When to paint a house exterior in Dunkirk, NY
When to paint in Dunkirk, NY
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 18 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
- 1Mar
- 1Apr
- 7May
- 13Jun
- 18Jul
- 18Aug
- 13Sep
- 5Oct
- 1Nov
- under 1Dec
Month by month
| Month | Painting days | Staining days | With low-temp paint | Avg low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 21° / 37°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 20° / 40°F |
| March | 1 | 1 | 3 | 27° / 47°F |
| April | 1 | 1 | 6 | 36° / 58°F |
| May | 7 | 5 | 17 | 47° / 71°F |
| June | 13 | 11 | 18 | 56° / 79°F |
| July | 18 | 11 | 19 | 62° / 83°F |
| August | 18 | 14 | 18 | 61° / 82°F |
| September | 13 | 10 | 18 | 55° / 77°F |
| October | 5 | 4 | 13 | 46° / 66°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 7 | 35° / 53°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 29° / 44°F |
Deck stain does best in August. Low-temperature paint adds about 49 days a year here.
Towns near Dunkirk compared
1 gets fewer, down to 61 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 Dunkirk | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown, NY | 27 mi south | 61 | July to August | Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport |
| Lackawanna, NY | 35 mi northeast | 76 | June to September | Buffalo Niagara International |
| Buffalo, NY | 37 mi northeast | 76 | June to September | Buffalo Niagara International |
| Kenmore, NY | 41 mi northeast | 76 | June to September | Buffalo Niagara International |
| Tonawanda, NY | 43 mi northeast | 75 | June to September | Niagara Falls International Airport |
| Depew, NY | 44 mi northeast | 76 | June to September | Buffalo Niagara International |
How Dunkirk ranks in NY
Of 90 NY places with 10,000 people or more, Dunkirk (population 12,379, 70th largest) ranks 26th for painting days, 5 days above the state median of 70. The longest season in the state is Kingston, 96 days, 276 miles east. The shortest is Olean 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 Chautauqua County/Dunkirk Airport (3.2 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.