressure washing is superior in many cases. But if your goal is to keep your home looking its best without damaging surfaces, handwashing is the way to go.
FAQs
1. How long after it rains can you paint?
If it’s been raining for a few hours, most paints will be okay to use. However, if it’s been raining for a longer period of time, the paint may start to form pools on the surface that can lead to your paint being ruined. If you’re planning on painting something that will be in contact with water, it’s best to wait up to 4 hours.
2. What is the best time to paint the house exterior?
There is no definitive answer to this question since weather conditions can affect the painting process in a variety of ways. However, experts generally agree that the best time to paint a house exterior is during the early morning or late evening when the temperature is lower and there is less chance of rain or wind.
3. How many coats of paint does the outside the house need?
To paint an exterior house, you will need at least two coats of paint. However, the more coats you apply, the better the finish will be. It is important to remember that a good coat of paint does not mean a finished product. You will still need to sand and clean your house after painting.
4. What is the ideal temperature for exterior painting?
Exterior painting should be done in temperatures that range from 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature for a smooth, even finish with minimal peeling and cracking.
Final Thoughts!
Yes, it was critical to answer correctly on how long to wait to paint after washing the exterior. But my good research and analysis make it easy for me to understand that it mainly depends on a variety of things.
It also can be measured between the sun-facing and shade situation of your exteriors. I hope you have got your answer through this post.
Good luck with your new painting house exterior!