Pro tip: I learned the hard way about mixing paint in a cold garage last winter

I was painting a built-in shelf in my unheated garage in January, temp was about 40 degrees. I mixed a custom color, rolled it on, and it looked fine. The next morning the finish was all wrinkled and tacky. A painter I know in Cincinnati told me the cold made the paint skin over before the layers underneath could dry right. Now I always bring the paint and the piece inside to warm up for a few hours first. Is it better to just not paint in the cold at all, or are there specific products that work?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_miller3112h ago

Honestly, is it really worth the risk though? I get what @patricia_singh81 is saying about oil paint, but that stuff is a huge pain to clean up and the fumes are awful. Tbh, even with the right products, cold temps can still mess with drying times and how the finish looks in the end. I tried painting a door in my chilly basement once and it never fully hardened, just stayed kinda soft. Ngl, I'd rather just wait for a decent day or find a way to warm up the space first.

patricia_singh8116h ago

My uncle in Minnesota paints his boat shed every fall when it's below freezing. He uses an alkyd enamel and adds a Japan drier, those little metal tubes from the hardware store. He thins it just a bit with mineral spirits and it cures rock hard. The key is you have to use oil based products, not that water based latex stuff. Cold makes latex dry weird because the water can't evaporate right, but solvents don't care as much. So I'd say you can absolutely paint in the cold, you just have to pick the right paint and know how to tweak it.