When to paint a house exterior in Ann Arbor, MI
When to paint in Ann Arbor, MI
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
- under 1Apr
- 5May
- 11Jun
- 13Jul
- 14Aug
- 7Sep
- 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 | 17° / 35°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 16° / 39°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 25° / 50°F |
| April | under 1 | under 1 | 6 | 34° / 61°F |
| May | 5 | 4 | 14 | 45° / 73°F |
| June | 11 | 9 | 19 | 53° / 82°F |
| July | 13 | 10 | 17 | 57° / 85°F |
| August | 14 | 8 | 20 | 55° / 84°F |
| September | 7 | 6 | 18 | 50° / 78°F |
| October | 3 | 3 | 10 | 40° / 65°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 3 | 29° / 51°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 23° / 41°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 56 days a year here.
Towns near Ann Arbor compared
6 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Wayne (75 a year, 18 miles east). 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 Ann Arbor | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti, MI | 6 mi east | 61 | July to September | Willow Run Airport |
| South Lyon, MI | 13 mi north | 61 | July to September | Willow Run Airport |
| Wayne, MI | 18 mi east | 75 | June to September | Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport |
| Westland, MI | 18 mi east | 75 | June to September | Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport |
| Novi, MI | 19 mi northeast | 69 | July to September | Oakland County. Intnl Airport |
| Romulus, MI | 19 mi east | 75 | June to September | Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport |
How Ann Arbor ranks in MI
Of 90 MI places with 10,000 people or more, Ann Arbor (population 122,925, 5th largest) ranks 87th for painting days, 16 days below the state median of 70. The longest season in the state is Alpena, 105 days, 194 miles north. The shortest is Escanaba at 36. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 56 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Ann Arbor Municipal Airport (3.7 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.