What brand of paint is the best!

Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams at the top of J.D. Power's 2014 Paint Satisfaction Study.

Benjamin Moore & Co. took the top spot in interior paints for the fourth consecutive year, scoring even higher than it did in 2013. It was another feather in the cap of the Montvale, NJ, manufacturer, which dates to 1883 but does not rank  among the top 10 paint and coating companies in terms of size.

The Sherwin-Williams Co. claimed the top position in exterior paints, which the annual survey included for the first time. The Cleveland-based paint and coatings maker is third in size worldwide.

Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore show off their winning exterior and interior paints, respectively. The companies placed first in j.D. Power's 2014 Paint Satisfaction Survey, which included exterior paints for the first time.

Sherwin-Williams also took the No. 2 ranking for interior paints, while Benjamin Moore missed second place in the exteriors by a whisker-thin one point out of a possible 1,000.

BEHR, the well-known house brand of The Home Depot, rounded out the top three in both interior and exterior rankings.

PPG Industries' Pittsburgh Paint ranked fifth for interiors—the only brand of the world's largest paint and coating maker to make the top five of either category. AkzoNobel, now No. 2 worldwide, had no brands in the top five.

Performance + Experience

"The highest-performing paint brands in customer satisfaction also receive high ratings in the application experience across both interior and exterior product lines," according to the study, released April 16.

The 2014 study is based on responses from more than 8,690 customers from January through March who had bought and applied interior and/or exterior paint within the previous 12 months.

The 2014 Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 8,690 customers who purchased and applied interior and/or exterior paint within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded in January through March 2014. - See more at: http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2014-paint-satisfaction-study#sthash.sauZJtk6.dpuf

Satisfaction with paint brands is based on customer evaluations that measure six key factors of the painting experience. They are, in alphabetical order, application, design guides, durability, price, product offerings, and warranty/guarantee.

“Paint brands that show a pattern of high customer satisfaction over time reap the benefits of customer loyalty,” said Christina Cooley, director of home improvement industries at J.D. Power, a longtime global analyst of the customer experience.

“A customer’s decision to purchase a specific paint brand is largely based on their prior experience with that brand, primarily regarding application, product offerings and durability.”

Satisfaction Rankings

Benjamin Moore ranked highest in customer satisfaction for interior paint brands with a score of 815—a 15-point increase from 2013. The company performed particularly well in application, durability and product offerings.

Sherwin-Williams took second place in interior paints, with a score of 808; BEHR came in third, with 802 points.

Overall customer satisfaction with interior paint brands was 795 on a 1,000-point scale—an increase of 16 points from 2013.

For exterior paint brands, Sherwin-Williams led the pack with a score of 819, performing well across all six factors. BEHR was second, with 804 points; Benjamin Moore was third, with 803.

Other Findings

J.D. Power also reported a number of other insights into how, why and when consumers choose and use paint. Among them:

• Application—specifically, the adequacy of paint coverage—is the most important driver of customer satisfaction with interior and exterior paint, as reported by 34 percent of respondents in each group.

• Seventy-eight percent of customers who purchased interior paint apply it themselves, as did 74 percent of buyers of exterior painjt.

• More than 90 percent of customers who purchased interior or exterior paint (94 and 93 percent, respectively) indicated that the new color covered the previous color.

• About half of customers do not use primer or paint with primer mixed in for their interior or exterior paint jobs (52 and 50 percent, respectively).

• On average, customers apply two (actually, 1.67) coats of paint for both interior and exterior projects.

• Customers paint the inside of their homes for a variety of reasons, including remodeling (28 percent), changing the color (27 percent), or because of the previous paint condition (26 percent). Exterior painting projects typically address existing paint in poor condition (65 percent).

• Just 15 percent of customers who purchased interior paint used the Internet as an information resource to help with their project; 20 percent of exterior-paint buyers sought information on the Web.

Conclusion

In my experience I prefer whichever paint the customer wants and enjoy using Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams equally the same. But I do like the fact that I can go into Sherwin Williams store in my neighborhood and they know me by first name and are eager and willing to help me find a product that best suit my customers needs.

