Spray paint has effectively created its way into every facet of society, from street culture to lofty art and DIY projects to automotive ones. They have nourished all of us with a quick and effortless means of adorning our workpieces just by using a spray gun. These paints are available in a variety of types for different applications. However, the main thing to consider is the time spray paint takes to dry.
The use of this paint is surging at the moment due to more and more people began to use these paints for arts and crafts, home decor, and other custom paint jobs as well. One of the more familiar questions that people ask from time to time is based on how long spray paint takes to dry.
The answer to the question of timing for the paint to dry is difficult to provide based on distinctive surfaces however, thin coats of paint on metal can be dry to the touch after only ten minutes. But it can take more than 24 hours for the paint to fully dry and cure.
Let’s talk about spray paint shortly before moving further.
What Is Spray Paint?
Spray paint is an aerosol product that is designed to be dispensed as a fine mist. This painting spray is faster and provides a more uniform application as compared to conventional brush methods of painting. These paints are the best option for printing because they require minor effort and time to dry.
You can use the spray to paint on different surfaces and the most crucial factor after the application of paint is to wait until the paint gets dry. But people can not tell the exact time that this spray paint takes to dry. This means the dryness depends upon multiple factors. We will discuss all the factors in this article so that you can easily estimate how much time you have to wait.
Shall we start the discussion?
Factors that Affect the Time Of Spray Paint to Dry?
There are some factors that affect the time this paint takes to dry. So look at them to acknowledge how much time you need to prepare for the next things.
1. Temperature
The temperature is an important factor that affects the time taken for the paint to dry. The average temperature of these paints is usually between 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
But the time spray paint takes to dry if the temperature is high and you have to wait for more. It means that the hotter temperature is not good for drying this paint.
Similarly, too much colder temperatures are also not good for these paints to dry. This is because in cold temperatures spray paint can get freeze.
But there are fewer chances for this situation to use these sprays in normal temperatures to make sure you have to wait for less time.
2. Thickness
The second factor that affects the time that spray paint takes to dry is the thickness. These paints take more time to get dry if their layer is thicker.
The thickness of the paint depends on the quality of the material used for making it, including the ratio of solution of paint, water, and thinner.
3. Material
The drying time of these paints also depends on the material that you used for painting. You can spray paint on different materials. Let’s take a look at these materials.
The first material is metal. They have a non-porous surface so it is considered best because it dries quickly. This paint on the metal surface dries very quickly even in hot temperatures. You can take estimated 10 minutes to dry the paint.
The second material on which you can spray this paint is cardboard. It is a porous and spongy material therefore spray paint takes to dry more than 15 minutes. But you can reduce its drying time with the help of fans as their ventilation is important.
Glass is another option on which you can use paint. This is unique and distinctive material but it takes 15 minutes to dry if you spray the light layer of paint. But if you spray a thick layer then you have to wait for 24 hours for the application of the next coating.
The other material on this list is Rubber. It is an extremely porous material. That’s why it takes 24 hours to dry the spray paint. So do proper planning of time if you want to do multiple coats on this material.
4. Other Factors
The other factors that can affect the timing include humidity and the speed of the wind. If the wind is strong and effective then it will help to dry the paint in a short time.
But if the wind velocity is minimum then you should select another day for painting if you are not in hurry. Also with minor humidity paint will stay moist and take time to get dry.
Different Stages of Dryness
The coats of these paint have different drying stages. It is important to verify whether the base layer is ready for it or not before applying the next coat Let’s have a look at these stages one by one and check how long spray paint takes to dry on distinct surfaces.
1. Surface Dry
The spray paint contains multiple solvents and when the solvent gets dry then this stage is known as the surface dry. Make sure to apply the thin base layer first so that it gets dry in a short period of time. But take care of your hands because the layer can be sticky.
2. Touch Dry
From the term mentioned above, it is clear that you can touch the surface of the paint. But make sure you do not apply pressure on the layer. This is because your finger can break the layer and the paint can stick to your finger.
3. Hard Dry
This is the proceeding step towards the final and thorough dry layer of this paint. It is in the hard dry stage here, and spray paint takes to dry a bit more time. It means the paint gets dry completely but still, you can not put pressure on the layer.
Because the small pressure can leave your fingerprints on the layer of paint. But the paint is not much sticky so you don’t have to put any pressure to touch the paint.
4. Thorough Dry
In this stage, the paint dries completely and you can touch the layer of paint and put pressure on it if you want a surety. Here your fingerprints will not damage the layer and the paint will not stick to the finger. Here your job is done, congratulations.
Wrapping Up the Discussion!!!
This was all about the timings of dryness for spray paints. For multiple paint coatings, it is important to make sure that the first layer gets dry completely because if you paint on a wet surface the final outcome will not be clear and look messy.
So whenever you going to use these paints and you do not have time to wait then follow all the above factors of how long this spray paint takes to dry and save your time. Otherwise, spray paint on different materials according to requirement and pay waiting time while doing something creative. I hope this article will be a help to you during your project.
