Spray Paint in Winter

Being a DIY enthusiast is challenging when you live in Minnesota. Almost every paint, stain, and sealer says you must use them in a well-ventilated area (a.k.a. not inside) when temperatures are above 50 degrees. Well, for us in the great northern state, that is only possible for about six months of the year. I do avoid doing most paint and stain applications when it’s cold outside, but I figured out a way to spray paint in winter for smaller objects (not furniture). This method is tedious, but if there’s a piece you really want to paint and the winter is just setting in, maybe you can’t wait. That’s what happened with my lamps.

I recently found this pair of outdated brass lamps on Craigslist and thought I’d take a chance on making them great. I went and bought a can of spray primer and spray paint from Walmart and devised a plan to paint these suckers, even though it was exactly 25 degrees outside. Check out the full DIY here.

RULE 1. Clean the Item Being Spray Painted Rigorously

The reason the can says to only paint when it’s warmer than 50 degrees is because colder temperatures affect adhesion. This would imply no spray paint in winter. This means you must make sure nothing else is hindering the paint from adhering like; dust, grime, or a glossy finish. Prep your surface by thoroughly cleaning and potentially sanding it before you paint.

RULE 2. Primer is Necessary to Spray Paint in Winter

Again, to help with adhesion.

RULE 3. Keep Item & Paints Indoors Until Just Before Use

Your item and paint should be stored inside at room temperature until immediately before painting. I kept my lamps & cans of paint in the foyer. When I was ready to put a coat of paint on my lamps, I brought the spray paint outside, sprayed the lamps, let them sit for about 2-4 minutes, and then brought both the spray paint and lamps inside my house. 

RULE 4. Bring the Item Indoors After EVERY Coat

This rule is the most important! If your item remains outside in the cold, your paint will not dry or adhere properly. Bring the object being spray painted inside after every coat of paint to ensure that the paint will dry properly. Again, minimize the time your item and cans of paint are outside in the cold temperatures for good results.

RULE 5. Store Item in Well Ventilated Area Indoors During Drying Time

Between each coat of primer or paint, I brought the lamps to my bathroom to dry. I opened the small window, turned on the ceiling fan, and closed the bathroom door. Basically, this sucked cold air from outside into my house and through the fan to the attic, creating airflow. The bathroom never got colder than 50 degrees, even with the window open and it being 25 degrees outside. 

RULE 6. Avoid the Spray Paint Smell in Your House

The majority of the smell is caused by actually spray painting (which is why you do that part outside). Since I closed the door to my well-ventilated room, the smell was contained to just the bathroom pretty well and went away as soon as the paint dried fully. If the smell is bothering you, just light a candle in the bathroom when you’re all finished, and the smell should be gone in about an hour. 

This is the way I spray paint in the winter! I’m happy to say the project was a success! The lamp bases are now painted and beautiful. I thought trying to spray paint in winter would yield bad results, but taking the rules into consideration I outlined above made the end result just the same as if I had painted in the summer. If you are too impatient to paint that picture frame, vase, or sign until it’s 50 degrees outside, follow my rules and you too can spray paint in winter!

Thanks for reading & happy spray painting! If you want to check out more of my outdoor projects, my blog post Build a Retaining Wall in One Day is a great place to start!