I was all about tight deadlines until that mural job in Brooklyn changed my mind

I was painting a mural for a cafe in Williamsburg last month, and the owner kept rushing me to finish in 3 days... Then I saw the paint start peeling in the humidity on day 2. Now I always ask for at least 5 days on any outdoor project. Has anyone else run into weather issues like that on a creative job?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora73513d ago

I used to be all about getting things done fast too, but that mural in Brooklyn really opened my eyes. The humidity down there is no joke, I watched the paint start bubbling up on the second afternoon and just felt sick. The owner kept saying "it'll be fine" but I knew better, had to spend an extra day scraping and repainting just to make it right. Now I always check the weather for a full week ahead and build in a buffer day for drying time. It's not just about the paint itself but the surface prep too, like if it's too damp the primer won't stick right. That job taught me that rushing just creates more work later, I'd rather lose a couple days than have to redo the whole thing.

michaelcoleman13d ago

Yeah that Brooklyn humidity is a beast, I've had similar trouble with exterior jobs near the waterfront there. The thing that saved me was switching to a higher grade exterior primer that's designed for damp conditions, costs more upfront but saves the headaches down the line. Also learned the hard way that you gotta really check the substrate before you even start, sometimes the wall itself is holding moisture from a whole week of rain and no amount of waiting will fix that. Building in that buffer day is solid advice, I always tell people to plan for at least one extra day of drying time per coat when the dew point is anywhere near the surface temp. Lot of guys skip the prep steps thinking they're saving time but they end up eating a whole weekend fixing their own mistakes.