A professional painter in Sacramento made a statement not long ago that it is a really bad idea to try and paint a house, or any other building in the rain. Since a lot of paints are water-based, this probably some really sound advice, but there is much more to this topic. Painting in the rain is dangerous and could lead to serious injury, or even death. If you are contemplating doing a paint job in the rain, you may want to reconsider. Painting in the rain is a ridiculous idea.
Slipping Dangers
Whenever you are painting the outside structure of a home or a business it is always critical to aim for the highest regard for safety. Most times painting involves being in high places and on slippery surfaces. Any time you try to paint in the rain and climb up a ladder you run the risk of slipping on the wet rungs. You should never climb a ladder, or be in high places without proper protection to prevent you from slipping. Your footing should always be sure and steady. When it is raining everything is wet, including the soles of your shoes.
Lightning Dangers
Any time that it is raining there is the possibility of lightning strikes. If you are up on a roof or climbing a metal ladder you are putting yourself at risk of being severely injured by lightning. Any painting contractor knows that there are a certain number of risks involved with painting a house in good weather. Attempting to paint during a rainstorm will most certainly end in a catastrophe. Getting hit, full force by a lightning bold will probably kill you. If you don’t die from it you will never be the same afterward. It is like taking the full power of the sky and the earth together and allowing it to slam full force into your heart. Boom. No good. You will be cooked like a microwave dinner in less than a second.
Drenching Dangers
Working out in the rain poses many different threats. One of these is when your clothes get overloaded with water. Of course, you can always wear raingear, but that only helps so much. Rain seeps in through open places in the gear then start to soak the clothes. The first thing that happens is you begin to get really cold. After that you become so bogged down with water and extra weight you lose your balance and can’t walk or move correctly. After prolonged exposure to the cold and being in a dangerous position in the first place, you will start stumbling and causing issues around you. The cold can set in and cause breathing problems as well. This is when you can become unconscious and fall down. If this happens while you are on a roof, it is all over.
Painting Quality
Even if you are fully prepared to work in the rain and you have made every effort possible to ensure your complete safety, there is still the factor of how the paint will stick in the rain. First of all, when there is a torrent of downpour going against the flow of the paint, there will be no way to apply a quality layer of paint. Even if you try to roll the paint on with a roller. Water rushing down the walls that you are painting will prevent any paint from staying where it is supposed to go. It would be a lot like somebody spraying a hose while you are painting a picture on an easel. There is just no way that it would work.
Bad Business
Even if you were able to pull it all off and make the paint job look fantastic (which is pretty much impossible) you would be setting a horrible business example. Somewhere down the road, a less experienced painter will remember that you did it successfully so they will try to do it too. Although ultimately it would be there own fault because they made the choice, you would have been the person that paved the way for them and gave them the idea. It is a lot like playing tag on a busy freeway. It may be fun, but it is just plain dangerous. If you lead by example, this is not the type of example that would be good to show.
Conclusion
Exterior painting contractors should never try to paint outside in the rain, under any circumstances. What possible painting emergency could deem putting lives at risk? If you have the urge to paint in the rain go ahead and do an interior job. This way you will at least have a chance to make the project look nice. Painting can be a tough job, and although it may seem like a good idea to make some extra money during the off-season it is just plain irresponsible to paint outside when it is raining.
