When to paint a house exterior in Richmond, VA
When to paint in Richmond, VA
A short season: book early and expect weather delays. The painting window is September, with 1 good month a year. The best month is September, at about 12 painting days. Book a painter by July.
If you want the house done in September, call for quotes in July 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 Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- under 1Jan
- 1Feb
- 3Mar
- 5Apr
- 10May
- 12Jun
- 5Jul
- 9Aug
- 12Sep
- 8Oct
- 2Nov
- under 1Dec
Month by month
| Month | Painting days | Staining days | With low-temp paint | Avg low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | under 1 | under 1 | 3 | 29° / 52°F |
| February | 1 | 1 | 4 | 31° / 57°F |
| March | 3 | 2 | 10 | 38° / 65°F |
| April | 5 | 5 | 15 | 46° / 75°F |
| May | 10 | 5 | 14 | 56° / 81°F |
| June | 12 | 9 | 12 | 64° / 88°F |
| July | 5 | 3 | 5 | 70° / 92°F |
| August | 9 | 5 | 9 | 68° / 90°F |
| September | 12 | 9 | 13 | 63° / 85°F |
| October | 8 | 8 | 19 | 51° / 75°F |
| November | 2 | 2 | 10 | 38° / 65°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 3 | 33° / 57°F |
Deck stain does best in June. Low-temperature paint adds about 51 days a year here.
Towns near Richmond compared
2 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Williamsburg (109 a year, 46 miles southeast); 3 get fewer, down to 62 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 Richmond | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Heights, VA | 19 mi south | 62 | June | Dinwiddie County Airport |
| Hopewell, VA | 19 mi southeast | 62 | June | Dinwiddie County Airport |
| Petersburg, VA | 23 mi south | 62 | June | Dinwiddie County Airport |
| Williamsburg, VA | 46 mi southeast | 109 | April to June | Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 53 mi north | 65 | June | Shannon Airport |
| Newport News, VA | 61 mi southeast | 79 | June | Nwpt News/Wimburg International Airport |
How Richmond ranks in VA
Of 39 VA places with 10,000 people or more, Richmond (population 233,655, 3rd largest) ranks 19th for painting days, 1 day above the state median of 65. The longest season in the state is Williamsburg, 109 days, 46 miles southeast. The shortest is Front Royal at 49. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 51 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Richmond International Airport (8.5 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.