Phoenix is our home base, and it has just about every kind of wall we work on. The central corridor is full of 1950s and 60s block and masonry houses. Head out toward the edges of the city and it’s mostly stucco over frame, built in the last thirty years. Those two need completely different prep, and quoting them the same way is how a paint job fails early.
What the sun does here
South- and west-facing walls in Phoenix take some of the hardest UV exposure in the country. That’s where paint chalks, fades, and lets go first — usually years before the shaded sides show anything at all. On exterior work we plan around it: heavier prep on the exposed elevations, and a product rated for this sun rather than whatever’s cheapest.
Monsoon season is the other half of it. Wind-driven dust and rain find every unsealed crack, so sealing before painting matters as much as the paint does.
Older block and masonry
A lot of central Phoenix homes are block. Block drinks primer, shows every patch, and needs masonry-appropriate products — not the same primer you would roll onto drywall. If your house is block and an estimate doesn’t mention it, that’s worth asking about.