Exterior painting should only be done when the moisture content is below 16%. But what if it is, but rain is in the forecast? We need to test rain-safe paints in 60 minutes and see if they are legit.
Not only will rain affect the longevity of the paint, but it also affects the contractor’s schedule, cash flow, reputation, and profitability!
That’s an awful lot of factors for a pop-up shower.
Let’s be honest. You need to get the job done so you can get paid. You and the customer want the paint to stick for years. Your next customer is expecting you tomorrow. The bloody truth is, you need to know what paint is rain-safe in 60 minutes!
The Three Paints We Tested To See If They Are Rain-Safe in 60 Minutes
The Test
The test was quite simple to find out if these paints were rain safe in 60 minutes.
Apply one coat of paint on a primed cement composite hardy board, and wait an hour.
After an hour, I grabbed a water hose and sprayed the board for 10 minutes.
I allowed the water to run off, but I did not dry the board. It stayed in the garage, where the humidity was 85 %. About 2 hours later, I resprayed the board and let it sit outside where the humidity reaches in the mid to upper 90s.
Which Paints Turned Out To Be Rain Safe In 60 Minutes?
There were no problems with peeling, bubbling, or water marks on the paint. All three of the paints, Ben Moore Element Guard, PPG Manor Hall Urethane, and SW Lattitude, passed. In addition, they all dried to the touch in about 10 minutes, even though the humidity was 80%!
I highly recommend any one of these paints.
Remember that none of these paints is supposed to be applied if the surface is damp or has a moisture content above 16%.
Painting over damp surfaces or when the moisture content is above 16% can lead to paint peeling and bubbling.
Are All Colors and Surfaces Guaranteed to be rain safe in 60 minutes?
No. Bold and dark colors have lots of pigment, which can affect the drying time. The three colors I used were white, yellow, and brown, which were a mid-tone base paint.
The mid-tone base was a good test, but a deep base paint could handle even more tint, and tint slows down the drying process. Surfaces such as vinyl and aluminum could also slow down the drying process and raise doubts about whether it will be rain-safe in 60 minutes.
