"When it's Too Hot to Paint" Topic

What do you do? This what I've done:

link

I have noted from the news services I do watch France24, DW and Sky that you are suffering from a heatwave and I hope that it breaks soon for you. Great work on your projects from your photos.

In the US Midwest I have not come across the problem you describe as we are more accustomed to higher temps in the summer months. My painting area is in our air conditioned basement and I use acrylic paints with minimal fumes. Primer and sealer coats are done by spray can outdoors and let dry overnight.

Your heatwave is our average Summer temperatures.

We're more adapted for the heat here – houses are better ventilated & are cooled with ceiling fans, stand-alone a/cs or, in my case, ducted aircon.

None of this helps you. However, some tips I can share might.

If it's too hot to paint, then don't. The middle of the day might be better spent sitting in front of a fan with a cooling drink. Early morning or evening can be set aside for painting.

Be aware of paint prematurely drying on brush, palette or figure. Obviously, you just add more water but it bears watching. BTW medium dries out slower than water if you want to go down that path.

A friend puts ice on his wet palette & recommends *not* having a fan pointing at your figures.

Finally, I just don't varnish during hot & humid times – it may end badly.

And the weather will break.

I'd second ochoin, but I find I can generally varnish figures in the garage at first light even in hot weather.

Our house is built on four levels. My painting room is in the top level. We tried to do upstairs things early in the morning or after sunset. About 10:00 am, it was time to abandon the top level and move to the main level. By midafternoon, it was time to go to the second level, where the television lives. Bottom level is storage and laundry, so we didn't really hang out down there. Once the sun set, we opened the windows and turned on the fans, and the upper levels gradually became livable again.

Grelber

Thanks guys, I follow ochoin's advice, in that when it's too hot to paint, I don't, hence doing other things as listed in post.
Also, I paint with enamels (yes I'm a dinosaur and no doubt will soon go extinct) so ice and extra water are not going to help.

Paint in the mornings. I have the advantage of a basement hobby, which is cooler, and AC.

However varnishing does take a back seat when it is too hot outside. I do not spray paint anything indoors.

So, presumably OP has no central HVAC. In the American South (Savannah, GA) my #1 summer problem is humidity. Like others have said, it's a real struggle waiting out mother nature for a good day to use spray-on matte clear coat.

doubleones – the OP like me is in England, and we are currently enjoying our second heatwave in as many weeks. Hot and humid. Our houses are not suited to this weather. Air con is rare, more units are being fitted but its the exception rather than the rule.

Doesn;t help I'm a red head to boot, so NO to sunlight and heat for me too.

I did nearly finish two figures for tomorrow, but dry rushing in this heat takes on a new meaning.

So better safe than sorry I;'ve stopped painting and accepted defeat to field sub optimal figures tomorrow (RoSD).

We're having a colder than usual winter. Your 36 degrees doesn't seem that hot to me & the maximum temperature here of 16(c) – but with a biting Westerlie – won't seem cold to you.

However, the houses here leak heat & the locals don't have the clothes for the cold. Our reverse cycle ducted keeps our home warm & as I travel back to Scotland every year, I have proper cold weather clothes.

So whilst the paint isn't freezing in the pots, spare a thought for the shivering Antipodeans.

A company out of Florida has 12 3D printing machines and is planning to activate 8 more. I have not heard that they are having problems with the heat.
I will have to ask them.
Manufacturers do have problems with weather. A company in the Rockies who made terrain had to stop production four months Dec-Feb every year. It was too old for material to set up.
Back n the 1970s and 80s, a dice company had to moderate the temperature at the warehouse for the dice to cure correctly.

I used to cast figures during the build up in the NT, that was damn hot. Sweat plus molten metal was literally explosive…
But like ochoin says, it's whatever you are used to. Here it is now the dry season so 17-18 c at night. I am buried under Manchester. But 36c is nothing really, exercise weather. No doubt the reverse for others overseas.

I have AC so I can paint in any heat wave.
Paul

Turn on the air conditioning

Doesn't get too hot to paint.

As mentioned above, it gets too rainy or too cold to use spraypaint outdoors. Mostly that makes me hand brush sealant and primer on everything.

Or, I just paint something else. I usually have serveral projects going in different states of progress.

I live in a suburb of San Francisco. It is never too hot for anything here, between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. In fact, it's only rarely warm enough to feel like eating ice cream. So I don't have this problem.