Who doesn’t love to paint their houses with enamel paint, right? It provides a smooth, glossy, and uniformly finished surface. In addition, this paint can be applied to most surfaces.
The enamel paint dries faster than most other types of paint. So, you might be wondering how long enamel paint takes to dry. You might also want to know how to make the enamel paint dry faster. Let’s find the answers to all your queries about the drying time of enamel paint.
Enamel paint drying time
The enamel paint usually takes around two to six hours to dry. However, oil-based enamel paint requires almost 12 hours to dry. Then again, the water-based enamel paint dries within 4 hours. The oil-based paint takes more time to dry because the oil in the paint requires more time to evaporate.
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The time that an enamel paint will take to dry will vary depending on the type of paint. In general, the enamel paint dries within two to six hours of painting.
However, the longest an enamel paint takes to dry is 12 hours and the oil paint takes such a long time to dry off. The oil paint takes such a long time as oil takes longer to evaporate compared to other liquids.
The water-based enamel paint dries in the shortest period of time. It dries off only 4 hours after applying the paint.
The epoxy enamel paint, gloss enamel paint, and alkyd enamel paint dries in a certain period of time. You can however speed up the drying time of the enamel paint.
Let’s take a look at how long different types of enamel paint take to dry.
Oil-based enamel paint:
The oil based enamel paint takes almost 12 hours to completely dry off. As the name depicts, the oil based enamel paint contains oil in it, which makes the paint glossy and shiny.
Oil is heavier than water, and as a result it takes longer to evaporate. The oil in the oil based enamel paints’ coating requires a long period of time to evaporate. As a result, normally the oil based enamel paint takes a long period of time to evaporate.
The oil based enamel paint will enhance the aesthetics of your house as it is shinier than other paints. However, the longer drying time can be an issue. You can make the drying process faster quite effectively by using a dehumidifier and a heater.
Water-based enamel paint:
The water based enamel paint dries comparatively faster than other types of enamel paint. The water-based enamel paint usually takes 4 hours to dry off completely after the paint is applied.
It dries faster than other types of paints due to the fact that the water in the coating of the water-based enamel paint evaporates very quickly. Immediately after the water evaporates, the paint permanently sticks to the wall and doesn’t remain wet anymore.
Although the water based enamel paint takes a very short period of time to dry, you can make the drying process even faster. You can use any sort of dryer or dehumidifier to dry the paint faster.
Epoxy enamel paint:
The epoxy enamel paint usually takes around four hours to completely dry off. This type of enamel paint dries quite faster than other types of paint. Although it becomes dry in just 4 hours, you will have to wait for 24 hours to recoat over the paint.
If you recoat the paint before 24 hours, the paint won’t stick to the wall properly. In addition, the finishing of the paint will be non uniform and dull.
Alkyd enamel paint:
The Alkyd enamel paint usually becomes completely dry, perfect to touch after 6 to 8 hours of applying the paint. You can recoat the Alkyd enamel paint after 16 hours of painting.
Compared to other enamel paints that offer this type of workability and gloss, the drying time of Alkyd enamel paint is fairly quick. It will provide a very good gloss and shine, along with good weather resistance.
Gloss enamel paint:
The gloss enamel paint is one of the fastest drying enamel paints available on the market. Mostly the gloss enamel paint takes 2 to 6 hours to completely dry off. In addition, you can recoat this enamel paint within 12 hours of applying the paint.
How long does enamel paint take to dry on metal and plastic?
The drying time of the enamel paint varies depending on the type of paint itself. However, it also depends on the material on which the paint is being applied.
The enamel paint can be applied on wood, plastic, metal, copper, glass, and even walls. This paint goes very well on surfaces that need to be washed on a regular basis as it is moisture resistant.
You might be wondering how long the enamel paint takes to dry on metal and plastic surfaces. Let’s take a look at how long the enamel paint will take to completely set on plastic and metal.
On metal:
The enamel paint takes around 6 to 12 hours to completely set on a metal surface. The drying time on the metal surface is somewhat higher than on other surfaces as there are not enough pores on the metal surface for the paint to set very fast. The evaporation rate on the metal surface will also be high for the enamel paint, causing a delay in the drying process.
On plastic:
On average, the enamel paint takes six hours to dry on the plastic surfaces. However, if you spray paint the enamel paint on the plastic surface, it will take only an hour or so to dry off.
| Enamel paints | Drying time |
|---|---|
| Humbrol enamel paint | 2 hours |
| Testor enamel paint | 3 hours |
| Tamiya enamel paint | 30 minutes |
| Testors enamel paint | 6 hours |
| Revell enamel paint | 2 to 3 hours |
| Dulux enamel paint | 12 hours |
How long does enamel paint take to cure?
The time a paint needs to cure basically means that after how long the paint becomes completely hard and sticks perfectly to the surface. The curing time of the enamel paint is quite low.
In general enamel paint takes around 24 hours to cure. However, the oil-based enamel paint needs approximately 3 days to completely cure.
How to make enamel paint dry faster?
Making the enamel paint dry faster is not as complicated as it may seem to you at first. The process is quite simple and effortless if you can do it in the right way. However, you will have to be extra cautious while applying the methods if you don’t want to damage the finishing of the surface.
Let’s find out how you can make enamel paint dry faster.
Use a dehumidifier:
If the humidity in the room is low, the evaporation rate will become high as air will consume more water particles. The drying process of the enamel paint can be made faster by reducing the humidity in the room by using a dehumidifier.
You can turn on the dehumidifier within 30 minutes of applying the paint. You should keep the humidity level setting in between 40 to 50 percent to make the enamel paint dry properly in a short period of time. If you reduce the humidity in the room massively, the paint won’t set properly and the finishing will become rough.
Use a hair dryer:
This method of drying the enamel paint faster can be a bit hectic as you will have to hold the dryer over the paint for a significant period of time. However, it is a very simple and effective way to make the paint dry faster.
When you hold the dryer make sure to hover it across the entire coating so that the finishing remains uniform. Make sure to hold the hair dryer from a proper distance so that the heat doesn’t melt the paint.
Use Japan drier:
The Japan drier contains metallic salt, and naphtha that increases the oxidation in paint, causing it to dry faster. You can use the Japan dryer while applying the enamel paint coating to make it dry faster than usual. After ap[plying the coat and Japan drier, make sure to maintain the proper air circulation in the room.
Final Thoughts
The enamel paint takes around six hours to dry on a surface on average. The drying time varies depending on the type of enamel paint and the painted surface. The oil paint takes the most time to dry, which is 12 hours. You can however make the drying process faster in various effective ways.