Paint is one of the most crucial parts of your commercial space. Not only does a fresh coat of paint make your property shine and draw in customers, but it’s also an important part of protecting your property and wear and tear, which reduces maintenance costs and keeps the value of your most important asset.
When it comes time to paint your commercial building, whether inside or outside, there are a lot of questions to answer. What color do you want? Which brand? Will you do it yourself or hire a professional?
But one of the most common questions is “when is the best time to paint?”
Weather plays an important role in answering this question, but there are other things to consider. Here’s everything you need to know about when is the right time to paint your commercial property
Painting the Interior of Your Commercial Space
Painting the inside of your commercial space requires some special considerations. Here are the most important factors to keep in mind:
What is the Best Temperature for Painting Inside?
There are two ways to answer this question. As far as the paint is concerned, the ideal range is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Painting in cooler temperatures will prevent the paint from bonding to the surface and can result in an uneven, bumpy look. If you paint when it’s warmer than 90 degrees, however, the paint will dry too quickly and will likely crack.
The other way to answer this question takes into account the people actually doing the painting, and when we do this, the ideal range shifts to between 50 and 75 degrees. Even if you can paint in 85 degree heat, most don’t want to.
Depending on where you do business, this likely means painting in the spring or the fall, though those operating in a warmer climate might be able to do work in the winter.
When painting inside, you do have the option of controlling the temperature, though we don’t recommend you rely on this. Paint needs proper ventilation to dry and also because it gives off fumes that can be harmful. Closing off the building to keep it at a certain temperature is not ideal. It’s much better to wait until the outside temperatures are ideal so that you can keep windows and doors open.
Other Things to Consider When Painting Inside
As the owner of a commercial property, there are more things to consider when trying to figure out the best time to paint than just the temperature. Before you schedule the work, think about the following:
How Busy Are You?
If you’re painting the inside of your commercial property, there’s a fairly decent chance you will need to close if not entirely than at least partially. Therefore, it makes a lot more sense to start this project during a time of the year when you’re less busy so that you can minimize the losses you will have to incur as a result of the work.
Ideally, depending on the size of your property, you should only have to close for a few days or at most a week. But if your business is seasonal in nature, not all weeks are the same and so you should choose which one is right for you carefully.
Contractor Availability
Another thing to consider is how available local contractors are to do the work. Spring is a popular time for residential interior painting, and if the contractors in your area do both commercial and residential painting, they may be busier during these months, which will make it harder to schedule your project or may cause costs to be higher.
Tax Year
Painting your business can be included as a business expense and deducted from your total earnings, which will reduce your overall tax burden and save you money. However, for this to work, the job must be done before December 31st of the given tax year.
If you’re thinking about painting and need something to push you over the edge, getting it completed before the tax year ends could be just the incentive you need
Painting the Exterior of Your Commercial Space
Interior and exterior painting are relatively similar jobs, though, as you might expect, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when painting outside that don’t matter quite as much when painting inside.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best time to paint the exterior of your commercial property:
What is the Best Temperature for Painting Outside?
Like interior painting, the best temperature for painting outside is somewhere between 50 and 90 degrees. However, since you lack the climate control options that you do when painting inside, it’s better to bump this range to 60-80 degrees.
One thing to keep in mind when doing outdoor painting is that the temperature may change considerably after you have painted. For example, if you paint when it’s 60 degrees outside but then the temperature drops to 40 overnight, this may impact the finished product. It’s much better to paint when you know the weather will stay in the ideal range for a few days.
Other Things to Consider When Painting Inside
Beyond temperature, here are some other things to consider when painting the outside of your commercial property:
Sunlight
Temperature is important, but something to consider when dealing with exterior painting is how much sunlight the surface will get. Parts of your property that get direct sun will be a lot warmer than those that are more in the shade, and this can impact drying times. If you can’t find a time when the sun is less intense, then your painting contractor may need to construct something to provide some shade and ensure the paint goes on correctly.
Seasonal Issues
Another thing to consider is what season you’re in. Is there a chance of a sudden wind or rain storm? Is there a lot of pollen flying around in the air that might land on your wet paint and affect how it looks? Could there be some sudden temperature drops?
Based on the answers to these questions, you should be able to pick the right time for painting outside. In the end, the more stable the weather is, the better.
Type of Paint
When painting outside, you also want to consider the type of paint you’re using. Since this paint will be exposed to the elements, you may need something that goes on a bit thicker and is more resilient than that which you would use on the inside of your property. A low-VOC paint can speed drying time and reduce odor. Consult with your painting contractor to choose the right material for your property.
Nuisance to Customers
Lastly, consider how much of an annoyance painting will be to your customers. Exterior painting shouldn’t cause as many issues as interior painting, but it may cause some, especially if you use your outdoor space to conduct business.
If this is the case, you’ll want to make sure you choose a time when you’re less busy so that you won’t bother customers and continue to provide them with a positive experience.
Get Painting When You’re Ready
Once you’ve decided it’s the right time to paint, or if you need a little help figuring out when that is, get in touch with McLean Company. We’re commercial and industrial painting specialists with more than 10 years experience handling jobs of this nature. Don’t trust this important job to anyone but the best. Contact us today and let’s get painting.