Is Winter a Good Time to Paint Inside Your House?

Yes. Winter is one of the best times of year to paint the inside of a house. Heated indoor air is dry, and paint dries better when humidity is low. Exterior painting is done for the season, and the slower months give you time to live with a color before you commit to the whole room.

We paint year-round, but winter is when interior work makes the most sense. Here's why, and what to plan for.

Why is winter a good time to paint inside?

Winter is a good time to paint inside because the air in a heated house is dry. Benjamin Moore recommends painting when humidity is as low as possible, and notes that paint can dry improperly when humidity is too high. A damp August afternoon in New Jersey is the opposite of what paint wants.

The calendar helps too. Exterior painting in our area mostly happens from April to June and again in September. Once it gets cold, the inside of the house gets its turn.

How do you pick a paint color without rushing it?

The best way to choose an interior paint color is to put samples on the wall and look at them for a few weeks, at different times of day. A color that looks right at noon can turn gray and flat at 4:30 on a December afternoon.

This is where being in the house regularly makes a real difference. Because we visit our clients' homes on a schedule, picking a color becomes an ongoing conversation instead of a deadline. We paint a few test patches, then look at them together on our next visit. By then the homeowner has walked past them every day for weeks, and the right one is usually obvious.

A few habits that make samples worth the trouble:

• Paint each sample at least the size of a sheet of paper. Small swatches mislead.
• Put samples on more than one wall. A wall next to a window and a wall facing away from it show the same paint differently.
• Look at them in daylight and again at night with the lamps on.
• Write the color name and number in pencil beside each patch so nobody has to guess later.

If someone still isn't sure, we'll sometimes paint one wall or one section of the room first and let them live with it before doing the rest. Interior painting is one of the jobs we run as a Steward Project for home repairs and painting: assessed, quoted in writing and approved before anything starts.

Our guide to what proper painting prep looks like covers lead-safe prep in more detail.

Should you paint before the holidays or after New Year's?

Both work. The right choice depends on how much time you have to settle on a color.

If you're hosting for Thanksgiving or the December holidays, start the color conversation now. The painting itself is usually the quick part. Choosing the color is what takes time, and samples need a few weeks on the wall.

If the fall is already full, January is a clean slate. The decorations are down, the guests have gone home and the house is quiet. A freshly painted room is a good way to start the year.

Can you have rooms painted while you're away for the winter?

Yes, and an empty house is the easiest house to paint. There's no furniture shuffling around daily life and nobody living with the smell. If you spend part of the winter in Florida or on ski trips, the work can happen while you're gone, with someone checking on it along the way. For clients who already use our home watch service while they're away, the same visits keep an eye on the painting.

One thing to change before you leave is the thermostat. Many people turn the heat down when they go away. Paint needs normal room temperature to dry well, so keep the heat at its usual setting while the work is going on.

For everything else to do before you leave, see our guide to winterizing your house.

What should you watch for when painting in winter?

Interior painting in winter needs a little planning around heat, fresh air and where the paint is kept.

• Keep the heat on. Benjamin Moore suggests painting between 35°F and 100°F, with 77°F as ideal, and says each product's label lists its own range.
• Bring the paint inside. A can left in a cold garage stays cold for a while. Benjamin Moore suggests bringing it indoors overnight to warm up before use. Keep leftover touch-up paint inside the house too.
• Plan for fresh air. Windows stay shut in January. Ask for a low-odor paint, run the bathroom and kitchen fans, and open a window for a while on milder days.

Does an older house change the plan?

An older house changes the plan if it was built before 1978, because older paint layers may contain lead. Plenty of houses in Summit, Chatham, Short Hills and Millburn are that old. The EPA requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home to be certified in lead-safe work practices. Sanding and scraping count. Ask any painter for proof of that certification before the work starts.

What if you're working with an interior designer?

If you're working with an interior designer, the painting should follow their plan, not compete with it. When our clients have a designer, we work alongside them. The designer chooses the colors and finishes. We make sure the painting happens the way they planned it and keep everyone updated each week.

When to call a professional

Most interior painting is straightforward, but some situations need a professional before a brush comes out:

• Your house was built before 1978 and the job involves sanding or scraping old paint.
• The walls go higher than a six-foot ladder. Stairwells, two-story foyers and tall ceilings need proper equipment. We don't work above a six-foot ladder ourselves, and we bring in a painter who does.
• A crack keeps coming back after it's been patched, or a stain shows through fresh paint. Those are symptoms of something behind the wall, often moisture or movement, and the cause needs looking at first.
• Paint is peeling in a bathroom or around a window. That's often moisture too. Repainting over it won't last.
• A light fixture has to come down to paint the ceiling. That's a job for a licensed electrician. We're not licensed for electrical, and we'd rather bring someone who is.

If you'd like one person to handle the samples, the painters and the schedule, that's how we run interior painting projects.

Frequently asked questions

How long does interior paint take to dry in winter?

Drying time depends on the paint and the conditions in the room. Cold air slows drying, and high humidity can stop paint from drying properly, so a warm, heated house in winter is a good place to paint. The dry time and recoat time for each product are printed on the can.

Should I keep the heat on while rooms are being painted?

Yes. Keep the thermostat at your normal living temperature while the work is going on, even if you're away. A vacation setting may leave a room too cold for the paint to dry well.

How long should I live with a paint sample before deciding?

A few weeks is ideal. That gives you sunny days, gray days and evenings with the lamps on. If you're still unsure, paint one wall and live with it before committing to the whole room.

Can you paint with the windows closed in winter?

Yes, as long as you plan some fresh air. Use a low-odor paint, run the bathroom and kitchen fans, and open a window for a while when the weather allows.

If you'd rather someone else kept track of the samples, the painters and the timing, that's what we do.

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The Home Steward is a home management service based in Summit, New Jersey, run by Sebastian and Kory, caring for homes in Summit, Chatham, Short Hills and Millburn.