The town and its weather data
The City of Grand Junction's water history says the town began to grow with the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad's main line in 1887; its first municipal water came from the Grand (Colorado) and Gunnison rivers, and the city later established a source on the Grand Mesa via Kannah Creek.
For weather, NOAA's engineering weather data for Grand Junction lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 1.5 inches per hour and about 95 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. The freeze-thaw count is the figure a painter should care about most.
What a freeze-thaw cycle does to a painted house
Each cycle takes the temperature from above freezing to below and back. On its own that is harmless. The damage comes when water has found its way into a crack, a joint or the end grain of a board. Water expands as it freezes, opens the gap a little wider, then thaws and soaks in a little further. Repeat that many times over a year and:
- caulk pulls away from trim and siding;
- paint cracks along joints and lifts at the edges;
- end grain on boards and sills checks and splits;
- small cracks in stucco and masonry widen;
- nail heads push out and rust through the paint.
Prep that answers it
The fix is to keep water out of the places where it does the damage. Before new paint goes on, expect the painter to:
- Cut out failed caulk and replace it with a flexible, paintable sealant rated for exterior movement.
- Seal end grain on trim, sills and the cut ends of siding with primer.
- Set and spot-prime nail heads so they don't rust through.
- Fill and bridge stucco cracks with a product made for masonry before painting.
- Prime bare wood the same day it's exposed, where the weather allows.
- Leave the drip edges and weep gaps open, so water that gets in can get out.
Paint over an open joint is cosmetic. It will crack again on the same line within a season or two, so ask exactly which joints will be opened and resealed.
Wind on the job
Wind matters on the day as well as over the years. It blows dust and grit into wet paint, dries the edge of a coat too fast, and carries spray mist further than you'd expect. On windy days, most painters brush and roll rather than spray, and they protect cars, windows and neighbors' property with extra care. Ask how they decide when it's too windy to spray.
Choosing coatings for a moving surface
Wood and joints move with temperature and moisture. A coating that stays flexible over time handles that movement better than a hard, brittle one. Ask about a high-quality exterior acrylic, a primer suited to the wood or masonry beneath, and a sealant the topcoat will stick to. Our exterior painting page explains how stucco and siding jobs differ, and the deck and fence staining page covers stains for horizontal wood.
Older paint and lead
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If your house was built before 1978, ask whether the firm holds RRP certification; that's the single credential question on this page. Ask too how scraped chips and dust will be caught and cleaned up.
What to ask before signing
- Which joints, sills and cracks will be opened, cleaned and resealed?
- Which surfaces get primer, and which product?
- What happens if a cold snap or wind stops the work partway?
- How will chips and debris be contained and removed?
Our pricing guide explains why prep-heavy exteriors cost more.