The Painting Process: 5 Tips to Make Paint Dry Faster

Did you wait too long to paint the nursery room? Do you need to get a house ready to sell—and fast? House painting is a big job that takes a while to complete if you want it done correctly. If you find yourself short on time and need interior walls painted quickly, follow these tips to make paint dry faster. There may not be one way to dry a freshly painted room, but there are a few pointers to help move the process along. Check out the tips below!

Paint Like A Professional

Increase Air Flow

This may seem like an obvious tip, but it does wonders to speed up your painting process. Before you even start painting, make sure there is good, consistent air flow in the room. Make sure to keep that going after you’ve finished painting, too. Good air circulation will help dry all areas of a wall, rather than just one section. Turn on a couple fans and open the windows and doors—this adds some much-needed air movement and also ventilates the rooms to rid them of fumes.

Light Coats Only

We can’t stress this enough; applying light coats of paint is the holy grail to make paint dry faster. The thinner a coat is, the faster it will dry. People frequently try to get as much paint on as possible, thinking that it will speed up the painting process. Doing so, however, will actually impede your ability to continue painting. Thinner coats will  make your paint job look more uniform as well.

Paint One Wall at a Time

After you paint your first wall, move onto the next. In doing so, you’ll give each wall more time to dry and keep yourself occupied. It’s quite possible that once you’ve laid out the first coats on all the walls, the first wall will be ready for its second coat.

Use a 100% Water Based Non-VOC Paint

A 100% water based zero-VOC or a non-VOC paint will naturally dry faster than other paints. The minimal odor and lack of volatile compounds in these paints generally create a surface that dries quicker than those with strong odors and chemicals. Search for a paint like this at ECOS Paints; we can color-match to any other color and give you the shade you want in a non-VOC paint.

Decrease the Humidity

If you plan to paint in the summer or paint with the windows open, it’s important to stay aware of the humidity. When it’s humid in the summer, the paint will dry much slower. Painting with the doors closed can increase the humidity as well, so invest in a dehumidifier. If that’s not possible, try setting the air conditioning low, and if you cannot achieve that, then ensure there is constant air movement in the room with our first tip.