Kool-Seal Roof Coating

The summer weather is hot! From Miami to Seattle here is a word you should memorize, Kool-Seal. Kool-Seal brand products have been around for the past 90 plus years. Their main product is used for protecting and sealing tin and metal mobile home roofs. The product is called White Elastomeric Roof Coating. This rubber-based white roof coating comes in 5-gallon buckets you can pick up from Lowes Hardware or order directly from the Kool Seal website.

In fact I so rarely use any other products from the Kool-Seal brand that I refer to process of painting the white elastomeric roof coating a roof top of a mobile home as “kool-sealing a roof”.

A few of the Kool-Seal roof coating benefits:

1. Lower costs on your buyer’s electric bill: Reflects heat from the sun.

2. Protect roof from small falling debris: Rubber seals minor dents and pin holes in the roof.

3. Reduce the home’s interior heat: Small amount of insulation to keep in hot or cool air of mobile home interior.

4. Reduce stress on the air conditioning unit by working less: Lower electric bills

5. Adding curb appeal to the home: The clean white look is noticeable right away.

We can do all your roof coating needs at New Life Painting.....Here is some information you should keep in mind directly from kool seal web page......

Kool Seal® White Elastomeric Roof Coating (63-300) is formulated with 100% acrylic elastomeric resin. The coat- ing forms a thick rubber-like blanket of protection that expands and contracts with roofs. It remains flexible from -30° F to 160° F for long-lasting protection and provides superior reflectivity to lower in- terior temperatures and save energy. Adheres to aged galvanized and prepainted metal, polystyrene, aged alu- minum coating, pre-cast concrete, flat and barrel cement tiles. For use on built- up roofs, modified bitumen, bonded tar & gravel, most other asphaltic surfaces and in ponding water situations, Kool Seal® Kool-LastikTM Primer (34-600) is required. Do not use on roofing shingles. In general, roof coatings, when applied to a structurally sound roof, will extend its life expectancy by protecting the roof from the elements. However, when roofs are badly deteriorated, they may require complete roof replacement instead of coating. If you’re not sure, ask a qualified roofing contractor for an evalu- ation.

 FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Energy saving up to 35%.
• Reflects 90%+ of the sun’s rays.
• 100% acrylic elastomeric resin for dura-

bility and long life.
• Higher solids for better coverage.
• Forms a thick rubber-like blanket of

protection.
• Expands and contracts.

• Protects against moisture.

• Cured elastomeric film is mildew and

  algae resistant.

   Recommended uses:

  • Metal
  • Concrete
  • Foam
  • Brick
  • Flat Cement Tile
  • Unglazed Barrel Cement Tile
  • Aged Aluminum Coatings
  • Existing Elastomeric Roof Coatings

  When used with Kool-LastikTM Primer, recommended for:• Ponding Water Conditions
  • Rolled Roofing

  • Built-up Roofs
  • Modified Bitumen
  • Bonded Tar & Gravel
  • Most Asphaltic Surfaces

  Drying Time:
  To Touch Recoat:2 coat application 4-6 hours 24 hours

• When in doubt call us at NEW LIFE PAINTING we would love to meet your Home improvement needs.

Airless Spraying vs Rolling & Brushing

I get asked a lot why we don’t spray our primer on window sashes. Just the other day I had a customer asked the question, hoping they had thought of something that might make our jobs easier and the work move faster.

While spraying on paintand primer is much faster the gains in speed come at a cost. In this post I want to look at some of the pros and cons of both so you can make an informed decision when the time to repaint comes.

Spraying Paint

There really is no faster way to apply paint than using an airless sprayer. You can cover an entire wall in minutes instead of hours, but like everything, speed doesn’t always equate to quality. Here are some of the key benefits of using an airless sprayer.

Benefits

1. Incredibly fast application

2. One coat coverage

3. Smooth finish free of brush/roller marks

4. Can get into hard to reach areas

So why wouldn’t everyone just spray everything all the time? Well, there is a downside to spraying too.

Negatives

1. Long prep and clean up time

2. Uneven coverage (sometimes too thick)

3. Uses 2-3 times as much paint as brushing

4. Poor adhesion

5. Can’t paint on windy days

Applying paint with an airless sprayer can be very challenging if you don’t have a lot of practice using the sprayer. Like any tool, airless sprayers take a lot of practice before you can apply a smooth even coat of paint. Beginner’s will get over-spray, drips and runs, they’ll often have an uneven coat with some spots of heavy paint build up and some spots that are just too thin.

