When to paint a house exterior in Alpena, MI
When to paint in Alpena, MI
A normal season: plan the job, do not leave it late. The painting window is June to September, with 4 good months a year. The best month is July, at about 27 painting days. Book a painter by April.
If you want the house done in June to September, call for quotes in April or earlier; a job pushed past September is likely to wait until next year. For a deck, the months with enough staining days to spare are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- under 1Jan
- under 1Feb
- under 1Mar
- under 1Apr
- 7May
- 20Jun
- 27Jul
- 26Aug
- 18Sep
- 6Oct
- 1Nov
- under 1Dec
Month by month
| Month | Painting days | Staining days | With low-temp paint | Avg low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 19° / 29°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 17° / 31°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 25° / 37°F |
| April | under 1 | under 1 | 10 | 34° / 47°F |
| May | 7 | 7 | 23 | 46° / 60°F |
| June | 20 | 20 | 25 | 56° / 71°F |
| July | 27 | 27 | 28 | 63° / 77°F |
| August | 26 | 26 | 27 | 62° / 75°F |
| September | 18 | 18 | 23 | 56° / 69°F |
| October | 6 | 5 | 20 | 45° / 58°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 8 | 34° / 46°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 27° / 35°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 61 days a year here.
Towns near Alpena compared
6 get fewer, down to 48 a year. A gap like that between towns is usually elevation, a coast or a lake, which is why a painter from a few towns over can be on a different schedule.
| Place | From Alpena | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City, MI | 105 mi south | 68 | June to September | Mbs International Airport |
| Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 107 mi northwest | 48 | July to August | Sault Ste Marie Municipal/Sasn Fie |
| Midland, MI | 107 mi south | 68 | June to September | Mbs International Airport |
| Traverse City, MI | 108 mi west | 56 | July to August | Cherry Capital Airport |
| Cadillac, MI | 113 mi southwest | 56 | July to August | Cherry Capital Airport |
| Saginaw, MI | 117 mi south | 68 | June to September | Mbs International Airport |
How Alpena ranks in MI
Of 90 MI places with 10,000 people or more, Alpena (population 10,116, 90th largest) ranks 1st for painting days, 36 days above the state median of 70. No place in MI has a longer season. The shortest is Escanaba at 36. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 61 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Alpena (1.4 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.