It’s a common question that we get a lot – how long does it usually take for paint to dry? The answer is that it depends on the type of paint, the surface you are painting on, and how thick you coat the paint on. For the answer to the question of how long paint takes to dry on a wooden surface specifically, read on.
Generally, paint on wood (such as our DIY rustic night stand or DIY rustic counter height table plan), where the paint was layered on very thinly and even brushed off to create a rustic mix, the paint is dry in only an hour or two.
We have also painted some signage, where it was layered on a little thicker to the wood. This took a little longer, and I found that painting at night and letting it sit overnight was the best. To give an estimate, it probably was dry in about 4-5 hours.
One thing we always do is paint our DIY furniture or signs in the garage, crack open the garage door, and turn on two fans to circulate the air. This helps move the air around and helps the paint to dry faster.
We recommend reading the label on the paint can that you use to paint with to get a more clear estimate of how long it should take for the paint to dry.