How Long Does Gloss Take To Dry? The Definitive Guide

Gloss paint serves a variety of purposes around a house. You can use it to give your kitchen cabinets and radiators a new lease of life, to revive the skirting boards and trims, or paint staircases and doors, to name just a few. Sometimes, you may even want to use it on walls. No matter the project, you might wonder how long it takes for gloss to dry so that you can calculate a project timeline. As you’d expect, it depends.

Oil-based gloss dries slowly, and it can take 16 hours or more for the surface to become recoatable. Water-based gloss dries much faster – you can generally apply a second coat after about six hours. However, these are averages. Environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, as well as the substrate, can influence the drying time.

How Long Does Gloss Paint Take To Dry?

When thinking about gloss, most people have the solvent-based variety in mind. So, are you wondering how long oil-based gloss takes to dry? Check out the table below to find the drying time for the most common gloss-painted surfaces.

Note: The figures above are estimates based on the average drying time from various brands. Your paint could dry faster or slower, depending on temperature, ventilation, humidity, and brand.

Wood

Oil-based gloss is generally used to paint wood and metal surfaces around the house. When using the same paint product for both wood and metal, you may notice that the paint applied to wood dries slightly faster.

This happens due to the material’s characteristics. Not only is wood warmer to the touch compared to metal, but some of the paint also soaks into the material. The thinner layer on top dries faster.

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In most cases, the painted surface will become dry to touch (you can touch it without staining yourself) in about four to six hours. However, you should wait for at least 16 hours before applying the new coat. Oil-gloss paint on wood cures (toughens and dries completely) in about five days.

Water-based gloss dries faster than oil-based gloss, but it has a longer curing time. Most water-based gloss paints touch dry in about two hours and can be repainted after about six hours. However, the paint cures in about 14 days.

Skirting boards

Skirting boards are generally made of wood or engineered wood, and the paint behaves in a similar fashion. You can expect it to touch dry in about four hours and recoat it after 16 hours.

Vinyl skirting boards should not be painted with gloss; however, exterior gloss could be a suitable finish if the surface is properly prepared. Expect similar drying and curing times to wood.

Radiators

As explained above, gloss takes slightly longer to dry on metal due to the colder material and its non-porous nature.

Most oil-based glosses on metal become touch dry in about six hours, but you should wait for at least 24 hours before recoating. Applying a new coat too soon can cause the undercoat to peel off, ruining your entire paint project.

This would lead to numerous problems in the long run, including the paint peeling off the radiator and foul odours due to the chemicals in the paint.

Walls

Oil-based gloss is not generally used on walls. In fact, most people use water-based emulsion with soft sheen finishes for walls in higher traffic or wet areas, such as the hallways, stairways, kitchens, and bathrooms.

If you aim for a full gloss finish, however, you can paint walls with gloss. The surface will generally become touch dry in about two to four hours. Wait for at least 16 hours before recoating, and allow seven days for the paint to fully cure.

Outside

Painting exterior surfaces isn’t that different from painting interior ones, but there are two huge factors you can’t control: temperature and moisture.

At optimal temperature (21°C), the drying and curing times of exterior gloss are similar to those of interior gloss products.

The paint will dry and cure faster in hot weather, but it can take much longer for it to dry and cure in temperatures lower than 15°C. The same applies to wet conditions, whether it’s rain or high humidity levels in the air.

Drying Times By Paint Brands

One of the main factors that influence gloss drying times is the product’s formulation. As a rule of thumb, you should always follow the instructions on the tin with regard to application, recoating, and curing. With this in mind, here are the drying times of common gloss paints from popular brands.

Dulux

Leyland

Crown

Sandtex

Sikkens

Armstead

Hammerite

Wilko

Gloss Paint Drying Time Factors

Gloss paint needs a lot of time to dry, but several factors can speed up (or slow down) the process.

Paint Type

The product’s formula is the main factor that impacts the paint’s drying time. Oil-based (or solvent-based) gloss dries slowly because it doesn’t evaporate when exposed to air. Instead of actually drying, these glosses harden through a process called polymerisation.

