A year of paint in Worcester
Painting doesn't have to happen all at once. Interior rooms can go any month. Exterior work depends on the temperature on the label and the condition of the wall after winter. Many Worcester homeowners split a big job: indoors when it's cold, outdoors when the surfaces are warm and dry. This page lays out how to think about that split.
From the published record
The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's history of Worcester records that it was founded as a town in 1722, was made the county seat in 1731, and became a city in 1848, 126 years later. Worcester also has its own NOAA station at the airport. NOAA's engineering weather data for the Worcester station lists about 66 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year, a 50-year basic wind speed of 100 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet) and a 100-year rainfall rate of 2.5 inches per hour. The cards below give the sources.
Freeze-thaw and a painted wall
Every cycle gives water in a crack a chance to freeze, swell and lift the paint around it. By spring, an old paint job shows where water has been getting in: paint lifting at board ends, splitting along joints, flaking at the bottom of window casings and on porch steps. Those are the places to look first.
A spring walk-around
Once the snow is gone, take a slow lap around the house:
1. look up at fascia and the tops of window and door trim, where rain lands first; 2. check sills and the bottom edges of siding for peeling and soft wood; 3. run a hand over the siding to check for chalk; 4. note any caulk that has cracked or pulled away; 5. look at railings, steps and porch floors, which take the most wear.
Photograph what you find. It makes the conversation with a painter faster and gives you a record to compare against next year.
Exterior work and the label minimum
Most exterior paints state a minimum air and surface temperature, and some need that minimum held for hours after application. In shoulder seasons, a warm afternoon can be followed by a cold night. Ask the painter what product they plan to use, what its stated minimum is, and how they'll schedule around nights that fall below it. Our exterior painting page covers preparation in detail.
Indoor work in the cold months
Interior painting goes well when the house is heated and the air is moving. Cold months suit rooms that need more patching, because the painter isn't racing the outdoor season. A few things to settle:
- keep the room at a steady temperature while paint dries; turning the heat down overnight slows drying;
- run a fan or open a door to a heated room rather than opening a window;
- allow extra time between coats if the room feels cool.
The interior painting page covers walls, ceilings and trim.
Older paint and the Commonwealth's program
Old layers of paint can contain lead, and scraping or sanding them can make lead dust. The EPA card on this page lists the states that run their own EPA-authorized Renovation, Repair and Painting programs instead of EPA, and Massachusetts is on that list. We print the list as EPA states it and don't go further than that.
Building a Worcester plan
- which rooms and surfaces are winter work, and which wait for spring;
- what the spring walk-around found, and how each spot will be repaired;
- products for each surface, with their temperature limits;
- a schedule that names the order and the likely weeks.
The pricing guide explains why breaking a job up can change the price.