San Gabriel Valley's Blazing Heat, Acrylic Paint,
And Summer Painting Conditions: A New
Challenge
For The San Gabriel Valley House Painter
Global warming is affecting the Southern California area, and the Los Angeles basin, in particular. The foregoing is of extreme importance for house painting in the San Gabriel Valley. Not only does one need to deal with new materials and processes, but the scorching summertime conditions command new ways of scheduling painting projects.
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The extra preparation needed to paint with acrylic paint on top of oil based (Alkyd paint) - and to make sure the acrylic paint adheres - is one of our leading specialties. Water based paints can't be applied directly over oil-based paint, the surface must be prepared and primed first. We will help you choose the correct paint to switch from oil based paint to water based paint. For a free estimate and consultation, use our contact form or give us a call at (626) 488 6885
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Painting in the San Gabriel Valley: Summertime, acrylic paint, and scorching heat
Whether you’re a professional house painter
in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, or a homeowner
on a weekend house painting project, special consideration
should be given to your house painting job when dealing with
acrylic paints and summer painting conditions in San Gabriel
Valley's soaring heat.
Following are the
most important:
- The temperature extremes of the San Gabriel Valley, with
cool mornings and soaring temperatures after midday, demand
that surface preparation be top-notch. The extra flexing and
warping of structures that are exposed to the San Gabriel
Valley’s wide temperature fluctuations demand the best
preparation skills from house painters. The bottom 3 foot of
exterior walls should receive extra special preparation
care. The early morning cool moisture tends to gather there,
followed by searing temperatures as the day progresses.
- The switch from oil based (alkyd) paints to water based
(acrylic) paints. This is a new challenge for San Gabriel
Valley house painters, since many structures that were
formerly painted with oil paint will have to receive a full
coat of primer to provide adhesion for the acrylic paint;
otherwise, the water based paint will not adhere and bond.
- Exterior woodwork, trim, and moldings, present an even
greater test of the painting skill of the San Gabriel Valley
house painter. The high temperatures encountered after
midday make painting woodwork that is directly exposed to
the sun’s heat almost impossible. The paint will tend to
“cook” and dry on the paint brush, and the open time to
work, spread, and manipulate the paint (the “wet edge”),
will be next to zero.
- Plan your paint job to take advantage of the shade as
much as possible. When you have to paint in the full sun,
consider using an airless paint spray rig as much as
possible – instead of a paint roller or brush – because it
does a much better job in the full heat of the sun.
- Use paint conditioners to extend the "wet edge," the open time the water based trim paint remains suitable to spreading and manipulation, before it begins to form a surface skin. There are products, such as Floetrol, that do a fair job. Ask your paint supplier if they carry it, or if they offer an equivalent formula.
“An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure” is an old saying that more than applies to a San Gabriel Valley house painter. Schedule your paint jobs to work as much as you can in the shade. If at all possible, keep your shop area in a place that’s out of direct sunlight. If you follow the above points, your painting materials, tools, and paint compressors will stay cool; and so will your house painting crew – and love you for it!
Copyright
Daniel Aloy
