Weather figures from Redmond, near Bend
The weather figures on this page come from NOAA's engineering weather data for Redmond, near Bend. They describe Redmond, not a reading taken in Bend. Its data lists about 125 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year and a 100-year rainfall rate of 1.0 inch per hour.
The rainfall rate is a drainage design value. The freeze-thaw count is the one that matters most for paint on the outside of a house.
What freeze-thaw does to a paint job
A freeze-thaw cycle is a swing from above freezing to below and back. Each one is a chance for water that has crept into a crack to freeze, expand and pry the crack a little wider. About 125 of them in an average year at Redmond is a lot of prying.
Paint itself doesn't fail from the cold so much as from what the cold does to the surfaces under it:
- Caulk joints. Sealant at window casings, corner boards and trim ends stretches and shrinks with every swing. Old, hard caulk cracks, lets in meltwater and starts peeling around it.
- End grain. The cut ends of siding boards and trim soak up water fastest. Unsealed ends are where peeling usually starts.
- Horizontal surfaces. Window sills, the tops of fascia boards, railings and deck trim hold snow and meltwater longer than walls do.
- Wood that's already open. Any spot where paint has worn through lets water into the fiber, and the next freeze lifts more paint around it.
Preparation for a high-desert exterior
Because so much of the damage starts at joints and edges, the prep on a Bend exterior repaint deserves more attention than the topcoat. A thorough proposal includes:
- washing the walls and letting them dry fully;
- scraping every loose edge and sanding it smooth;
- priming bare wood, end grain included, with an exterior primer;
- removing failed caulk and replacing it with a flexible exterior sealant rated for movement;
- checking sills and the lowest courses of siding for soft wood before painting over them.
The exterior painting page covers each step in more depth, and the deck and fence staining page covers the horizontal wood that takes the most weather.
Picking the right days
Cold nights set the schedule more than daytime highs do. A paint can lists a minimum surface and air temperature, and the film needs that to hold while it cures, not only while it goes on. On the shoulder seasons, a warm afternoon can be followed by a freeze. Ask how the crew decides whether to paint on a given day, and whether they stop early so the last coat has time before dusk.
Lead and pre-1978 homes
EPA says approximately three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint, and that any renovation, repair or painting project in a pre-1978 home with lead-based paint can easily create dangerous lead dust.
That's a national figure, not a count of Bend homes. Still, if your house was built before 1978, plan the job as if old layers may contain lead until a test says otherwise. Dust from scraping and sanding is the main hazard, so ask how chips will be caught on the ground, how windows and doors near the work will be closed off, and how the crew cleans up each day.
What Oregon law says about contractors
Oregon law defines a contractor as anyone who, for compensation, undertakes to alter, repair, add to or improve a building or other improvement attached to real estate for another. The Construction Contractors Board issues the license and residential endorsements.
That's the statute's definition as written. The source linked on the fact card is the place to read the details.
Interior work in winter
When outside painting stops, the season for interior painting and cabinet painting opens. Heated, dry indoor air helps paint dry, though it also dries out wood trim, so small gaps at miter joints may need filling first. See our pricing guide for how proposals are put together.