There would be a lot of questions after using spray paint and probably you would be confused when to touch the surface.

And then the question pops up how long does spray paint take to dry. Well, it is the same thing as a question in everybody's mind.

Everyone wants to touch the surface after spraying. After all, you don't touch the wet painted and get messed up. And then again start from the fresh. it would be difficult.

Keeping that in mind, let's move on to the main point.

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 The Answer

In short, it depends on what type of paint you have used whether its latex or oil-based paint.

For the regular spray paint, it generally takes about 5-8 minutes to dry. It also depends on the temperature in your surroundings.

Because, if it's cloudy it might take probably longer than expected. If you are painting in mild 18 to 25-degree celsius then it might semi-dry in 5 minutes.

Another factor other than temperature is the thickness of the paint applied on the surface. Which also plays an important role.

It requires more time to fully dry the paint. Here are some examples of how long does paint take to dry on different surfaces.

Drying time taken on different surfaces

  1. If paint applies on plastic, it takes around 20-30 min to fully dry.
  2. For metal, it takes around 36-48 hours to dry completely.
  3. On wood, it takes around 10-15 min to dry.
There are many other factors also which may impact on the drying time. Here are some stages of drying time.

The different stages of dryness:

Stage 1: 

The first stage is called drying surface or surface dry, during this time paint solvent evaporates and the surface might look dry. But, when you touch it still feels sticky and might stick some dust particles.

Stage 2:

This stage is called touch dry. In this stage, paint becomes solid and harder and can be touched and the reason called touch dry.

Stage 3:

The third stage is Hard dry. It paints becomes fully solidified and becomes harder. If the surface is metal then you would see a shiny surface.

Stage 4:

This stage is the drying process. In this stage, the paint dries completely and is ready to use or you can touch.

Conclusion

This was the key point for how long does spray paint takes time to dry. It depends on the main two factors one is temperature and the other is the thickness of the paint.

For complete dryness wait a day or if you want to add an extra coat to the surface wait for 5 minutes and then go for adding.

So that was the end of the post. I hope this article helped you in understanding about the paints and their drying time.