Do you get as excited as I do when I see that big brown UPS truck pull into your driveway? Or perhaps it is a white truck if having something delivered via FedX. But I know people who get especially excited when waiting for their Chalk Paint® order to arrive. And just like the Christmas decorations we are seeing at the mall….cold weather comes along with it!
The busiest shipping season is approaching!
In fact the busiest day of the year is less than a month a way. UPS, based in Atlanta, predicts that it will pick up more than 34 million packages on the busiest day, Monday, Dec. 16 and then deliveries will peak at 29 million the next day.
Just a couple reminders…if you are starting to plan a purchase…… do it sooner versus later during the holiday season. The Purple Painted Lady ships same day- but with added demand in the whole UPS system- typical UPS shipping times are increased during December. So, please do not procrastinate if in a hurry or have an upcoming project or deadline.
Also- regarding outdoor temperatures:
Keep in mind- any time you use a product- be it paint, hairspray, perfume…temperature and humidity can impact its performance. With it starting to be so COLD right now across North America- I would caution you to not paint in your garage or outside.
Paint should be stored between 55 and 85 degrees – with 70 degrees being perfect!
And when it comes to paint deliveries, do not worry about the paint shipping to you. We are professionals at The Purple Painted Lady and have been shipping Chalk Paint® for the last 4 winters perfectly!
Most importantly- be on the look out for your delivered package! Try to not let it sit outside over night! If possible- have it shipped to your work address or to someone’s home that is home during the day.
If having it sent to your house and you will be at work till 5pm, as soon as you get home- if a box was left for you outside on a porch or garage………..get it in to room temperatures ASAP.
Now…..do NOT panic! Give your product a good 24 hours to get acclimated to room temperatures before opening or shaking. Patience is a virtue here and allow the product to truly get to room temperature on its own.
Heat and cold can effect products. For example- in heat- one of the components of Annie’s wax and Miss Mustard Seed’s wax is bee’s wax. Bee’s wax has a relatively LOW melting point range of 144 to 147 °F. I have never done a study- but the back of the big brown UPS trucks are not air conditioned and I am sure they can get pretty warm over summer! So, when it is hot- do not try to expedite the process of the wax by placing it in the freezer.
Or- now that it is cold….. do not try to expedite the process by heating up products somehow. Be patient and allow it to get to room temperature naturally!
When it comes to painting in extreme temperatures – it will effect your outcome. Make sure your paint products and the piece you are painting are at room temperature and are going to stay at that temperature through out your process! I will receive calls from customers saying that they have a heater in their garage and turned it on while painting. Then the next day when they looked at their piece there was an issue. I always ask- did you turn the heater off? They answer yes- meaning the temperature dropped back down – and so did the temperature of the piece of furniture they were painting.
When the temperatures are high, it causes the water in the paint to evaporate too quickly. This can lead to a “crackle” like finish on parts of your piece. That could be great, if you want your piece to have a crackle finish…but terrible, if that is not the end result you were looking for. Sometimes, crackle can happen if the paint was applied a little too thick. If that happens, try using a 400 grit sandpaper and lightly sand the dried paint. I have found that I can “polish” the paint and the fines cracks disappear.
TEMPERATURES TO PAINT IN:
You want to paint and wax your pieces in ambient temperature. Ideally- above 60 degrees and below 80! That range could vary between 55 – 85 degrees…BUT……at the lowest and highest end of that range- you still need to be cautious. If too cold- it can cause your paint to crack and peel….and with HOT temps, cracking can be an issue also- not to mention your paint drying to fast before you manipulated it.
Also, as you may be aware- Chalk Paint® is a bit thicker in comparison to some paints. You do not want your paint to become thicker in the quart due to it drying or water evaporating when hot outside. If for some reason – this does happen. Add a small amount of water and incorporate totally to determine if more is needed. You can always add more water, but if you add too much- you are stuck. : ) So keep this in mind when painting and the phone rings. Cover your paint before getting lost in a 30 minute phone conversation.
I like to share with my female customers in my NY store, if you leave hairspray in your car over night in the winter when we can have temperatures in the teen’s here, you would not expect it to perform. Paint and wax are no exception.
When waxing a piece of furniture- please do that in an area that the temperature will allow the wax to dry and harden.
I recently received this message via my business Facebook page from Marci Jo about Chalk Paint® freezing:
HELP! my five cans if chalk paint were inadvertently left in my bag porch while moving stuff around in my dining room. They froze last evening!!!!!!!! Will they be ok? I’m sure not….. I’m devastated….
My response to her was this:
Your paint SHOULD be ok…. The Chalk Paint® should be able to go through a couple freeze cycles- but there is NO guarantee on this and you want to avoid this if all possible. I suggest that you bring them inside- which I am sure you did already. Give them a few days to get back to room temperature on their own. (meaning do not try to heat them up to expedite the process) Then shake the can and open. Chalk Paint® can with stand some temperature abuse, but not repeated and there is no guarantee on performance long term when it is not kept or used at conditions required.
Thanks all and I hope you are staying warm!!!!!
Please visit our website if interested in ordering Chalk Paint®. We have it available for $34.95 per quart, we offer low/flat rate shipping and it always ships same day (as long as Pete, our UPS guy has not come already!)
In fact- there are many reasons we think buying through us is the best. Read THIS little post about what sets The Purple Painted Lady apart from the rest.
To visit our on-line store- click HERE.
Lastly, we share a lot more information to help you get the most functionality out of your Chalk Paint® on our Facebook page. Consider checking it out by clicking HERE. While there- kindly consider LIKING us.
Thanks again,
Tricia Migliore Kuntz ~The Purple Painted Lady ~
Design/Consulting, Kitchen Cabinet Refurbishing, Custom Painted Furniture, Chalk Paint® & Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Retailer & herRochester Blogger
PHONE: 585-750-6056
Come visit us:
At our MAIN STORE at 77 West Main Street in Macedon, NY 14502 OR
3200 West Ridge Road in Rochester, NY 14626 (The Shops On West Ridge) OR
Our Syracuse, NY location as of July 1, 2014 at 1 West Genesee Street, Baldwinsville, NY 13027
Click HERE for Store hours and information.
