The Maintenance Costs Of Stucco

You’ll most often see stucco homes in the western parts of the United States since the climate works well with the material. Stucco isn’t thermal, so it’s great for warmer climates. This material is quite different than other building materials used for building homes. The maintenance of stucco differs as well. It has a long life span and is quite a durable material. It’s easy and fairly cheap to maintain stucco on your home compared to the alternative vinyl siding and paint costs. Used in building for centuries, it’s very appealing to look at as compared to concrete. There’s a few things you’ll need to know about maintenance if you’re thinking of purchasing a stucco home. 

Don’t Ever Paint Stucco  

The main problem with stucco is that it is prone to cracking. This is why an additional acrylic finish is often applied on top of the stucco. Yet, you should never simply apply paint color on top of stucco. The correct process of re-stuccoing is in fact called re-dashing. This involves more than simply hiring a painter. Painting stucco can cause a lot of damage to your home. Since paint is a sealing agent, it will close off all the “breathing spaces” in your home. This will in turn seal the moisture inside of your home. This can cause mold to build up in the outer layers of the walls. When this happens, the paint will start to decay. Re-dashing provides a single layer of cement with colorant so that the entire surface is renewed. Then, repairs are made to cracks in the stucco if necessary and a new coat of finish is applied. This helps to keep the stucco looking good longer.    

Major Stucco Repairs

To fix major issues with stucco homes, you’ll need to hire a sandblasting contractor. This will remove the existing paint. Then, the new stucco can be applied. Any existing paint will prevent a bond from forming with the new stucco, which is why it needs to be removed first. New methods of re-stuccoing allow the material to last for decades, so if you need this kind of repair job, it’s worth the investment.     

You May Experience Cracks

The nature of material of stucco is that it may crack. Most cracks do not require any repairs, however. Cracks that are more than 1/8 inch wide should be considered an issue. All that needs to be done to fix these small cracks is for small amounts of stucco to be added into the crack. Expansion joints can be added to particularly large cracks. 

Upkeep

Your stucco home should be inspected and cleaned on a yearly basis to check for holes, cracks and separations from the foundation. Repairs should be done as early as possible in order to save the life of the material. Stains come off of stucco easily with water and a mild cleaner. You may want to pre-wet the surface before trying to remove stains from the outside of your home.  

Outlook

If you own a home composed of stucco on the outside, you have a truly unique piece of property. You’ll want to be sure that you give it the proper attention and care in order to have a beautiful home for many years to come.