4 Tips for Painting in Arizona During Monsoon Season

Most homes in Phoenix have stucco exterior exteriors.  Stucco homes dry very quickly once the sun comes out, usually within a few hours after the rain.  How do we know when it’s dry enough to paint?  An acceptable moisture content for stucco and wood is under 15%.  You can measure this with a moisture meter or another easy trick is to look at your streets, are they dried out?  Typically if they are then your home has also dried out enough to begin painting your house again.

Wood siding homes take a little longer than the stucco homes.  After long-lasting rains some wood homes may take up to 2 days to dry completely, it really depends on how soaked the wood got.

4 Tips for Painting During Monsoon Season

1.  Start early, finish early!

Typically, the days we’re painting your home we like to arrive early, sometimes as early as 5 or 6 am if that’s OK with you.  This ensures we can get a full day of work in, pack up and be on our way home before any storms even think of developing!  It’s also better because we do not want to be painting your home in the hottest portions of the day, it’s not good for the paint job nor the painters.

2.  Play Mr. Weather Guy!

Watch the radars constantly to make sure your home is safe from any paint issues.  If a storm pop-ups that is heading your way, stop painting approximately 1-2 hours prior.  We all know how hot it is in Arizona and the paint will dry to the touch in about 10 minutes, after 1 hour in the heat there will be no chance of damage if it was to rain.

3.  Save covered areas for  last!

Paint your protected areas last.  This way if there’s an unexpected storm, the only areas that would be wet would be protected from the rain and dust. These areas include your patio’s, eves, and certain doors.

4.  Power wash after the dust storm?

Always pressure wash your home prior to painting. However, if a dust storm cakes your home in the middle of your paint job, make sure to spray off the dust prior to continuing your paint job.  It’s never good to paint over dust and dirt–take the necessary steps to avoid this.

For 12 years Arizona Painting Company has been painting houses and commercial buildings throughout Phoenix.  Each year we see these storms and each year we make it through unscathed.  We’ve never had any warranty issues due to the monsoon storms and we aren’t about to start now!  Schedule a house painting quote with us today!