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I would wait until Nov. or Dec. if I were you. Also realize that if the painters are hot and uncomfortable, they're more likely to do a poor job. Just my opinion.
I'd paint when you're here, not sure I'd buy that paint will "last longer" when applied in cold weather - painters will work in the morning and be done before the temperatures peak anyway. A much larger issue is the prep work that's done beforehand I.e., washing + sanding/scraping & filling the trim. In my own experience, the wood trim is what really starts to deteriorate first & it's unlikely to look "perfect" for more than a couple years, just because of our extreme climate. The sun here will destroy many materials in just a few months, the fact that any paint will last years is actually amazing.
The only concern with painting while it is hot and dry is the curing process. You need a certain amount of liquid to stay with the paint while drying x amount of time. If the temperature is too hot, the water in the paint could evaporate too fast. That will cause the pigment and resin particles to merge together incorrectly. If the resins and pigments do not combine properly, then that will result in cracked paint. I would guess there is no problem and therefore assume you will be in perfectly fine shape.
But why trust some someone on a C-D forum? If I was the OP, I'd call 2-3 paint stores and get a Phoenix area manager's opinion. Even better, you could go one step further and ask for the phone # for the paint manufacturer's rep. They are the ones that go out in the field and study the warranty problems. I concluded most subs and even general employees at paint stores know little about paint. Inside of an hour of research and by calling the paint field rep and manufacture, disturbingly, I knew more about the chemistry than they did.
In the end, I interviewed 5 painting contractors on site (and another 5 by phone) until I found one of them who actually believed and executed what the manufactures rep said should be done. the price was right too (as explained later).
Tips:
1. Make sure your contractor power washes. Believe it or not, some think it is a waste of time. It must be done for maximum adhesion. If you don't, you have no paint warranty as it is easy for the paint vendor to see if the contractor skipped that step.
2. If you have any new non-primed areas, prime it. Again, we had a contractor who said it was a waste of time to prime our freshly stuccoed fence wall. He was wrong.
3. Some contractors (cultures) love to "cut the paint" (dilute it to make it go farther). When we had our home in Mexico, I'd have to have a strong debate with the contractors NOT to dilute it. But I let our hispanic crew know ahead of time that wasn't to happen.
4. USE THE "BEST" PAINT. I wasn't particular on which paint brand I picked. But I mandated to use a higher quality brand inside of their exterior series. Labor is much more expensive that the paint itself. Better paint extends the life of the job by 5 years or more. The budget builder grade paint of 2006 (lighter color) lasted 8 years; and that was pushing it. I am told the brand that I picked https://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...tex#data-sheet will last 15 years (again, I picked a lighter pigment) and therefore the extra paint life will be well worth the difference to total price. A quick look at the specs on the paint I picked shows that the total solids of each gallon is 60%. It's under 30% using a cheaper gallon of paint inside Sherwin Williams. There is other better chemical technology that relates to fading and adhesion too. But pay close attention to the total solids. That is a huge factor as to how much paint actually gets on your house versus evaporating.
5. I hired a contractor that back rolled after spraying to get an even look and it also pushed the paint into the finish.
Some of the people that seemed competent said that the cheaper series are "just as good" are either ignorant or profit motivated. That's not remotely true and should be obvious just by seeing how total solids doubles on the better series.
Though manufactures rep conversations, I eventually learned the trick is to pick a painter who normally uses the best series and is a volume buyer of that series. For instance on my Sherwin Williams paint https://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...tex#data-sheet . Retail on a gallon is $75. No one pays retail. But even a strong sale price of $51 is a lot. But my contractor is a big buyer of that series. So his cost is $32 a gallon which is well below a typical Sherwin Williams painting contractor pricing. On a 3700 square foot house, that adds up. If memory serves me right, it was a $400 total premium in material cost to get another 5+ years of life. CHEAP!
So contractors who negotiate their best deal on lower series, don't want to use the good stuff because to the step up costs them a bundle or about $800-$1000 more on a big job. The more value focused contractor knows you won't pay $20 a gallon more to go from good to great. realize that the manufactures have a lot more profit in a gallon of their premium product. So if you have a contractor who does use a lot of their best series, that is how you keep pricing reasonable AND get a much better product especially in a sun intensive area like Phoenix. I paid $3800 for a 3700 square foot home that consumed a lot of paint with a lot of detail (3 colors). The job was done right and he was done a perfectionist.
With all that said, considering the solid content of the better series has under 1/2 the water, I'm guessing one size doesn't fit all. In fact, the better paint might struggle more to cure. I don't know because I never asked. But if I was painting in July, I would ask. But the Phoenix area and with the ops question, the brands manufactures rep is the person to ask, not any of us.
So to the Op. The shortcut is to call the retailer, ask for their higher volume local painters that are top notch painters. Be candid and say you want to hire the subs who have better pricing on the best series. They know who they are. That will save you a lot of time and help pick a contractor that is smart enough to use the better stuff. When I compared my 5 bids (only one I felt comfortable with), they were all within $800 total ($3200-$4000). The $3200 guy had the cheaper paint, didn't want to prime my new stucco wall, and didn't do it full time. So the big price difference was the $400 paint quality (3700 square foot 2 story). Good luck!
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 07-05-2017 at 06:42 AM..
So, MN Born, please share which contractor you ended up using. I'm going to be painting my house this fall as well. You can PM me this information if you don't want it publicized. Tnx.
So, MN Born, please share which contractor you ended up using. I'm going to be painting my house this fall as well. You can PM me this information if you don't want it publicized. Tnx.
The contractor I hired is based in the West Valley. More specifically, he lives in Surprise. I know he is swamped and prefers to stay closer by. He is extremely busy because of all of the HOA notes asking people to paint their houses. He told me wants to add crews but he cannot find enough good experienced painters to hire. I'd also assume that means his prices have gone up since I've used him.
