Can Hot Weather Destroy The Paint on my Walls?

Can Hot Weather Destroy The Paint on my Walls? Whether you are someone who enjoys hot weather, or someone who prefers the cooler months, one thing everyone can agree on is the desire to keep our living area nice.

So can the hot, sunny weather destroy the quality of your walls? For paint and wallpaper alike, the answer is yes! Much like our skin, paint and other materials often used on the interior walls of your home can be damaged by the sun’s rays.

A few aspects of the paint on your walls may change if exposed to extreme heat and sun from the outdoors, such as; paint texture, paint color intensity, and longevity of your paint job.

If you have wallpaper in your home, the sun can also damage the color intensity of your wallpaper, adhesive ability, and paper texture. Read on – Can Hot Weather Destroy The Paint on my Walls?

How Hot is too hot?

When it comes to protecting your in-home paint, knowing which days are going to be hot and sunny is essential.

The sun does more damage than the temperature due to its ability to get into your home while the temperature may have a more difficult time penetrating your home due to windows, insulation, and air conditioning.

On a particularly sunny day, closing blinds and curtains is a simple, yet effective way to protect your paint. The darker the wall color, the more likely it is to absorb any sun entering your home.

If you have dark blue walls, they are more susceptible to sun damage and color warping versus a light white wall, which will not absorb the UV rays in the same manner, and therefore will not change tones as quickly or as noticeably.

If your walls are unable to be protected by curtains or blinds and are in a high-intensity sunspot, you may consider purchasing a tarp to act as “sunscreen” for your wall during particularly sunny days.

There are high-temperature durable paints that can be purchased for especially susceptible paint jobs. Before painting, consider how much sun exposure the paint will get.

If you know the paint will be exposed to a high level of sun and heat, consider a lighter paint color, or using high-temp paint and installing curtains.

Signs That Your Paint is Heat or Sun Damaged

Noticing color warping due to sun damage is the most obvious sign that your paint is experiencing damage. The darker the paint color, the easier it is to tell if a paint job is being damaged by the sun or heat.

For dark-colored walls, paint can be affected in as short as six months, or half of a year. Color fading will be obvious to the untrained eye and can be noticed by comparing the original paint sample to the affected area of the wall, or by comparing parts of the wall that are not in direct sunlight.

Another sign that your paint may be compromised due to heat/sun is that the texture changes. The process of becoming powdery or “chalky” takes much longer than color damage.

Becoming texturally different requires a lack of moisture in your paint, which can occur if a high sun-intensity area is regularly exposed to rays without protection such as curtains. If your wall is developing a chalky layer or looks powdery in appearance, it is time for a paint job.

Wallpaper is affected more quickly than paint and responds differently to heat and sun. Unlike paint, humidity negatively affects wallpaper. On a humid day, moisture can sneak behind wallpaper can widdle away at the adhesive keeping the wallpaper attached to the wall.

Sun can also make adhesive on wallpaper weaker, drying it out and causing it to become brittle. Beyond affecting its ability to stick to walls, the sun can also warp the color of wallpaper swiftly.

Wallpaper and traditional paint for walls are not the same types of paint, wallpaper fading much more rapidly. To avoid this, do not put wallpaper on areas of the home that will have frequent exposure to the intense sun for much of the day.

What Can You Do About It?

Naturally, everyone wants to keep their living space in tip-top condition. Faded and damaged paint is an eyesore, as well as a potential health hazard. Chalky paint jobs and brittle adhesive can quickly become debris in the air, ready to be inhaled by you and your family.

Keeping fresh, good-condition paint is essential in protecting those in your home from respiratory illness.

The most cost-effective and effortless way to protect your paint is to avoid leaving any of your paint (light OR dark!) exposed to the sun for many hours.

Closing shades and blinds before leaving the home on a sunny day will prevent any color or texture damage to your paint and wallpaper.

Keeping devices such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, or humidifiers away from direct contact with your walls is another way to preserve its longevity.

As previously mentioned, using thermally resistant paint is an option for those who need sun-resistant paint.

This paint is specially formulated to endure higher temperatures than traditional interior home paint and can save you the hassle of closing blinds, redoing paint jobs, or worrying about painting darker colors in your home.

If you want to stick to traditional paint and not thermally resistant paint, consider painting your home colors from the lighter end of the spectrum such as white, pastel colors, light yellow and pink tones, and tans and beiges.

Things Happen

If you already are experiencing sun damage in your home, it is not the end of the world! Unless you have cracks in your paint, a chalky or sun-damaged wall is an uncomplicated task.

Begin by wiping down walls to void them of any powder on the surface – this will ensure a beautifully smooth paint job. Top off your wall with a new paint layer or two, and you are good to go.

If your paint has cracks, caulking, sealant silicone, or joint compound can be used to create a smoother wall texture before painting. These filters will require sanding, wiping, and repainting much like the previously mentioned procedure.

Can Hot Weather Destroy The Paint on my Walls? – Conclusion

Preventing sun and heat damage to your walls is effortless, especially with the proper knowledge and tools!

We hope you enjoyed and learned something from this article. If you require any painting services, feel free to contact us for more information! Good luck!