When Is The Best Time To Paint An Agricultural Building?
Agricultural paints provide a bigger purpose than simply making your agricultural buildings look nice. Although it is very aesthetically pleasing when your structures look fresh, the primary purpose of farm paint is to protect your buildings from the elements. Many agricultural buildings are made from steel and wood, two materials very susceptible to corrosion and weather damage.
In this article, we will answer the question: when is the best time to paint an agricultural building? Taking into consideration the temperamental nature of the seasons, and how they may affect the durability of your paint.
What makes agricultural paints different?
Agricultural paints are designed to be more versatile and weather-resistant than ordinary paints. This is because the things required of the paint are of high importance, and shouldn’t be cast aside for lower prices. Ensuring to purchase high-quality farm paint will benefit you exponentially. Primarily because you won’t need to spend nearly as much time repainting your structures after testing weather conditions.
The different types of farm paint
One of the main types of agricultural paints is Bitumen paint. Bitumen is a highly versatile and waterproof paint option that is usually only available in black or very dark colours. It works best on porous materials but still adheres well to metal structures. It is also anti-corrosive and weatherproof, so it will prove itself reliable regardless of how temperamental the weather conditions are.
Another type of farm paint that you could use is latex paint. Latex is renowned for its durability and flexibility in all variations of its many uses. It is used for agricultural paint because of these qualities, and because it is less likely to fade and can withstand over a decade of use.
There are many different agricultural paints, but these are the most commonly discussed.
So, when is the best time to paint?
Agricultural paints, regardless of their durability, react the same as average paints when wet. Despite the difference in the ingredients, paint exposed to water will struggle to adhere and remain as pigmented as it would be if the weather is pleasant. With the seasons come expectations of different weather conditions. So, you can plan ahead of time when you’re going to paint.
- Autumn
Autumn is a very confusing season in terms of weather. This time of year is notorious for convincing you to leave the house in a winter coat and have you return home sweating. For this reason, it can be difficult to effectively plan the weather for painting your agricultural building in autumn.
One of the most common weather conditions in autumn is rain. Rain will severely hinder your ability to paint your building as farm paint will not adhere to wet surfaces and will be affected by rain for the duration of its drying time. Wet surfaces are not suitable for painting, and neither are those that have recently been wet and haven’t had sufficient time to dry completely.
Autumn could be a good time to paint, provided the weather remains pleasant for long enough to allow you the time to paint and for the farm paint to dry. However, given this unpredictability, it is not recommended.
- Winter
You may not know this, but farm paint can be negatively affected by low temperatures. For example, paints based on natural oils and resins can become more viscous when experiencing prolonged exposure to low temperatures. In some cases, as is the case with latex paints, farm paint will freeze at low temperatures. This could prevent you from being able to paint if your paints aren’t stored in a warm area. If you manage to paint, your paint application will be thicker, and you’ll have far less coverage per gallon of paint.
Additionally, the chances of sleet, snow, and rain can put your agricultural buildings in a constant state of dampness and possibly stop you from painting altogether.
Winter and the cold weather that comes with it can reduce the life expectancy of your paint. So, it would be pointless to paint in winter.
- Spring
Spring is the sweet spot for agricultural paints. The mild temperatures and generally pleasant weather conditions are perfect to store and maintain your agricultural paints. Your paint will not be susceptible to freezing or washed away by rain and will have time to settle before facing harsher weather conditions.
As well as functionality, painting your agricultural buildings in spring will prepare your structures for summer, when they will be at their most vibrant.
Finally, spring is the best time to paint an agricultural building as fewer temperamental weather conditions may hinder your ability.
- Summer
The hot summer temperatures can harm agricultural paints because the overly rapid drying times can result in incomplete film formation and make it appear patchy. Film formation is simply the top layer of the paint that causes it to look uniform. Thus, incomplete film formation can result in the paint cracking or peeling.
Painting with agricultural paint in summer can also reduce its durability and prevent it from adhering to the base material correctly and increasing the rate of corrosion.
Although summer may seem like the ideal time to paint your agricultural building is one of the less ideal seasons to do so.
What can we do?
If you have decided that you would rather build a new agricultural building than paint it, Kit Buildings Direct can help. We have a variety of agricultural buildings available in a range of sizes for a wide selection of livestock and purposes. Our structures are made from high-quality, durable materials and built by only the best engineers. Contact us today to request a quote!
