How wet the Salem year is
NOAA's climate normals for the Salem McNary Field station give normal annual precipitation of 40.08 inches, with about 91.5 days a year getting at least a tenth of an inch. NOAA's engineering weather data for Salem/McNary adds about 39 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year, a 100-year rainfall rate of 1.4 inches per hour, and a 50-year basic wind speed of 85 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), the last two being design values for engineers.
For a painter, the rain-day count is the useful one. It's a reminder that an exterior job here is planned around wet days, and around the drying time wood needs after them.
Rain isn't only a problem on the day it falls
Most people think of rain as a reason to stop painting for the afternoon. The bigger issue is what's left behind. Wood siding and trim take on water during wet spells and give it back slowly. Paint applied over damp wood can blister as the moisture tries to escape through the new film, or lose adhesion at the edges.
Questions worth asking a Salem painter about wet weather:
- How long do you wait after rain before painting a wall, and how do you check that the wood is dry?
- If a shower comes through mid-job, which surfaces get re-checked or re-primed?
- How do you handle the north and shaded sides, which dry last?
- What's the plan if the forecast turns wet partway through?
A crew that carries a moisture meter and uses it on siding and sills before priming is answering those questions with a number rather than a guess.
Where water gets behind paint
Paint on a house fails first where water collects or soaks in. During a walkaround before the bid, look at:
- the bottom edges of lap siding, where drips hang and wick upward;
- window sills and the tops of trim boards;
- gutters that overflow onto fascia and siding below;
- areas near sprinklers, downspouts or plantings that keep the wall damp;
- caulk joints that have split, especially around windows and doors.
About 39 freeze-thaw cycles a year at Salem/McNary means water that sits in those spots also has chances to freeze. Repairs and new sealant should be part of the job, not left to after.
Mildew and moss on siding
Damp, shaded walls often carry mildew, algae or moss. Painting over growth traps it under the film, where it keeps growing and stains through. Good prep includes washing with a cleaner made for mildew, rinsing well and letting the wall dry. Ask how the crew will protect plantings during washing.
Lead-safe work in Oregon
EPA runs the Renovation, Repair and Painting program in states it has not authorized, and lists Oregon among the states that run their own EPA-authorized programs, alongside Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
If your house is old enough to have older paint layers under the current coat, ask the painter which program's rules they follow and how they'll contain paint chips and dust during scraping and sanding. Expect ground covers under exterior work and sealed-off rooms indoors.
When to paint what
The drier part of the year is when exterior painting and deck and fence staining make the most sense; book early, because painters fill those weeks quickly. The rainy months suit interior painting and cabinet work, though damp air still slows drying, so ventilation and heat help.
For the prep that makes walls look smooth, see our surface preparation guide. To compare proposals, use our pricing guide.