Exterior house painting in Dec (Hot Springs, Cherokee Village: rent , jobs, oil)

[Shirleyhb]

I rent my house and today received a call from a painter who said he will be painting it in Dec. He was contracted to do this in Oct. My landlord lives out of state and thinks this is a little late for painting, but was convinced it will be OK. Will the paint dry correctly, will the house get moldy from the cold and dampness in Dec? I don't want my landlord to get stuck with a bad paint job because he is paying a small fortune to have it done. Any thoughts or suggestions on this will be appreciated. I forgot to mention I live in the Hot Springs area.

[Sam I Am]

I own my home...I wouldn't do it. December is iffy at best - it can be blasting cold or like the weather we're having now, but surely we will get some rain (soon)? I doubt it would get moldy, but the paint has to be done at a certain temperature to get a good set...I'd recommend against it.

Just for the record, though, I think you're lucky to only have a two month wait for a painter...you could get very old in my neck of the woods in Arkansas waiting on someone to have free time. It's November and we contracted last month for next May, and we surely were not the first ones on the list. Trying to find an indoor painter is even worse.

[Royearl]

Painting in December can be tricky, but possible. I would first off check references. If you have a reputable painter, you should do ok. Ninety percent of the exterior painting is prep work and be done on cool days. Once powerwashed, scraped, caulked, and taped off, you just need a couple days of mild clear weather, 55 mornings and 65 plus afternoons. More days are needed if oil paint is used, but most jobs now are latex. In Arkansas we usually have December days like this. You may have to be flexible, and wait till these days come, or be willing to have work done on weekends. The worst case is you would have a cold month and only the prep would be done until we have a warm day or two. A good painter will know how to handle it. Usually painters struggle in Nov thru Feb for lack of work. I know of good painters here who would love interior jobs, and are in need of work. It is usually the holiday season that gets in the way of interior work, but a good painter can get the job done smoothly, even if its between the holidays. Its is also a time where you can get good estimates, as inside work done this time of year is the best time to get deals on painting. I am in Cherokee Village, and the only word of warning I have is to reinforce that a qualified painter be used. We have had a local painter, who has taken advantage of some elderly folks here this summer, has not finished work paid for and had been fronted money for work that has never even begun. He has put customers out about 10.000 dollars.

[sbernard]

I was going to place my own thought about house painting in December, but Royearl said it all PERFECTLY!

[Synopsis]

The new paints are polymer based and can cure even when it's barely above freezing. I found this out last year when I painted my home at about 40 degrees without a problem. You don't want to paint in the rain, however.