Can I Paint Inside the Garage When It’s Raining?

"​A few days back, I was cleaning the garage when it started raining cats and dogs, and since I was momentarily stuck there, I noticed my drab-looking garage walls and thought about painting them. My question is, can you actually paint inside the garage when it’s raining?"

​Under most circumstances, the answer is yes, as long as you are sure your garage walls stay dry despite the rain. Painting in the garage is considered interior painting, and when it comes to interior painting, there aren’t many limitations that can affect the timing of your painting, as opposed to exterior painting where weather can be a huge factor. It may even be a great idea, as the rain will keep the dust outside from flying in and sticking to the paint.
However, you may want to do some preparation before painting that garage while it’s raining, or else your painting project might go down the drain. 

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Check Your Garage for Dampness Before Painting

Although you will be working indoors, there is no guarantee that your garage walls, floors or door will stay dry all throughout your rainy day painting project.
What happens if water seeps in while you’re painting?
The most obvious answer is, the water will wash away the paint, or cause it to have unsightly streaks. If you paint on damp walls, the finish could turn out bubbly, cracked, or peeling. Dampness could be caused by a number of factors, though, and it is important to be able to identify what causes damp walls.

​Below are some of the common causes:

1.Rising Damp
Rising damp happens when water from the ground rises and passes through capillaries of buildings or structures. If you find damp patches or stains, peeling paints, powdery white deposits or black mold on your walls, in the areas near the floor, that is most likely because of rising damp. This usually occurs because of how the structures have been built, especially if your house or garage has already been around for a number of years.
Rising damp can be prevented by installing a barrier to prevent the water from rising up from the ground. This barrier is called a damp proof course.

2. Condensation
If you remember your high school science subject, condensation happens when water in the air, also known as water vapor, turns back into liquid form. This happens when water vapor comes in contact with a colder surface or colder air. Once they clash, the air can no longer hold any more moisture, and water droplets are released. In this case, water droplets are released on the surface of your garage wall, door or ceiling, making it damp or wet.
You can expect condensation to happen in the garage when there is high humidity, and you do not have enough ventilation. As a precaution, check the humidity levels before you start painting, and ensure that there is adequate ventilation. Open your windows and vents, and put on those fans if you need to. It also helps to have internal wall insulation to help control the temperature of the air in the wall.

3. Penetrating Damp
Penetrating damp happens when water gets in from the outside environment and into your garage, such as is likely to happen when it’s raining if you have poorly maintained structures that have cracks and gaps. Roofs, walls and ceilings are all likely to be affected by penetrating damp.

To prevent penetrating damp, apply sealants to any cracks within the rendering or around the windows and doors, replace cracked bricks or repair cracked surfaces, or call an expert to install structures that may prevent water from flowing in.

4. Leaks
Leaks are the most common problem when it comes to water seepage. Leaks may be caused by holes in the roof, damaged or missing tiles, or broken drain pipes, among other possible reasons. To address leaks, seal up holes in the roof, and replace damaged tiles or drain pipes.

​Check your garage beforehand for any of these water problems. If you find any signs of seepage, you may want to fix the problem first before painting your garage. 

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Types of Paint You Can Use for Rainy Days
If you’ve checked your garage and are sure you won’t have problems with wet walls, you may want to consider using the following types of paint for your rainy day painting project:

​1. Anti-Condensation Paint
Anti-condensation paint works by adding an extra layer of insulation, which can reduce dampness of walls and prevent the formation of molds. It is used to reduce the effects of condensation, which forms between warm air and a cold surface.

2. Anti-mold Paint
Anti-mold paint contains anti-microbial properties that destroy mold spores and prevent them from growing. They can’t get rid of mold that is already there, but it can stop new molds from sprouting. Anti-mold paints don’t last forever, though. They can last for about five (5) years, and after that the effects wear off. Also, anti-mold paints can’t do anything to address the problem of wet surfaces.

3. Anti-Damp Paint
Anti-damp paint works because it has a water-reactive agent mixed into it. Despite its name, is better used after fixing the cause of the damp. They seal off dampness, however this causes the water to be trapped. The effect is having wet structures underneath the paint. If you plan to use this paint, remember that it only works against surface moisture and not dampness from beneath the surface of your structures. 

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Advantages of Painting During a Rainy Day
Why would anyone want to paint during a rainy day? It’s cold, it’s dark, and it seems better to curl up in bed with coffee and a good book.

​Well, here are a few good reasons to do it:

1. You can still be productive even if you can’t go out. Why not make good use of the time you’re stuck indoors by beautifying your garage?

2. You can finish your painting by the time the sun comes out. You’ll have more time to have fun!

3. Rain keeps the dust down. You won’t have to worry about dust and other small bits and pieces of dirt sticking to your newly-painted garage wall- the rain will wash them all away for you.
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4. Since there won’t be many professional painting jobs during rainy days, expect rainy day discounts from painting contractors if you decide to hire professionals to do your garage painting. 

Tips for Painting the Garage on A Rainy Day

1. Use water-based paints. They emit lower levels of chemical vapors and less toxic chemicals overall, so they’re safer to use indoors.

2. Expect that the paint will dry slower during this weather. To increase drying time, you can open doors and windows to allow ventilation, as long as you can be sure the rain won’t come in and wash your paint away. If it’s too wet to open doors and windows, you can use fans and blow heaters instead.

3. Expect to find some molds in the area you want to paint. Remove those molds instead of just painting over them with anti-mold paint.

4. Don’t use oil-based paints. In general, oil-based paints are more difficult to work with. It may be tempting to use in rainy weather since it skims over smoothly and will not get washed out with rain as easily as water-based paints. However, over time, oil-based paints will crack and peel. It is still best to use water-based primer and paint, but even if you do, check the acceptable temperature and moisture conditions for these paints.

5. Apply one coat of your water-based primer, then give it some time to dry. During rainy season, drying time is about three hours. Make sure nothing or nobody touches the painted surface while you’re waiting for it to dry.

6. If the primer is not yet dry after 3 hours, give it an additional two hours to dry. Once dry, you can start painting.

7. If you have an airless sprayer, use it to paint your garage. This makes painting faster, especially if you intend to paint the entire garage, including the walls, door and ceiling, and considering the slower drying time in the rainy weather. 

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When To Expect a Rainy Day in Your Area
If you’re now planning to do your garage painting on a rainy day, take note of the usual rainy season in your area. In the US, the West Coast experiences heavy rainfall from September through May. The North American Monsoon, which affects Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, West Texas, and California, happens around late June to September.
Across Georgia and South Carolina, the rainy season starts late winter, during February or March. Summer is the time of the second heaviest rainfall in Georgia, and the time of maximum rainfall in Florida.
Now that you know, you can start planning your garage painting project and make the most out of those rainy days.

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Painters in Warner Robins, Macon, and adjacent areas

​If you need a reputable house painters in Warner Robins, Macon region who understand the needs of their clients look no further contact the experts at Pizzazz Painters Warner Robins. Check us at https://www.pizzazzpainterswarnerrobins.com/ and schedule your appointment for a free painting estimate or call us at 478292-2821. We are here to help!

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