MR Construction
What temperature does a room need to be to paint inside?
The room needs to be within the temperature range printed on the paint's label, and most heated homes are comfortably inside it. Benjamin Moore says the optimal painting temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit, recommends planning projects between 35 and 100 degrees, and notes that every product lists its own range on the label and technical data sheet.
In practice, keep the thermostat at a normal living temperature while you paint and for a day or two after, so the paint can cure. Don't turn the heat down overnight. Watch the cold spots too: an unheated sunroom, a closed-off spare bedroom or a wall next to a drafty window can be much colder than the thermostat suggests.
Can I store paint in the garage in winter?
It's best not to. Benjamin Moore points out that paint takes on the temperature of where it's stored, and a can left in an unheated garage all winter stays cold for some time. Bring it inside overnight before you use it so it warms into its acceptable range.
Paint that has frozen and thawed may also not behave properly. If a can has spent the winter in a cold garage or shed, check it before you rely on it for a whole room.
How do I ventilate a room when it's freezing outside?
Ventilate in short bursts. The EPA's guidance on indoor air is to increase ventilation when using products that emit VOCs, which include paints, and to meet or exceed any label precautions. In winter that usually looks like this:
- Open a window a few inches for short periods while you paint and right after, then close it so the room warms back up
- Run a fan pointed out the window, or the bathroom or range exhaust fan
- Close the door to the room you're painting so fumes don't spread through the house
- Choose a low-VOC paint if anyone in the house is sensitive to smells
Short bursts of fresh air are enough. You don't need to leave a window open all day and chill the room below the paint's range.
Does humidity matter for interior painting in winter?
It does. Benjamin Moore advises painting when humidity is as low as possible, because paint can dry improperly in high humidity. Winter air is usually dry, which helps, but kitchens and bathrooms are the exception.
Don't paint a bathroom right after a hot shower, and run the exhaust fan while the paint dries. In a kitchen, skip the big cooking day while the walls are wet. Bathrooms usually need a paint made for high-moisture rooms anyway.
What's the hardest part of painting an older Massachusetts house?
The prep, in any season. Many homes in Wakefield and nearby towns have plaster walls and many layers of old paint, and a smooth finish comes from the repairs you make before painting, not from the paint.
Fill and sand cracks, reattach loose plaster or patch it, and prime repairs before the finish coat. If your house was built before 1978, that old paint may contain lead. Federal rules require paid contractors who disturb it to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices, and sanding is exactly the kind of work those rules cover. Our lead paint guide explains what to ask.
Do I need a permit or an HIC-registered contractor for interior painting?
No. The Massachusetts chart of what work requires a permit, a Construction Supervisor License or HIC registration lists interior painting as needing none of the three. Exterior painting is different: it needs no permit either, but the contractor must be HIC registered.
That doesn't make all painters equal. Ask for proof of insurance, how they'll protect your floors and furniture, and how they'll handle plaster repairs and any old paint.
Is winter a good time to paint inside?
Winter is a good time to paint inside because interior work doesn't depend on the forecast the way exterior painting does. Exterior painting in Massachusetts mostly waits for late spring through early fall (see our exterior painting season guide), so the colder months are a natural time to get the inside done.
It also lines up with how people live. Winter is when you spend the most time looking at your walls, and it's often when you start planning for spring hosting or a sale.
Who paints interiors in Wakefield and nearby towns?
MR Construction Revolutions paints interiors in Wakefield, Reading, Stoneham, Melrose, Malden, Woburn, Winchester and the other towns we serve, and repairs drywall and plaster as part of the job. Past customers have written about how we prepped old walls before painting and left a living room's drywall smooth. Floors are covered and the work area is cleaned up each day.
We've been doing this out of Wakefield since 2008, licensed and insured. Every estimate is free, in your home, with a written price and schedule. See our interior painting page or book a free estimate.
Questions homeowners also ask
Check the label's dry and recoat times, which assume a normal room temperature. In a cooler room, allow extra time before pushing furniture against the walls or rehanging pictures.
You can paint with them mostly closed, but open them briefly for fresh air while you work and afterward, as the EPA advises when using products that emit VOCs. Also follow the label.
It can, especially in a cool room or a humid one like a bathroom. A heated, dry room usually dries normally.
Follow the product label, keep them out of the room while you paint, ventilate in short bursts and consider a low-VOC paint. In a pre-1978 home, keep them away from any sanding or scraping of old paint.
Ceiling first, then walls, then trim. That way drips and roller spatter land on surfaces you haven't painted yet.