Cold weather painting

[hadaveha]

What's the coldest you can paint a aluminum boat, not what's the best temp, but what's the min. Temp

 

[Watermann]

Depends on the paint, the can should say. But no matter if it were me, I wouldn't paint anything below 60

 

[jigngrub]

The directions/instructions on the paint can are just the manufacturers opinion, but sometimes it pays to follow them. Give them a read and see what they say.

There are ways to make painting work in cold weather if you don't mind spending some extra money and putting forth some extra effort. Leaving a portable heater in your boat overnight and covering your boat completely to keep the heat in will allow you to paint the inside of the boat. Maybe throw some old blankets on top of the cover for extra insulation. Paint half of the inside and put the heater back in on the unpainted half and cover the boat again to keep it warm and let the paint cure. The do the other half after the first half cures out. I plan to use this method to cure the resin on an old fiberglass boat I'm restoring.

 

[gm280]

Knowing all the efforts it takes to properly get anything ready for the actual paint, I'd wait for warming temps myself. WHY? Because knowing that effort of prep, which can be quite laborious, I'd certainly only want to do it once and not have to strip off a bad paint job and redo it right the second time. But that is just me and my opinion...

 

[jc55]

As stated by Jig and others, you have to look at the tech sheets for the materials you are using. Some sprayable epoxy primers can be used down to 50 degrees and some urethane top coats, 55 degrees. Personally, I won't shoot in less than 70-75 and it needs to be that environment for days. I shot my transom yesterday it was 15 degrees outside and day two it is 75 in the Styrofoam room with 2 halogens and a tiny electric heater.

I would assume that an aluminum boat would need to acclimate to new temps for a while?

 

[hadaveha]

If the wife wasn't so selfish I could get it in the garage, I have my tools in 1/2 the garrage and she selfishly parks her car in the other half. I wouldn't be in such a rush to paint, but theirs a lot of things I can't do until I paint

 

[jc55]

I got my wife remote start and an ice scraper Seriously though, have you checked out what Nurseman is building? might be an option.

 

[gm280]

You could always disconnect the garage door opener and tell her it stopped working for a few days? :facepalm:

Okay, try reasoning with her once again using some shopping as a leverage issue... :facepalm:

 

[Watermann]

Yeah take her with you paint shopping... :lol:

 

[nurseman]

If the wife wasn't so selfish I could get it in the garage, I have my tools in 1/2 the garrage and she selfishly parks her car in the other half. I wouldn't be in such a rush to paint, but theirs a lot of things I can't do until I paint

Have you tried just telling her that this is what is going to happen and she should just deal with it???
:rofl:

Yea, wouldn't work at my house either...:whip:

 

[Woodonglass]

Anytime you try to spraypaint when the air temps and the substrate temps are below 60 degress Fahrenheit it's a crap shoot. Depending on the Paint used, it's properties, the mix being used and all other variables your results will always vary. Not only the overall cure of the paint, but it adherance to the substrate could suffer in the longrun. Over all, I'd recommend that if it's not possible to maintain the temps @ of above 60 during the entire Painting/Curing process I wouldn't advise attempting the project. But...That's just my Old Dumb Okie opinion and you're free to do as you see fit.

 

[jc55]

Yeah take her with you paint shopping... :lol:

Holy Crap! Do you want him to get a divorce?! I might possibly have the most supportive wife alive and even I don't tell her how much the paint costs:tape:

 

[hadaveha]

I allways tell my wife someone gave me the paint. All the boats and boat parts I have someone was getting rid of as far as she knows

 

[hadaveha]

Ok I just looked at the weather tomorow 67 degrees 70 percent chance of rain. The boat is completely under a shed, any chane tomorow?

 

[Watermann]

Hang some plastic sheeting up and let the paint fly. The sheeting will also act as a green house and warm it up even more if you get any sun at all.

 

[jbcurt00]

High humidity affects paint too, 70% chance of rain.... And it needs to stay warm THRU paint CURE not dry to the touch. If it doesn't cure right, it may stay soft (green? is that right for paint, or just concrete?) and easily scratched, then it'll all have been for nothing.

Under a shed, drop plastic around the edges, secure it along the bottom, and if necessary use auxiliary heat. It WONT be 67 ALL day or ALL night........

 

[gm280]

With a rainy slightly warmer day, it will effect the drying/curing time for certain. Humidity does effect everything. I don't know the products you've selected for your paint job, but I'm sure there is a statement about humidity there also. My real concern isn't so much with the ability to spray the paint, but the actual surface temperature. If things are cold or even cooler then optimum temperatures called for per the manufacturer's specs, then when the surface does heat up and microscopically expands the paint has to be flexible enough to not crack and cause issues. The is why they give certain conditions to make a quality finish with most any type paint... But it is your call and your boat. So this is only my opinion... I actually have a lot of things waiting to be painted and finished and reassembled presently myself. But I also know how long it has taken me to get to this stage and I will wait another few weeks if necessary. But again that is just me...

 

[jigngrub]

You forgot to tell everyone what a mud hole it is down there under your shed.

Rain all day today with 1" forecast for today, then another 1" tomorrow night. Humidity above 90% for the next few days and a low of 16*F Wed. night, you should be good to go on the paint.... sometime in late May or early June.

 

[gm280]

You forgot to tell everyone what a mud hole it is down there under your shed.

Rain all day today with 1" forecast for today, then another 1" tomorrow night. Humidity above 90% for the next few days and a low of 16*F Wed. night, you should be good to go on the paint.... sometime in late May or early June.

That soon jigngrub?

I know he wants to paint. I've been there and experienced that myself. But experience tells me to wait and there will be better conditions to paint in. I presently have a large lot of primed and sanded and ready to paint things myself (primed in good weather conditions I may add). But I also know the weather is not on my side now and I don't like to redo anything the second time. I take really good prep to the max and don't want to basically throw all that prep down the drain and start from scratch...again!

 

[jigngrub]

That soon jigngrub?

Feb. is going to be as bad as Jan., if not worse. Things will start to warm up in Mar. and Apr., but it'll still be wet and rainy... plus there will be pollen all over the place. Things will start drying out in May, the pollen will be gone and it'll be nice and warm... perfect for painting outside.