Paint spraying also uses 2-3 times as much paint as brushing or rolling. Not all of that extra paint goes onto the house either. Most of it ends up wasted in the hose line or as over-spray.

Even with these issues there are some tight spots like around utilities that can’t be done cleanly without spraying and you really can’t beat the speed.

Brushing Paint

It’s the old-fashioned way of doing things so I probably love it, right? To be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with brushing on paint. It’s slow and tedious and often results in brush marks if I’m not careful, but nothing gives me control like applying paint with a good brush. Just like with spraying, let’s look at some of the benefits and negatives of brushing.

Benefits

1. Excellent control

2. Very good adhesion

3. Even, uniform coverage

4. Gets paint into nooks and crannies better than spraying

So far it looks like brushing solves the main problems we faced with spraying, so we should always brush, right? Not so fast.

Negatives

1. Slow, laborious application

2. Can require 2 or more coats

3. Can leaves brush marks

4. Obstructions make for difficult application

Nothing come close to the control you get with a quality brush. You can cut in tight corners and paint nice straight lines that are impossible to attain with a sprayer. For detail work the only acceptable way is to use a brush. Yes, it is slow, but you will get an even, uniform coat of paint and much better adhesion than with spraying alone.

How to Get the Best of Both Worlds

Now that I’ve got you all twisted up thinking neither one is better than the other I want to offer you a solution that will change the way you paint.

Often with old houses the best answer lies in using yesterday’s techniques combined with today’s technology. Painting is one of those times.

In my studies and day to day practices I have found the best way to apply paint is by applying with an airless sprayer and “back-brushing.”

Back-brushing is the practice of brushing over paint that has been applied with either a roller or sprayer. To do it properly you’ll need a helper.

“But this seems like more work. Why would you do this?”

Using this technique you are able to get the paint onto the surface quickly and brush it in before it dries. Back-brushing forces the paint into all the nooks and crannies, evens out the coat and works the paint into the surface giving you better adhesion for a lasting paint job.

You see, what slows you down when you apply paint with a brush is that you can only load so much paint onto the brush at a time. By spraying and back-brushing you can cover large areas almost as quickly as by spraying alone. You get the benefits of both systems and eliminate most of the negatives.

Can you say win-win?

Keep in mind that you can't load up enough paint on a brush or roller then a airless sprayer can.

When in doubt call us at NEW LIFE PAINTING we would love to meet your Home improvement needs.

How to Apply Stain and Polyurethanes

It’s one thing to describe finishing steps to an experienced finisher. It’s quite another to teach someone who has never applied stain or finish to anything. Describing finishing so a novice feels comfortable and experiences success the first time is not easy, but here’s an attempt. The steps are sanding the wood smooth, deciding on the color and applying it, and deciding on the finish and applying it.

Sanding
Flaws in the wood, such as machine milling marks, scratches, gouges, etc., have to be sanded out before applying a stain or finish, or these flaws will be highlighted. To sand them out, always sand in the direction of the wood grain beginning with a sandpaper grit coarse enough to remove the problems efficiently without creating greater problems. In most cases this means using 80-grit or 100-grit sandpaper. Then sand out coarse-grit scratches with increasingly finer-grit sandpaper up to 150 grit or 180 grit.

Unfortunately, knowing which grit sandpaper to begin with, when it’s time to move to the next finer grit, and when the wood is ready to be stained or finished, can be learned only from experience. You can look at the wood in a low-angle, raking light, and even wet the wood with mineral spirits (paint thinner) as an aid to spotting remaining flaws. But even these tricks don’t always work.

Keep in mind that if you don’t sand the wood well enough and the flaws still show after you’ve applied the stain or finish, you can always remove the stain or finish at any time using a paint-and-varnish remover (or simply paint thinner for stain alone) and start over. You don’t need to remove or sand out all the color from a stain, just the binder — the stuff that makes the stain stick to the wood.

Staining
You can see what the wood will look like with only a finish applied by wetting the wood with a liquid, such as paint thinner. If the wetted wood isn’t dark enough or the right color, you’ll have to use a stain. Unless you are finishing a quality hardwood, such as oak, mahogany or walnut (not cherry, it blotches), you will be safest using a gel stain. Gel stains are thick and very effective at reducing blotching (uneven coloring due to inconsistent densities in the wood).

