Key numbers
103 verified hail storms with stones of 1.5 inches or larger reached El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, from 2000 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 4.5 inches (softball size) on July 13, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 2000 to 2025 | 2000s: 35, 2010s: 44, 2020s: 24 Source: Storm library: El Paso County hail history |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 4.5 in. (softball), July 13, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $352.8 million insured losses (2016 dollars), July 28, 2016 Source: RMIIA |
| 2% to 5% | Real estate experts estimate fresh exterior paint can increase a home's value by 2% to 5%, as reported by Consumer Reports. Source: Consumer Reports, 2026 |
| 15 | NAHB's 2007 study says interior and exterior paint can last 15 years or longer, though homeowners often repaint sooner. Source: National Association of Home Builders / Bank of America Home Equity, 2007 |
| Up to 10 | One topcoat of paint on properly prepared wood should last four to five years, and two topcoats up to 10 years, per Purdue/USDA Forest Products Lab guidance. Source: Purdue University Cooperative Extension / USDA Forest Products Laboratory, 1988 (revised) |
A storm counts when the library lists El Paso County among the areas it hit. Each hail size is the storm's largest report, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
Paint protects exterior wood longest and suits trim, doors and painted siding; semitransparent stain shows the grain, wears away instead of peeling, and suits cedar siding, fences and rough-sawn wood where you want a natural look and easy recoats. In Colorado Springs sun, either finish wears fastest on south and west faces, and clear sealers fail fastest of all. The best choice depends on the surface, its current finish and how much upkeep you want. Integrity Roofing and Painting paints and stains exterior wood on Colorado Springs homes with Sherwin-Williams and Behr products.
How the two finishes differ
| Paint | Semitransparent stain | Solid-color stain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | Builds a film on the surface | Soaks in; little or no film | Thin film |
| Grain | Hidden | Visible | Texture visible, grain hidden |
| How it fails | Cracks and peels | Fades and wears away | Fades, can peel |
| Recoat prep | Scrape, sand, prime bare spots | Clean and recoat | Clean, light scrape |
| Best on | Trim, doors, smooth siding | Cedar, rough-sawn wood, fences | Older stained wood, color change |
What the research says
The USDA Forest Products Laboratory has studied wood finishes outdoors for a century. A few findings matter here:
- Bare wood starts degrading within one to two weeks of outdoor exposure, even when it still looks fine, and paint applied over weathered wood bonds poorly and tends to crack and peel within a few years. Prime or stain new wood promptly.
- Pigment matters. In FPL’s long-term test of 48 natural finishes, clear water-repellent preservatives were the least durable, and semitransparent penetrating stains outlasted them. That study was in a damp climate; in high-UV Colorado, clear finishes fail even faster.
- Wood species and grain drive paint life. FPL’s history of finishing research shows the same paint lasts very differently on cedar, pine and plywood,, and grain orientation and surface texture matter too.
- End grain and bottom edges take on water first. Priming cut ends and back-priming siding reduce peeling near board ends.
Which finish for which surface
- Trim, fascia, doors and window casings: paint, for the longest protection and a crisp look.
- Smooth wood siding already painted: paint again. Switching to stain means stripping.
- Cedar or rough-sawn siding with a natural look: semitransparent stain, recoated as it fades.
- Fences: stain, because recoating is quick and peeling paint on fences is hard to fix.
- Decks: a deck stain made for foot traffic; regular siding paint is not meant for walking surfaces.
- Fiber cement: never stain; James Hardie calls for 100% acrylic paint. See Hardie board painting.
Colorado Springs conditions
Cedar siding is common on older homes in the Old North End and on foothill houses toward Manitou Springs, and many HOAs in neighborhoods like Briargate and Flying Horse approve stain and paint colors separately, so check covenants before switching finishes. Strong sun, large day-to-night temperature swings and dry air are hard on wood. Boards contract and swell, opening joints and cracking paint films, while UV erodes stain from the sunny side. Our high-altitude UV page explains why the south and west walls go first. On homes in the city’s wildland urban interface, wood siding is not on the fire department’s approved list for new or reconstructed homes, and no paint or stain changes that; see WUI siding rules.
Signs the current finish is done
Stain that has faded to gray wood, paint that peels or cracks, mildew that returns after washing and open end grain all say it is time. Read when to repaint, and if boards are soft, see rotted exterior trim first.
Get a wood finishing estimate
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred roofing contractor with 650+ Google reviews. See our Colorado Springs painting page, call (719) 488-2800 or book a free walkthrough; we respond the same business day.
Sources: Williams, Weathering of Wood (USDA FPL); Feist and Mraz, Durability of Exterior Natural Wood Finishes (FPL-RP-366); Gorman and Feist, Chronicle of 65 Years of Wood Finishing Research (FPL-GTR-60); Painted Wood Siding, JCT CoatingsTech (2009); USDA FPL, Wood Handbook, Chapter 16: Wood Finishing.
