Polyurethane dry time cold weather. Instead of 2 full strength coats or three 67 coats you now need 4 50 coats to get the same amount of solids on your piece each requiring a 12 hour re coat time. Cold weather slows the drying time of both alkydoil and water based paints. How to make urethane dry quicker. I know that it takes longer to cure when its cold but is there any downside other than that.
Both water based and oil based products give off strong fumes as they dry although oil based is decidedly worse so proper ventilation is a must. Painters have added penetrol a widely available additive to oil paint for decades to reduce drag and brush marking especially when painting in hot or cold weather or in sunlight. But remember that thinned finish means more coats to build up the film and longer dry time means the possibility of more dust on the wet and tacky surface. But until recently i had never seen penetrol recommended for use in polyurethane which is usually applied indoors in more ambient working conditions and brushes easily without drag.
Polyurethane takes hours not minutes to dry. Also thinning with mineral spirits does not make the poly dry faster. For example in hot weather you can thin a finish to allow greater time for flow out and prevent brush marks. Outside temperature is almost 45 degrees in the garage its a little warmer but i have no space heater.
Why does minwax fast drying polyurethane sometimes take longer to dry than the instructions indicate. For example at an ideal temperature of 75 degrees f you can usually recoat after four hours. Step 2 take the item youre finishing into a warmer area to apply the polyurethane which you can do with movable items such as outdoor furniture. Is there any such thing as too cold for applying polyurethane.
When humidity is high temperature is low or coats are thick it takes longer for the film to dry. It follows that a common problem for everyone from. But when the temperature is about 50 degrees f the recoat time may be extended to six hours. In fact it might be working against you.
Take charge of the weather by altering your finish or your choice of finish. In colder temperatures polyurethane tends to dry more slowly which can cause a whitish film to develop. Polyurethane during cold weather hey all i have a project to finish this week and were having cold weather for the next week. Urethane more often called polyurethane is one of the most popular wood sealants on the market today.