No matter which stain you use, the method of application is the same. Using any application tool (such as a brush or rag), apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. Begin working on smaller surfaces such as legs and drawer fronts to get a feel for the drying time. If the stain dries too hard to wipe off, reliquefy it by applying more stain right away, then remove the excess immediately.

Apply the stain and remove the excess from one or more complete surfaces at a time. Don’t overlap the stain onto a surface that has already been completed or the double application may cause a difference in color.

“You can see what the wood will look like with only a finish applied by wetting the wood with a liquid, such as paint thinner.”

Finishing

A finish is necessary to protect the wood from water damage, dirt, stains, etc. You can apply a finish either directly to the wood or over a stain after it has dried. It’s always better, that is, more attractive and protective, to use a stain and finish packaged separately than a stain-and-finish combination, which is just a stain with a little more binder in it.

In my opinion, the two best finish choices for a first-timer are oil-based polyurethane in a satin sheen and wiping varnish. Wiping varnish is oil-based varnish or polyurethane thinned about half with paint thinner and usually sold as tung oil. You’ll know the product is wiping varnish and not real tung oil if it’s labeled “tung oil” and contains “petroleum distillate.” Real tung oil doesn’t contain petroleum distillate. Wiping varnish is also sold as Waterlox, Seal-a-Cell, Val-Oil and Profin.

Oil-based polyurethane and wiping varnish are easier to use than water-based finishes, which dry very fast, raise the grain and are difficult to use in combination with stains.

Oil-based polyurethane provides excellent durability with only two or three applications. Wiping varnish goes on with reduced brush marking and fewer dust nibs but requires many more applications to achieve the same durability. Polyurethane is best for surfaces that get a lot of wear. Wiping vanish is best when you want a thinner, more flawless finish.

Applying Polyurethane
Apply polyurethane using a bristle or foam brush about 2″ wide. Foam works well and eliminates the chore of cleaning, because the brushes are cheap and thus disposable.

You can apply the first coat full strength or thinned up to half with paint thinner, making, in effect, a wiping varnish. (Use a separate can or jar.) Thinning leaves less actual finish on the wood so the finish dries hard faster and is thus easier to sand sooner.

Always sand the first coat of finish smooth to the touch after it has cured (usually overnight in a warm room) using 280-grit or finer sandpaper. Remove the dust with a tack rag (a sticky cloth you can buy at paint stores) or a vacuum and apply a second coat full strength. Brush the polyurethane just like brushing paint. If there are bubbles, brush back over the finish lightly to make them pop out. Brush with the grain of the wood when possible.

On flat horizontal surfaces such as tabletops, spread the finish onto the wood working from side to side (with the grain) and front to back. Stretch out the finish as thin as possible. After every 6″ to 12″ of surface covered from edge to edge, line up the brush strokes. Do this by lightly bringing the brush down onto the surface near one edge in an airplane-like landing and moving the brush across and off the other side. Then do the same back the other way — back and forth until all the brush strokes are lined up and the bubbles almost gone. The remaining bubbles should pop out on their own.

Then apply the next 6″ to 12″ in the same manner, working the finish back into the last inch or so of the previous application. Continue until the surface is covered.

The trick to reducing problems, such as bubbles, runs and sags, is to work in a reflected natural or artificial light. This is the critical instruction that is rarely given. If you move your head so you can see your work in a reflected light while you’re brushing, any problem that occurs will become quickly apparent, and the solution will be obvious. In most cases, it is to brush back over the area and stretch the finish out thin.

You should use as clean a brush as possible and work in as clean a room as you can, but there will still be dust nibs when the finish cures. Sand these out between each coat. When the finish looks good — after two or three (maybe four) coats — it’s done. Leave the last coat unsanded.

Applying Wiping Varnish
You can apply wiping varnish exactly like polyurethane by brushing coat after coat onto the wood. Or you can wipe on, and then wipe off, most of the excess. The more excess you leave, the greater the build.

This second method is the easy one, and the way wiping varnish is usually applied. It’s an almost foolproof finish when applied in this manner. Again, the trick to achieving good results is to check the finish for flaws in a reflected light as you’re applying it. 

When in doubt call us at NEW LIFE PAINTING we would love to meet your Home improvement needs.

