We live in a 1975 light colored stucco house that has been patched several times over the years. We would like to have it be all one even tone. What is the best way to accomplish this and hide all the different colored patches the house has had over the years? Some tell me I should not paint the stucco in Minnesota. Why not? Some tell me to stain it and others say white wash it with a light coat of white wash. I am really confused
Edited 6/18/2007 5:03 pm ET by GeorgeMac
Replies
There is a school of thought that paint on stucco is a bad idea because the paint creates a film that covers the stucco, which is much more permeable than the paint film.
This can be a problem if water or moisture is on the inside, and trying to get out. The paint comes loose from the surface and eventually bisters and peels. Also, portland products need to balance themselves with their environment, and paint film can inhibit this action.
That being said, I have seen many stucco structures that have been painted. In some cases, painted, and painted, and painted. My experience with stucco has been in the arid southwest , where the dry climate seems to keep all decay in slow motion. (except for people's skin, lol)
Generally, I avoid painting exterior portland based products. My answer to your problem would be to clean and prep the stucco, make repairs to any cracks with a stretchable caulking and patch areas as necessary, and then apply a new color coat of stucco. Depending on the condition of the existing surface, it may be desirable to pre-coat the walls with an adhesive. I use a bonding agent from El Rey, called Superior Bond 100.
White wash and stain might work, but my feeling is that you would still see mismatching under/through.
If you come to a fork in the road,
You can eat your lunch.
What Heck said is the best looking solution. However, if the texture is even and the patches are close in color to the rest of the stucco, you could mask it off and spray the house with fog coat.
Fog coat is color coat stucco without the sand, and can be applied with a garden sprayer. This is a whole lot easier than color coating the house, but it will not correct cracks or texture variations like a new color coat will.
Bill
Portland Cement Association website has all you never wanted to know about stucco.