Heat and Paint Drying

Most recent answer: 02/10/2010

Q:
What is involved, chemically, for latex paint to dry, and why does it dry faster when the air temperature is hotter? I did the experiment and got these results, but I want to understand why heat affects my drying time. Thank you.
- GAGE (age 11)
JACKSONVILLE,FL,USA
A:
The hot air will also heat up the drying paint. The hotter something is, the more the molecules in it rattle around. The more the water molecules rattle around, the easier it is for them to break loose and get into the air. So hotter paint dries faster.

Mike W.

(published on 02/10/2010)