Painting Special Exterior Surfaces

It’s one thing to describe finishing steps to an experienced finisher. It’s quite another to teach someone who has never applied stain or finish to anything. Describing finishing so a novice feels comfortable and experiences success the first time is not easy, but here’s an attempt. The steps are sanding the wood smooth, deciding on the color and applying it, and deciding on the finish and applying it.

Sanding
Flaws in the wood, such as machine milling marks, scratches, gouges, etc., have to be sanded out before applying a stain or finish, or these flaws will be highlighted. To sand them out, always sand in the direction of the wood grain beginning with a sandpaper grit coarse enough to remove the problems efficiently without creating greater problems. In most cases this means using 80-grit or 100-grit sandpaper. Then sand out coarse-grit scratches with increasingly finer-grit sandpaper up to 150 grit or 180 grit.

Unfortunately, knowing which grit sandpaper to begin with, when it’s time to move to the next finer grit, and when the wood is ready to be stained or finished, can be learned only from experience. You can look at the wood in a low-angle, raking light, and even wet the wood with mineral spirits (paint thinner) as an aid to spotting remaining flaws. But even these tricks don’t always work.

Keep in mind that if you don’t sand the wood well enough and the flaws still show after you’ve applied the stain or finish, you can always remove the stain or finish at any time using a paint-and-varnish remover (or simply paint thinner for stain alone) and start over. You don’t need to remove or sand out all the color from a stain, just the binder — the stuff that makes the stain stick to the wood.

Staining
You can see what the wood will look like with only a finish applied by wetting the wood with a liquid, such as paint thinner. If the wetted wood isn’t dark enough or the right color, you’ll have to use a stain. Unless you are finishing a quality hardwood, such as oak, mahogany or walnut (not cherry, it blotches), you will be safest using a gel stain. Gel stains are thick and very effective at reducing blotching (uneven coloring due to inconsistent densities in the wood).

No matter which stain you use, the method of application is the same. Using any application tool (such as a brush or rag), apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. Begin working on smaller surfaces such as legs and drawer fronts to get a feel for the drying time. If the stain dries too hard to wipe off, reliquefy it by applying more stain right away, then remove the excess immediately.

Apply the stain and remove the excess from one or more complete surfaces at a time. Don’t overlap the stain onto a surface that has already been completed or the double application may cause a difference in color.

“You can see what the wood will look like with only a finish applied by wetting the wood with a liquid, such as paint thinner.”

Finishing

A finish is necessary to protect the wood from water damage, dirt, stains, etc. You can apply a finish either directly to the wood or over a stain after it has dried. It’s always better, that is, more attractive and protective, to use a stain and finish packaged separately than a stain-and-finish combination, which is just a stain with a little more binder in it.

In my opinion, the two best finish choices for a first-timer are oil-based polyurethane in a satin sheen and wiping varnish. Wiping varnish is oil-based varnish or polyurethane thinned about half with paint thinner and usually sold as tung oil. You’ll know the product is wiping varnish and not real tung oil if it’s labeled “tung oil” and contains “petroleum distillate.” Real tung oil doesn’t contain petroleum distillate. Wiping varnish is also sold as Waterlox, Seal-a-Cell, Val-Oil and Profin.

Oil-based polyurethane and wiping varnish are easier to use than water-based finishes, which dry very fast, raise the grain and are difficult to use in combination with stains.

Oil-based polyurethane provides excellent durability with only two or three applications. Wiping varnish goes on with reduced brush marking and fewer dust nibs but requires many more applications to achieve the same durability. Polyurethane is best for surfaces that get a lot of wear. Wiping vanish is best when you want a thinner, more flawless finish.

Applying Polyurethane
Apply polyurethane using a bristle or foam brush about 2″ wide. Foam works well and eliminates the chore of cleaning, because the brushes are cheap and thus disposable.

You can apply the first coat full strength or thinned up to half with paint thinner, making, in effect, a wiping varnish. (Use a separate can or jar.) Thinning leaves less actual finish on the wood so the finish dries hard faster and is thus easier to sand sooner.

Always sand the first coat of finish smooth to the touch after it has cured (usually overnight in a warm room) using 280-grit or finer sandpaper. Remove the dust with a tack rag (a sticky cloth you can buy at paint stores) or a vacuum and apply a second coat full strength. Brush the polyurethane just like brushing paint. If there are bubbles, brush back over the finish lightly to make them pop out. Brush with the grain of the wood when possible.