Polymerisation turns the paint film into a dry semi-solid that is tougher (albeit less flexible) than water-based paints. However, this process can be very slow, depending on the type of oil in the paint.

In most cases, the product will need at least 4-6 hours to become dry to the touch, and it will only become recoatable after 16-24 hours.

Water-based gloss dries through evaporation. The process is faster, and you can generally recoat after about six hours.

Temperature

Temperature is another crucial factor that impacts the drying time. Generally, any temperature between 15°C and 25°C is optimal for painting, but the ideal temperature for drying is 21°C. This is often hard to achieve unless you have an air conditioning system that allows you to maintain the temperature constant.

As you can imagine, lower temperatures cause the paint to dry slower, whereas higher ones accelerate the process.

However, you should avoid too cold or too hot temperatures (lower than 10°C or hotter than 25°C). In too cold weather, the gloss will simply take ages to dry. If it is too hot, the paint will dry too fast, and it can crack or peel off the substrate.

For this reason, it is crucial to turn off the radiators and let them cool down to room temperature before painting them.

Relative Humidity

The moisture in the air is another thing you should be aware of. For the best results, you should maintain the relative humidity between 40-50%. Too much moisture in the air can prevent the gloss (and any other paint, as a matter of fact) from drying, potentially spoiling your project.

Ventilation

Poor airflow is another thing that could make your gloss dry slower. For the best results, you should keep the windows and doors open.

Proper ventilation is not only important for drying gloss faster. Most gloss products are oil-based, and the solvents in these paints are toxic. In addition to wearing proper protective gear, including goggles and a respirator, you should also keep the windows and doors open to prevent an accumulation of noxious fumes inside the house.

If the room doesn’t have windows, use a fan or extractor fan to promote airflow and reduce the VOCs concentration in the air. You should also open the nearest window and leave all interior doors open.

Additives

A quick look on the market shows that similar products from different brands can have different drying times. The main cause for this is the product’s formulation.

The chemical composition of the gloss can determine how fast or slow it dries. Different brands may also use different kinds of drying oils.

Application

Something only a few people know is that your technique can also influence the drying time. Gloss paint should be applied in thin coats. Yet, many DIYers apply thicker coats to achieve better coverage.

This is detrimental, though. Two-coat paints require two coats because just one coat will unlikely provide perfect coverage, no matter how thick the layer. Applying an even coat is also challenging if the layer is too thick.

Not only will you waste paint, but the coat may take longer to dry, and you could spoil the entire job by applying the second coat on an undercoat that is still wet.

Substrate

Lastly, the substrate will also influence the drying time. As explained above, gloss dries faster on wood and plaster or plasterboard compared to metal. However, these differences are generally minimal. Thus, as long as you’re following the instructions on the tin and respect the temperature and humidity level limits, you can rest assured the paint will dry in the specified time.

Related Questions

Does high gloss paint take longer to dry?

Yes. High gloss paint takes longer to dry compared to water-based gloss because it is solvent-based. These products generally require 16-24 hours between the coats and about seven days to fully cure.

Why is my gloss paint still tacky?

Your gloss paint is still tacky because it hasn’t dried thoroughly. This can happen due to too cold or too warm temperature, an undercoat that didn’t dry properly before recoating, high relative humidity, or too thick layers of gloss.

To solve the problem, you should strip off the tacky gloss and follow the advice above for proper gloss paint application.

How can I get gloss to dry faster?

You can get gloss to dry faster by improving airflow and using a space heater to maintain the temperature constant – but not higher than 25°C. A dehumidifier can also help maintain the relative humidity low on rainy days.

To End

When using gloss, remember that optimal application conditions and technique are paramount; otherwise, the gloss may not dry or dry improperly, leading to cracking, peeling, and flaking. With this in mind, we hope that the average gloss paint drying times above can help you estimate the overall time required for your project.

Also read: Why does gloss paint go yellow?