Stucco provides a durable and great-looking finish for your home’s exterior siding. But it can be difficult to paint due to its rough, bumpy, and uneven surface. DIY home painters who have painted stucco know that all too well.
It’s even more potentially challenging to deal with stucco that has cracks, holes, or fissures. Yes, stucco may be durable, but it doesn’t mean it’s completely immune to damage. When the need to repair stucco cracks and paint arises, you either figure them out by yourself – but of course, at your own risk – or hire a professional who can handle the problem better.
So, should you DIY stucco repair and paint or hand the job to the pros?
These cracks and fissures can form and develop over time, leading to severe damage to your home’s stucco.
Check the severity of your stucco’s damage. If the damage consists of only hairline cracks, they can be easy to repair. You can also use a premade stucco patch material with elasticity. Small jobs such as this should set you back a few hundred dollars, with the cost adding up depending on the crack’s length. If the damage consists of larger cracks, it can cost thousands and may require additional work, such as removing paint and loose stucco pieces.
Once you’ve found out that hairline cracks won’t be serious, you may ask, “when should I repair it?” The quick answer is to do it as soon as possible. The cracks can spread and become a serious problem if you don’t attend to them right away. So, fill the cracks by caulking them as soon as you see them. You can find caulking products in most hardware or home improvement stores. Caulking is generally an easy and effective way to seal hairline cracks.
You can also inspect your stucco’s metal mesh covering to determine whether or not it needs repair. Use metal mesh or metal lath to hold plaster or cement on the wall, roof, ceiling, or tile to reinforce the repair and prevent or minimize future wall cracks. If the mesh is in good shape, you can apply it to the new stucco. If you see any rusting, you’ll have to remove it by cutting it out.
After everything is fixed, you can now create your own stucco coat mixture. Read the manufacturer’s instructions to get the proper mix ratio for stucco. It’s vital to mix only small amounts at a time, as the stucco mixture can quickly harden and become unusable. Mix just enough new stucco material to repair a particular area.
Once applying stucco is done, don’t paint it right away. Let the newly applied stucco material cure for 60 days before it is ready to be painted.
Newly applied stucco can soak up a lot of paint. Before you start to paint, use a masonry primer to prepare the new stucco. Priming before painting is recommended on newly applied stucco to cover repairs, leaving a flawless finish. The stucco can absorb moisture from the paint without a primer, leaving it more susceptible to cracks.
Use flat (no gloss) paint to make your stucco look its best.
Make sure that the new paint should match the existing stucco color on your wall. It can be tricky to get the color to match the original finish when making repairs for stucco. To get an accurate match, you have to bring a clean and unpainted stucco sample, which you can get from a stucco supplier or stucco manufacturer. Paint the sample with the new color, allow it to dry, and then have it matched with your existing stucco color. It may take a few attempts and experiments before the new color accurately matches the current stucco color.
The next time you need to repair stucco cracks and paint, follow the above tips. But if you’re not comfortable restoring stucco with repair and paint, it’s best left to the professionals. It allows you to relax in the certainty that the work will be done promptly and correctly.