Whose weather figures these are
NOAA doesn't publish engineering weather data under Decatur's name. The station it does publish is Huntsville/Madison, about 15 miles from Decatur, so every figure on this page is that station's, not a Decatur reading.
In an average year at Huntsville/Madison, NOAA counts about 935 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 2,509 hours above 67°F. NOAA's engineering weather data for Huntsville/Madison also lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.5 inches per hour and about 40 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
In general terms, the wet-bulb hours bear on how fast coatings dry, the rainfall rate on how hard water tests every seam, and the freeze-thaw count on how often water caught in a crack freezes and widens it. The rest of this page takes the house one surface at a time.
Wood and fiber-cement siding
Siding is where most exterior budgets go. The steps that matter most are washing off dirt and mildew, scraping loose paint, priming bare wood, and replacing cracked caulk at corners, butt joints and trim. On lap siding, the bottom edge of each board is easy to miss and is where water wicks in; ask whether the crew paints those edges.
Fiber-cement boards usually arrive primed or prefinished. When they're repainted, the cut ends, nail heads and the joints between boards deserve the attention.
Brick and other masonry
Painted brick is a commitment: once it's painted, it generally stays painted. Masonry holds moisture, and a coating that traps it can blister or flake. Ask whether the painter proposes a breathable masonry product, how the surface will be cleaned first, and whether loose mortar needs repair before anything is applied. Unpainted brick in sound condition may not need paint at all, and a good painter will say so.
Porch floors and steps
Porch floors and steps take foot traffic, standing water and freezing nights all at once. A floor-rated enamel or porch paint is made for wear; wall paint is not. Prep usually means sanding glossy areas, filling cracks and making sure the boards are dry. Many painters can add a fine grit to the last coat on steps for footing. Ask if that's an option.
Fences
A fence has two faces, posts, rails and a great deal of edge. Spraying is fast but can drift onto plants, cars and the neighbor's yard; brushing and rolling is slower but contained. Ask which method the crew plans, whether both faces are included, and whether the bottoms of pickets near the soil get attention. Our page on deck and fence staining compares stain types.
Interior walls and ceilings
Inside, drying is easier to control. Air conditioning in warm months pulls moisture from the air and helps paint dry evenly. Bathrooms and kitchens produce moisture of their own, so a scrubbable finish helps there. Ceilings are slower to paint than walls, and stains from old leaks need a stain-blocking primer or they bleed through the new color. See our interior painting page for the usual sequence.
Trim, doors and windows
Trim is brushed by hand and takes far longer than its area suggests. Window sashes need to be painted so they still open, and doors need to dry before they're closed against their stops. Glossier finishes on trim stand up to hands and cleaning; our guide to paint sheens and finishes explains the choices.
Questions for a Decatur painter
- Which surfaces are in the proposal, and which are left out?
- What primer and topcoat do you plan for each surface?
- How will you handle brick or other masonry, if any?
- Will you spray, and how will drift be controlled?
- How do you schedule around rain and slow-drying days?