A modern paint is a sophisticated mix of chemicals that cures into a gorgeous protective film.
An exterior paint has dried after its outer surface is no longer sticky when touched. Curing takes longer because some paints need additional time to continue hardening and fusing together after the outer surface has formed a dry skin. An exterior paint has cured when it has formed a solid polymer throughout the film. Exterior paints will cure at different rates, depending upon their resin system, local weather conditions, the surface they've been applied to and even the color of the paint.
Latex Exterior Paint
If applied under ideal conditions, a lightly colored exterior latex paint will fully cure in about four weeks. Ideally the paint should be applied when the temperature is above 50 degrees and below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavy rain within eight hours of painting, severe heat, excess humidity and sub-freezing temperatures will slow or alter the normal curing process. Deep colored latex paints may take additional days to cure, especially if the paint has been tinted with zero-VOC colorants.
Alkyd Exterior Paint
Alkyd paints dry more slowly but cure more quickly than latex paints. For best results, an alkyd exterior paint should be applied when temperatures are between 40 and 90 degrees on a day when no rain is in the forecast. Properly applied, an alkyd paint will form a solid polymer film when its solvents have completely evaporated, usually within one to three days, but a high solid alkyd paint can take 14 days to cure.
Elastomeric Exterior Paint
A fully cured water-based elastomeric coating may be as much as four times thicker than a coat of conventional latex paint. To achieve that thickness, painters may apply two coats of elastomeric paint to achieve a total dry film thickness of 18 to 30 ml. That extremely dense paint film can take six months to fully cure, and many paint experts recommend waiting a full year before applying a latex cover coat if a change of color is desired.
Natural Linseed Oil Exterior Paint
Prior to World War Two, home exteriors were routinely painted with linseed oil paints. In recent years, environmental concerns have revived the interest in this category of plant-based paints that are produced without petrochemical solvents or other hazardous materials. These paints are somewhat temperamental to work with, and they should be applied when moderate temperature and humidity are in the forecast for several days. In ideal weather conditions, a linseed oil paint will dry and cure within five to eight days.
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