When to paint a house exterior in Ottumwa, IA
When to paint in Ottumwa, IA
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
- 1Mar
- 3Apr
- 7May
- 14Jun
- 17Jul
- 17Aug
- 15Sep
- 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 | 17° / 33°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 18° / 39°F |
| March | 1 | 1 | 5 | 32° / 53°F |
| April | 3 | 3 | 12 | 40° / 64°F |
| May | 7 | 6 | 14 | 52° / 74°F |
| June | 14 | 11 | 15 | 63° / 85°F |
| July | 17 | 15 | 17 | 65° / 86°F |
| August | 17 | 15 | 17 | 63° / 84°F |
| September | 15 | 14 | 20 | 57° / 81°F |
| October | 5 | 5 | 16 | 44° / 66°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 7 | 32° / 52°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 24° / 41°F |
Deck stain does best in August. Low-temperature paint adds about 45 days a year here.
Towns near Ottumwa compared
1 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Newton (104 a year, 57 miles northwest); 2 get fewer, down to 68 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 Ottumwa | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa, IA | 22 mi northwest | 68 | July to September | Oskaloosa Municipal Airport |
| Pella, IA | 37 mi northwest | 68 | June to September | Pella Municipal Airport |
| Newton, IA | 57 mi northwest | 104 | May to September | Newton Municipal Airport |
| Kirksville, MO | 57 mi south | 80 | June to September | Kirksville Regional Airport |
| Coralville, IA | 63 mi northeast | 78 | June to September | Iowa City Municipal Airport |
| Iowa City, IA | 64 mi northeast | 78 | June to September | Iowa City Municipal Airport |
How Ottumwa ranks in IA
Of 41 IA places with 10,000 people or more, Ottumwa (population 25,648, 19th largest) ranks 7th for painting days, 8 days above the state median of 72. The longest season in the state is Council Bluffs, 118 days, 179 miles west. The shortest is Le Mars at 54. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 45 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Ottumwa Industrial Airport (6.1 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.