The best time of year to paint the exterior of your home in Atlanta is from the 1st of March through end of November. But its important to remember that in Atlanta you can paint all year round. Through the winter the majority of the days are mild enough to paint.
During the summer it is best to avoid 95 degrees and above. Painting contractors will generally start, on hot days, in the morning on the sunny side of the house. Then by afternoon as the temperature increases they will work the shady side of the hose. It is best not to work in the direct sun because it reduces productivity and is, of course, uncomfortable, and the paint will tack up quickly when brushing.
Can you paint in the winter in Atlanta?
Yes, there are many mild days through the winter months. Usually painting contractors will pick weather windows from 10am to 3pm. This allows the temperature in the morning to warm the surface and allow the paint to dry before the evening dew comes. Generally they would start on the sunny side of the house in the morning and then follow the sun throughout the day and finish on the sunny side in the afternoon.
A good guideline is to start when the temperature reaches 40 degrees and to stop painting when it begins in the afternoon to drop below 40 degrees.
If you paint too late in the day and the evening dew settles on horizontal surfaces before the paint is dry, you will lose the gloss of the paint. The next morning after drying, the surfaces can be repainted. There are several Sherwin-Williams top-of-the-line paints that allow you to paint at 35 degrees.
Can you paint during pollen season?
You can actually paint straight through the pollen season. The heavy pollen season is generally from April 1 through May 15.
You have probably never seen pollen in a painted surface. Pollen through this season has many days of very light pollen and a number of days when there is heavy pollen. Even on the heaviest pollen days the acrylic paint dries so quickly that there is no effect from the pollen falling.
The pollen will lay on the surface but not impregnate the paint. The simple solution is to just rinse lightly with a garden hose at the end of the day or to wait for the first rain to rinse it off. The exceptions to painting in heavy pollen would be when coating decks with oil base stain and doors that are varnished with an oil varnish. Also wrought iron railings done with oil base paint.
