When to paint a house exterior in Mason City, IA
When to paint in Mason City, IA
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 17 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
- 5May
- 11Jun
- 17Jul
- 14Aug
- 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 | 10° / 26°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 11° / 30°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 26° / 45°F |
| April | 1 | under 1 | 8 | 35° / 59°F |
| May | 5 | 3 | 13 | 48° / 72°F |
| June | 11 | 8 | 13 | 60° / 83°F |
| July | 17 | 13 | 17 | 61° / 83°F |
| August | 14 | 11 | 16 | 59° / 81°F |
| September | 9 | 8 | 18 | 53° / 78°F |
| October | 2 | 2 | 11 | 39° / 62°F |
| November | under 1 | under 1 | 4 | 27° / 46°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | under 1 | 18° / 34°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 43 days a year here.
Towns near Mason City compared
3 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Owatonna (100 a year, 65 miles north). 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 Mason City | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Lea, MN | 36 mi north | 99 | June to September | Austin Municipal Airport |
| Austin, MN | 38 mi north | 99 | June to September | Austin Municipal Airport |
| Waverly, IA | 47 mi southeast | 62 | July to August | Waterloo Municipal Airport |
| Cedar Falls, IA | 58 mi southeast | 62 | July to August | Waterloo Municipal Airport |
| Waterloo, IA | 62 mi southeast | 62 | July to August | Waterloo Municipal Airport |
| Owatonna, MN | 65 mi north | 100 | June to September | Dodge Center Airport |
How Mason City ranks in IA
Of 41 IA places with 10,000 people or more, Mason City (population 26,948, 18th largest) ranks 37th for painting days, 13 days below the state median of 72. The longest season in the state is Council Bluffs, 118 days, 189 miles southwest. The shortest is Le Mars at 54. 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 Mason City Municipal Airport (6.4 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.