The only concern with painting while it is hot and dry is the curing process. You need a certain amount of liquid to stay with the paint while drying x amount of time. If the temperature is too hot, the water in the paint could evaporate too fast. That will cause the pigment and resin particles to merge together incorrectly. If the resins and pigments do not combine properly, then that will result in cracked paint. I would guess there is no problem and therefore assume you will be in perfectly fine shape.
But why trust some someone on a C-D forum? If I was the OP, I'd call 2-3 paint stores and get a Phoenix area manager's opinion. Even better, you could go one step further and ask for the phone # for the paint manufacturer's rep. They are the ones that go out in the field and study the warranty problems. I concluded most subs and even general employees at paint stores know little about paint. Inside of an hour of research and by calling the paint field rep and manufacture, disturbingly, I knew more about the chemistry than they did.
In the end, I interviewed 5 painting contractors on site (and another 5 by phone) until I found one of them who actually believed and executed what the manufactures rep said should be done. the price was right too (as explained later).
Tips:
1. Make sure your contractor power washes. Believe it or not, some think it is a waste of time. It must be done for maximum adhesion. If you don't, you have no paint warranty as it is easy for the paint vendor to see if the contractor skipped that step.
2. If you have any new non-primed areas, prime it. Again, we had a contractor who said it was a waste of time to prime our freshly stuccoed fence wall. He was wrong.
3. Some contractors (cultures) love to "cut the paint" (dilute it to make it go farther). When we had our home in Mexico, I'd have to have a strong debate with the contractors NOT to dilute it. But I let our hispanic crew know ahead of time that wasn't to happen.
4. USE THE "BEST" PAINT. I wasn't particular on which paint brand I picked. But I mandated to use a higher quality brand inside of their exterior series. Labor is much more expensive that the paint itself. Better paint extends the life of the job by 5 years or more. The budget builder grade paint of 2006 (lighter color) lasted 8 years; and that was pushing it. I am told the brand that I picked https://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...tex#data-sheet will last 15 years (again, I picked a lighter pigment) and therefore the extra paint life will be well worth the difference to total price. A quick look at the specs on the paint I picked shows that the total solids of each gallon is 60%. It's under 30% using a cheaper gallon of paint inside Sherwin Williams. There is other better chemical technology that relates to fading and adhesion too. But pay close attention to the total solids. That is a huge factor as to how much paint actually gets on your house versus evaporating.
5. I hired a contractor that back rolled after spraying to get an even look and it also pushed the paint into the finish.
Some of the people that seemed competent said that the cheaper series are "just as good" are either ignorant or profit motivated. That's not remotely true and should be obvious just by seeing how total solids doubles on the better series.
Though manufactures rep conversations, I eventually learned the trick is to pick a painter who normally uses the best series and is a volume buyer of that series. For instance on my Sherwin Williams paint https://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...tex#data-sheet . Retail on a gallon is $75. No one pays retail. But even a strong sale price of $51 is a lot. But my contractor is a big buyer of that series. So his cost is $32 a gallon which is well below a typical Sherwin Williams painting contractor pricing. On a 3700 square foot house, that adds up. If memory serves me right, it was a $400 total premium in material cost to get another 5+ years of life. CHEAP!
So contractors who negotiate their best deal on lower series, don't want to use the good stuff because to the step up costs them a bundle or about $800-$1000 more on a big job. The more value focused contractor knows you won't pay $20 a gallon more to go from good to great. realize that the manufactures have a lot more profit in a gallon of their premium product. So if you have a contractor who does use a lot of their best series, that is how you keep pricing reasonable AND get a much better product especially in a sun intensive area like Phoenix. I paid $3800 for a 3700 square foot home that consumed a lot of paint with a lot of detail (3 colors). The job was done right and he was done a perfectionist.
With all that said, considering the solid content of the better series has under 1/2 the water, I'm guessing one size doesn't fit all. In fact, the better paint might struggle more to cure. I don't know because I never asked. But if I was painting in July, I would ask. But the Phoenix area and with the ops question, the brands manufactures rep is the person to ask, not any of us.
So to the Op. The shortcut is to call the retailer, ask for their higher volume local painters that are top notch painters. Be candid and say you want to hire the subs who have better pricing on the best series. They know who they are. That will save you a lot of time and help pick a contractor that is smart enough to use the better stuff. When I compared my 5 bids (only one I felt comfortable with), they were all within $800 total ($3200-$4000). The $3200 guy had the cheaper paint, didn't want to prime my new stucco wall, and didn't do it full time. So the big price difference was the $400 paint quality (3700 square foot 2 story). Good luck!
If there is a top 100 list of best posts, the above should be in it. I have a question though when you write "be candid and say you want to hire the subs." How would a paint retailer know the subs vs the direct employees of XYZ paint contractor? Wouldn't most paint retailers recommend the paint contracting company as a whole? Also, is there a difference in the kind of recommendations you might receive from a paint retailer in a higher income neighborhood vs a lower income one?
The last property I had painted was in the summer and it seemed to hold up fine, they started very early in the day and started with the west and and south sides then moved to the north and east later in the day; still, I think spring or fall would be the ideal times to paint. MN's post was excellent and good to keep in mind.
It also depends what you're looking for. If your house looks washed out with 20-30 year old paint, even a cheap painting company with basic paint is going to really revitalize your appearance. If you are freshening up a fantastic paint job that's 10 years old, you'll want to find another ace painter to keep it looking sharp, since you have more to lose and a higher standard in mind.
I'm not the most picky person, but I do believe from experience that you can tell the difference with quality paint. I'm a Sherwin Williams kinda guy myself. I've used it a variety of paint qualities over the years and I really believe it makes a difference.
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