Pollen Could Ruin Your Exterior Paint Jobs This Summer

With the longer and warmer days, summer can feel like the perfect time to get stuck into outdoor DIY projects and home improvements. However, if you’re planning on painting the exterior of your home during a sunny and hot spell, you may want to think again.

According to experts, one of the biggest painting mistakes to avoid is painting the exterior of your home at the wrong time of year. Not only can the weather affect the finish but also the pollen count...

Cara Yates, senior painting and decorating category manager at Toolstation, explains that a high pollen count could be a disaster for painting an exterior wall, as pollen can seriously disrupt the finish of your paint job.

How does pollen affect painting?

"On days with a high count, all the different pollen types can stick to wet paint, which prevents it from drying correctly,” she says. “This can lead to an imperfect finish, and areas of paint may flake off as it is unable to dry directly onto the wall.”

And that’s not all. “In the long run, this pollen may stain, especially if using bright or lighter colours,” Cara points out.

in this close up photo of beautiful flowers, we can see the delicate petals and the intricate details of the stamen which is covered in a fine dusting of golden pollen

mammuth

Jimmy Englezos, senior brand manager from Ronseal, further confirmed that the issue lies in the fact that, “the paint will come away as the pollen does. This will then cause the paint to appear flaky, and the surface to look patchy.”

When is a good time to paint?

Pollen levels in the UK tend to be at their highest in the summer, and especially so in the middle of summer, so the key to finding the right time to paint your external walls is to check the ongoing pollen reports.

“Pollen levels vary throughout the year, but they do peak from March to September, which unfortunately coincides with the ideal time to start painting your home's exterior walls,” Cara says.

“To find the ideal time, keep in mind that exterior paint usually takes between 6-24 hours to dry, so you should try to plan your painting to coincide with a low pollen count.”

Jimmy agrees that the summer is undeniably still the best time to paint your exterior walls – but notes that you may want to plan your painting in towards the beginning or end of the season specifically, which should provide the lowest levels of pollen possible within this period.

a person using a small paintbrush to paint the outside of a purple home

Image by Marie LaFauci

He explains: "March/April is typically the best time of the year for exterior paint jobs, followed by September. During these months the temperatures are warm enough to avoid any cracking, but not too hot to cause uneven drying".

“These months should also avoid the very peak of pollen season in the UK, which again, historically falls between May and July."

Another big part of ensuring a smooth finish in the face of high pollen levels is the level of wind in your local area. “High winds and warm temperatures play a key part in dispersing pollen from the ground, which could then end up interfering with any wet paint on the exterior walls of your home,” Cara points out.

“So choosing a cooler day with lower wind forecasts (and low pollen count) will definitely help to prevent a patchy appearance, whilst ensuring a quality long-lasting finish.”

What affect does a heatwave have on painting?

With our unpredictable weather patterns, it requires some careful planning when it comes preparing to paint, especially with the current frequency of heatwaves we're having.

If the weather is too hot, the paint will dry too fast which could cause bubbling and peeling, as well as drying the paint on the brush much too quickly making it difficult to apply a smooth coat. The ideal painting temperature is lower than 25 degrees (when not too humid), on a dry but slightly overcast day, as strong direct sun can also affect the finish.

Read more on managing the heatwave: