When to paint a house exterior in Detroit Lakes, MN
When to paint in Detroit Lakes, MN
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 July, at about 16 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 Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- under 1Jan
- under 1Feb
- under 1Mar
- 1Apr
- 4May
- 11Jun
- 16Jul
- 15Aug
- 9Sep
- 2Oct
- under 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 | 2° / 21°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 1° / 24°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 18° / 39°F |
| April | 1 | under 1 | 5 | 30° / 52°F |
| May | 4 | 3 | 15 | 44° / 69°F |
| June | 11 | 6 | 15 | 55° / 79°F |
| July | 16 | 11 | 18 | 59° / 82°F |
| August | 15 | 11 | 18 | 57° / 79°F |
| September | 9 | 8 | 18 | 51° / 73°F |
| October | 2 | 2 | 10 | 36° / 56°F |
| November | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 23° / 39°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 10° / 26°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 44 days a year here.
Towns near Detroit Lakes compared
2 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Fergus Falls (72 a year, 38 miles south). 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. Bemidji is read from the same station as Detroit Lakes, so its numbers match; the real difference is the distance from that station.
| Place | From Detroit Lakes | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus Falls, MN | 38 mi south | 72 | June to September | Chandler Field Airport |
| Moorhead, MN | 43 mi west | 57 | July to August | Hector International Airport |
| Fargo, ND | 47 mi west | 57 | July to August | Hector International Airport |
| West Fargo, ND | 50 mi west | 57 | July to August | Hector International Airport |
| Bemidji, MN | 65 mi northeast | 58 | July to August | same station |
| Alexandria, MN | 68 mi south | 72 | June to September | Chandler Field Airport |
How Detroit Lakes ranks in MN
Of 103 MN places with 10,000 people or more, Detroit Lakes (population 10,033, 103rd largest) ranks 97th for painting days, 15 days below the state median of 73. The longest season in the state is Owatonna, 100 days, 226 miles southeast. The shortest is Hibbing at 23. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 44 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Pk Rpds Municipal-Konshok Fd Airport (37.4 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.