When to paint a house exterior in Elk River, MN
When to paint in Elk River, MN
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 17 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
- 1Apr
- 6May
- 12Jun
- 17Jul
- 17Aug
- 13Sep
- 4Oct
- 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 | 11° / 26°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 11° / 30°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 3 | 26° / 44°F |
| April | 1 | 1 | 9 | 36° / 57°F |
| May | 6 | 5 | 16 | 49° / 72°F |
| June | 12 | 9 | 14 | 60° / 83°F |
| July | 17 | 11 | 17 | 64° / 85°F |
| August | 17 | 10 | 17 | 62° / 82°F |
| September | 13 | 12 | 19 | 56° / 77°F |
| October | 4 | 4 | 14 | 41° / 60°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 6 | 29° / 45°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 18° / 32°F |
Deck stain does best in September. Low-temperature paint adds about 43 days a year here.
Towns near Elk River compared
3 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Otsego (78 a year, 5 miles southwest). 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. Ramsey, Rogers, Dayton are read from the same station as Elk River, so their numbers match; the real difference is the distance from that station.
| Place | From Elk River | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego, MN | 5 mi southwest | 78 | June to August | Maple Lake Municipal Airport |
| Ramsey, MN | 7 mi southeast | 71 | June to September | same station |
| Big Lake, MN | 9 mi west | 78 | June to August | Maple Lake Municipal Airport |
| Rogers, MN | 10 mi south | 71 | June to September | same station |
| Dayton, MN | 11 mi southeast | 71 | June to September | same station |
| St. Michael, MN | 11 mi southwest | 78 | June to August | Maple Lake Municipal Airport |
How Elk River ranks in MN
Of 103 MN places with 10,000 people or more, Elk River (population 27,606, 38th largest) ranks 69th for painting days, 1 day below the state median of 73. The longest season in the state is Owatonna, 100 days, 87 miles south. The shortest is Hibbing at 23. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 43 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Crystal Airport (21.4 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.