On flat horizontal surfaces such as tabletops, spread the finish onto the wood working from side to side (with the grain) and front to back. Stretch out the finish as thin as possible. After every 6″ to 12″ of surface covered from edge to edge, line up the brush strokes. Do this by lightly bringing the brush down onto the surface near one edge in an airplane-like landing and moving the brush across and off the other side. Then do the same back the other way — back and forth until all the brush strokes are lined up and the bubbles almost gone. The remaining bubbles should pop out on their own.

Then apply the next 6″ to 12″ in the same manner, working the finish back into the last inch or so of the previous application. Continue until the surface is covered.

The trick to reducing problems, such as bubbles, runs and sags, is to work in a reflected natural or artificial light. This is the critical instruction that is rarely given. If you move your head so you can see your work in a reflected light while you’re brushing, any problem that occurs will become quickly apparent, and the solution will be obvious. In most cases, it is to brush back over the area and stretch the finish out thin.

You should use as clean a brush as possible and work in as clean a room as you can, but there will still be dust nibs when the finish cures. Sand these out between each coat. When the finish looks good — after two or three (maybe four) coats — it’s done. Leave the last coat unsanded.

Applying Wiping Varnish
You can apply wiping varnish exactly like polyurethane by brushing coat after coat onto the wood. Or you can wipe on, and then wipe off, most of the excess. The more excess you leave, the greater the build.

This second method is the easy one, and the way wiping varnish is usually applied. It’s an almost foolproof finish when applied in this manner. Again, the trick to achieving good results is to check the finish for flaws in a reflected light as you’re applying it. 

When in doubt call us at NEW LIFE PAINTING we would love to meet your Home improvement needs.

Painting Exterior Surfaces

To avoid extra work when doing exterior painting, it is wise to have a good plan of attack.  Important considerations should be the sequence and procedures you follow in applying your paint.  Here are some guidelines:

• As a general rule, work from the top down so that you don't drip onto areas that have already been repainted.

• Start by painting fascia boards, gutters and eaves; then tackle the walls; next, paint your downspouts; finish the job by painting windows, doors and trim.

• When painting lap siding, work horizontally by applying paint all the way across several boards (stopping in the middle of a board can cause an unsightly "lapping" effect, which may show up immediately, or after a year or two of weathering).  Likewise, on vertical siding - grooved plywood or board-and-batten, for example - complete one vertical section at a time, then move on to the next section.

• Regardless of the surface you are painting, don't stop painting until you reach a visual breakpoint.

• When in doubt call us at NEW LIFE PAINTING we would love to meet your Home improvement needs.

Paint in the Right Weather Conditions

When it comes to painting, all days are not created equal.  And don't assume that just because a day is rain-free that it is a good day to paint.  If the day is too hot or too windy, your paint may dry too quickly to enable it to form the most protective film.  In fact, painting in the wrong conditions can even lead to premature flaking and peeling of the paint.

So, when should you paint?  Here are some tips that will help you get the best results with exterior latex paints:

• Try to do your exterior painting on days when the temperature is between 60° and 85°F.  (l5.56°C and 29.4°C) with low or moderate humidity and little or no wind.
• Even on moderate days, it is best to avoid painting in direct sunlight, since exterior surface temperatures can be 10 to 20 degrees F higher (5 to 11 degrees C) than the air temperature - too hot for good paint film formation.  Do this by working your way around the house so that you are always painting in the shade, especially in the warmer afternoon hours.  As a bonus, you'll be more comfortable working this way.
• At the other extreme, avoid painting when the temperature falls below 50 degrees F (10°C), since cold temperatures can also prevent latex paint from forming a good protective film.  Remember, too, that certain sides of the home get less sunshine, so the surface there may be even colder than the air temperature.  The north side of the home is especially vulnerable this way.
• You can apply latex paints just 30 minutes after it rains, assuming that the surface is not visibly wet.  (If you are applying oil-based paints, you should wait until the surface is completely dry.)
• Avoid painting in windy weather.  Even a light wind can cause the latex paint to dry too quickly, resulting in inadequate film formation.  Moreover, wind can stir up dust and other contaminants that can ruin your paint job.