When to paint a house exterior in State College, PA
When to paint in State College, PA
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 13 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
- 4May
- 7Jun
- 13Jul
- 12Aug
- 7Sep
- 1Oct
- 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 | 19° / 37°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 19° / 42°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 27° / 51°F |
| April | 1 | 1 | 6 | 36° / 63°F |
| May | 4 | 3 | 12 | 46° / 73°F |
| June | 7 | 6 | 13 | 54° / 80°F |
| July | 13 | 9 | 14 | 59° / 85°F |
| August | 12 | 7 | 15 | 58° / 83°F |
| September | 7 | 5 | 15 | 52° / 77°F |
| October | 1 | 1 | 8 | 41° / 66°F |
| November | under 1 | under 1 | 3 | 30° / 53°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 25° / 42°F |
Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 44 days a year here.
Towns near State College compared
5 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Chambersburg (73 a year, 60 miles south); 1 gets fewer, down to 39 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 State College | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona, PA | 35 mi southwest | 60 | July to August | Altoona-Blair County Airport |
| Williamsport, PA | 53 mi northeast | 58 | August | Williamsport Regional Airport |
| Carlisle, PA | 53 mi southeast | 63 | September | Capital City Airport |
| St. Marys, PA | 57 mi northwest | 39 | July to August | Bradford Regional Airport |
| Mechanicsburg, PA | 60 mi southeast | 63 | September | Capital City Airport |
| Chambersburg, PA | 60 mi south | 73 | August to September | Hgrtwn Rgnl-R.Hnson Field Airport |
How State College ranks in PA
Of 68 PA places with 10,000 people or more, State College (population 41,228, 13th largest) ranks 67th for painting days, 19 days below the state median of 65. The longest season in the state is Indiana, 109 days, 69 miles west. The shortest is St. Marys at 39. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 44 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Clearfield-Lawrence Airport (34 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.