People move to Central Texas from milder places and are surprised how fast things weather here. It isn't one thing - it's four, working together, and knowing which one is beating up which surface tells you what to maintain and how often.
1. The sun load
UV is the main driver of fading and finish failure, and here it is relentless year-round. West and south elevations take the worst of it: that's where stain fades first, vinyl siding chalks, paint fails, and deck boards cup. A shaded east wall can look five years newer than a west wall on the same house.
2. The ground moves
The black clay under most of this region swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, and it does it dramatically. That movement cracks driveways and walks, heaves fence posts, and opens gaps where water sits against wood. It's also why fence posts and bottom rails rot long before the boards above them - the base stays damp the longest after rain.
3. Something is always growing
Live oak, pecan and cedar elm drop pollen, leaves and seed pods onto roofs and into gutters, and the tannin in that debris stains concrete and siding. Shade plus our humidity is ideal for mildew, and roof algae streaks the north slopes first because that's the side that stays damp.
4. Drought, then downpour
Long dry spells followed by heavy rain are hard on exterior wood. Boards shrink in the heat and swell again after a storm, and a finish that can't move with them - a film-forming stain, for instance - cracks and peels. Penetrating finishes tolerate that cycling far better, which is why we default to them on fences and decks.
So how often does each surface actually need work?
- Fences and decks: wash every 1-2 years, re-stain every 2-4 years. Test with water - when it stops beading, the sealer is spent.
- House siding: once a year, and twice for shaded north and east walls where mildew returns fastest.
- Gutters: twice a year - late spring after pollen and seed drop, late fall after leaves. Add a third visit under oaks or pecans.
- Roofs: treat algae every 2-3 years. Waiting lets it hold moisture against the shingles, which shortens roof life.
- Concrete: clean every 1-2 years. Shaded slabs and north-facing walks grow mildew back sooner.
None of that is expensive on schedule. It gets expensive when a surface is left until the damage is structural - a fence that's gone soft at the base, a roof that's lost its granules, concrete that's stained through. If you're not sure where yours stands, send a couple of photos with a quote request and we'll tell you honestly what's needed and what can wait.
Want it done right the first time? We clean, brighten, dry and seal fences and decks across Central Texas.