Tips to Make Paint Dry Faster
No one has time to watch the paint dry. House painting is usually a huge job and one best done before you move in. If you’re short on time but need to get a room or house painted fast, there are ways to make the job go a little faster. While there’s no easy way to dry a whole freshly painted room, painters do have some painting tips to move the job along.
Types of Paint
There are three primary types of paint: water-based, latex and oil-based.
Water-based paints dry faster than oil-based paints because they’re thinner, and easily affected by airflow. A thicker paint (like two-in-one paint and primer) takes longer to paint (and dry) because it’s significantly thicker. Sheen is another aspect to consider. Matte paint dries faster than glossier paint, in fact, using a glossier paint can add up to an hour to your total dry time.
there are three important time frames when it comes to paint drying: dry time, recoat time and cure time.
Tips on how to dry paint
Apply Light Coats
While it might be tempting to try to get as much paint as you can on the wall at once, using thinner coats will help your paint dry faster. Using multiple coats also looks better than having one really thick one because it tends to give a more uniform appearance. Remember, you don’t have to wait for your first coat to fully dry before adding a second layer if it’s needed.
Paint One Wall at a Time
After you paint your first wall, move onto the next. In doing so, you’ll give each wall more time to dry and keep yourself occupied. It’s quite possible that once you’ve laid out the first coats on all the walls, the first wall will be ready for its second coat.
Use a Hair Dryer or Heater
If you need to quick-dry paint on furniture or walls, use a hair dryer to speed up the process. Focus the hair dryer on the area that is drying too slowly. Keep the nozzle of the dryer about 2 inches away from the surface so that the paint doesn’t blister. Slowly move the dryer over the wet area until all areas are evenly dried.
This technique works particularly well on a piece of furniture that you’re applying a special paint finish to. Instead of waiting around for each layer of paint finish to dry, you can speed up the process to quickly move on to the next coat of paint.
Use a 100% Water Based Non-VOC Paint
A 100% water based zero-VOC or a non-VOC paint will naturally dry faster than other paints. The minimal odor and lack of volatile compounds in these paints generally create a surface that dries quicker than those with strong odors and chemicals. Search for a paint like this at ECOS Paints; we can color-match to any other color and give you the shade you want in a non-VOC paint.
Factors That Affect Drying Times
Temperature
Painting during the spring or fall is ideal because the temperatures aren’t too hot or cold. If you’re painting in a hot or chilly room, expect increased drying times. The best temperature to paint a room in is a warm room with low humidity.
Ventilation
Airflow is necessary in order to paint to dry quickly. If your ventilation is poor and you don’t have the ability to open a window, expect much longer drying times than if you were working in a room with high ventilation.
Humidity
The more humid a room is, the longer paint will take to dry. Put simply, the moisture in the air inhibits the paint’s ability to stick to the wall and dry. If you live in a high-humidity area and plan to paint soon, consider getting a dehumidifier to reduce humidity to 50 percent or less.
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