When to paint a house exterior in Altoona, PA
When to paint in Altoona, PA
A short season: book early and expect weather delays. The painting window is July to August, with 2 good months a year. The best month is August, at about 14 painting days. Book a painter by May.
If you want the house done in July to August, call for quotes in May or earlier; a job pushed past August is likely to wait until next year. For a deck, the months with enough staining days to spare are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- under 1Jan
- under 1Feb
- under 1Mar
- 1Apr
- 7May
- 12Jun
- 13Jul
- 14Aug
- 8Sep
- 3Oct
- 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 | 21° / 39°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 23° / 44°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 4 | 30° / 53°F |
| April | 1 | 1 | 8 | 39° / 64°F |
| May | 7 | 5 | 14 | 50° / 74°F |
| June | 12 | 8 | 15 | 57° / 81°F |
| July | 13 | 8 | 14 | 61° / 85°F |
| August | 14 | 7 | 16 | 60° / 83°F |
| September | 8 | 6 | 16 | 54° / 78°F |
| October | 3 | 3 | 14 | 44° / 67°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 6 | 33° / 55°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 27° / 44°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 49 days a year here.
Towns near Altoona compared
5 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Indiana (109 a year, 40 miles west); 1 gets fewer, down to 46 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 Altoona | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstown, PA | 30 mi southwest | 68 | July to September | J Murtha Jtwn-Cmbra County Airport |
| State College, PA | 35 mi northeast | 46 | July to August | Clearfield-Lawrence Airport |
| Indiana, PA | 40 mi west | 109 | May to September | Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart |
| Chambersburg, PA | 56 mi southeast | 73 | August to September | Hgrtwn Rgnl-R.Hnson Field Airport |
| Greensburg, PA | 62 mi west | 79 | June to September | Allegheny County Airport |
| Cumberland, MD | 62 mi south | 84 | June to September | Greater Cumberland Regional A |
How Altoona ranks in PA
Of 68 PA places with 10,000 people or more, Altoona (population 42,719, 12th largest) ranks 63rd for painting days, 5 days below the state median of 65. The longest season in the state is Indiana, 109 days, 40 miles west. The shortest is St. Marys at 39. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 49 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Altoona-Blair County Airport (15.3 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.