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threedgrad

Watching paint dry - how long for paint to cure?

threedgrad
16 years ago

Have you all found it is safe to hang pictures (or place items on top of freshly painted walls) after 24 hours? Can it be done sooner or is it best to wait a longer time?

The EK color Taupe is a bit darker in person than this photo shows but I must say the color goes perfectly with the floor tile. And it is neutral enough for even a rental house.

Comments (4)

  • canobeans
    16 years ago

    I think it's technically 28 days until the paint is fully cured. My DH would tell you to wait two weeks. But all his paint tech knowledge is from when he used to paint houses fifteen years ago, and he'd be the first one to say paints have changed.

    I will usually rehang things after just a few days. Never as quick as 24 hours, too many prints stuck to walls to make that mistake again. It's sooo hard to be patient though!

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    16 years ago

    It depends;
    If you have new drywall, one coat of latex primer and two finish coats, I'd wait three days before applying pressure.
    If it's old plaster with oil primer and two finish coats, I'd wait no less than a week, b/c the paint in that case has to dry from the outside - in. On new drywall it dries in both directions, so to speak.
    28 day cure is usually for concrete design strength; I can imagine conditions under which some paint jobs which may not be fully cured in 4 weeks.
    Casey

  • graywings123
    16 years ago

    Can't help with the answer, but just wanted to say I like the photo you snapped. Maybe you weren't even trying, but it is artsy - the dog, the red bucket and the picture with the spot of red in it.

  • threedgrad
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thank you everyone!

    And gray, thank you. Actually, I was going to wait to take a picture of the new wall color but as I was sitting on the sofa I noticed that the red bucket with gary and white mop picked up the colors of the art piece. And so I went to get my camera. Jusr when I was ready to take the picture my black and white Border Collie laid down at his gray silver bowl to eat. And so now, the black was repeated and ancored at the mid bottom as well as at the mid top. (God always creates such perfect scenes for us to capture.) It was only after I loaded the picture up on photobucket that I realized that even the curve of the cord (which will be covered) was repeated in the curve of the alignment of the art, bucket and dog. Wow! How cool is that! Thanks again.

    Oh, well. Glad you told me about not putting up the art right away. Paint seems to dry here pretty quickly since I am in the desert.

    I ended up adding a small amount of Taupe to my EK Adobe gallon of paint for the accent walls(s). For some reason - the Adobe was reading a bit green next to the Taupe which of course has more red in it. So now the new improved Adobe color is very, very nice with the Taupe on the main walls.