Whether you’re a professional painter or just somebody who likes to dabble in the occasional arts and crafts project, there may come a time when you need to speed up the drying process of your water-based paints.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make water-based paint dry faster. In this article, we will discuss some tips and tricks for speeding up the drying time of the paint. These methods also apply to oil-based paints if you have painted the trim or doors etc with that type of paint.
How long does it take for water-based paint to dry?
Water-based paints typically dry by evaporation over time. So it depends on the paint manufacturer, the thickness of the coat, and room conditions like airflow and temperature. But generally speaking, it can take from 30 minutes to a few hours. Even days, if the conditions are really bad, like rainy weather and the reasons mentioned above.
The label will usually show how many hours it will take to dry under different temperatures. Usually, it’s even dry before that. To be sure you can feel with your finger in a place that isn’t so visible (in case it would leave a mark).
How long to wait before coats?
It’s best to follow the recommended time on the label.
It has happened that when I’ve painted on a surface that wasn’t fully dry, the first layer would come off in small pieces. But it’s rare and depends on the material and prep work.
If you’re painting over wallpaper sometimes bubbles will appear because of the humidity. They usually disappear when it’s dry, but if they haven’t, you will have to cut them open and spackle them a couple of times. Then sand them with fine sandpaper (120/150 grit) and paint the spots once before painting the whole wall.
Have in mind that it takes longer for the paint to dry at floor level since warm air rises and it’s cooler at floor level.
What dries paint faster, heat or cold?
Actually, heat speeds up the evaporation and cold slow it down. It’s all about the rate of evaporation which is affected by air temperature (warm air evaporates faster than cool air), the temperature of the surface and humidity in the room.
Paint on a concrete wall, which is usually cool and of dense material, will take longer to dry compared to drywall.
You can speed up the drying process by:
- creating a cross breeze by opening 2 windows opposite of each other
- using a Portable Electric Heater
- using a Dehumidifier
- regular room fans will do the job too.
With a portable electric heater, which warms up the air and creates airflow, you can move from room to room. As a professional house painter, I use this quite often since it’s small and portable and I can have it in my car.
An effective way to remove the water from the air is by a dehumidifier. The room temperature needs to be at least 60 F° for a dehumidifier to be effective.
Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air so using an electric heater in conjunction with the dehumidifier can be exemplary. I’ve done this myself when I have spray painted a whole apartment since it needs to be dry the next day for its second coat.
If the fuse can take it that is.
How much electricity do dehumidifiers use?
According to ecocostsavings.com, on average, dehumidifiers use 0.427 kWh of electricity per hour.
The most common amount of electricity that dehumidifiers use per hour is 0.548 kWh. Overall, the amount of electricity that dehumidifiers use per hour ranges from 0.23 kWh to 0.983 kWh.
Running a dehumidifier costs on average 6 cents per hour.
The running cost of a dehumidifier ranges from $0.83 to $3.54 per day.
Energy-efficient dehumidifiers cost from $0.83 to $1.97 per day to run.
Running 8 hours per day for 30 days, you can expect your dehumidifier to increase your electricity bill by $15.36, or 13%. Running
15 hours per day for 30 days, you can expect your dehumidifier to increase your electricity bill by $44.96, or 38%.
Which paint dries the most quickly? And what is the slowest drying paint?
The paint that dries the most quickly is acrylic latex. The slowest drying paint is oil-based paints.
Dark colors usually take longer to dry than lighter ones because of the chemistry involved with pigments.
Paint with high gloss takes longer to dry than paint with lower gloss.
Does thinning the paint make it dry faster?
Usually, the manufacturer recommends not to thin the paint. Check the label and see what it says. In my experience, it doesn’t make much of a difference. The main reason to thin the paint is that it makes it easier for the brush to go on smooth. Or when you need it to penetrate and saturate wood or other dry materials.