Stucco has a major advantage over wood siding. It does not rot and so it can go a long time without the need for a protective coat of paint. A good stucco job will often maintain its original look for decades in many climates.
This means when you get tired of the colour, painting is often about aesthetics and not about protection. One disadvantage to unpainted stucco is it’s difficult to clean. If it has absorbed a lot of dirt or has algae growing on it, often they will leave behind stains.
The good news is that stucco is one of the easier surfaces to paint. Are you ready? Let’s roll!
When Should Stucco Cracks Be Repaired?
Stucco cracks are common. They come in various sizes. The most common are hairline cracks. Less common are larger cracks. Either way, they only become a problem when they begin to let too much water in.
There are a couple of key indicators you will want to be aware of.
One indicator is the presense of efflorescence. This is white residue on the surface of the stucco that has been leached out of the stucco by rain water.
What Kind of Stucco Do I Have?
There are two main types of stucco finishes: cement based and acrylic. Older homes tend to have cement-based stucco with a white finish to it. Starting in the 80’s, acrylic stucco became popular. It is easier to apply and it can be tinted to almost any colour.
Traditional Stucco
Traditional stucco can be troweled to a smooth finish. To make it look more interesting there are a number of swirls and blotches that can be added to the finish.
Although acrylic stucco was the predominant stucco for about 40 years, traditional stucco is making a comeback.
Acrylic Stucco
You can also identify acrylic stucco by its granular finish. It looks kind of like sliced bread. Don’t eat it!
It is manufactured with grains of sand in it that drag when the stucco is troweled on to the wall. As the trowel drags along these little grains of sand, they leave tiny channels in the finish which give it the textured appearance. This mean you can never trowel it to a smooth finish.
What about stucco with rocks?
Rock dash stucco is a simply traditional cement based stucco that has had a dash of rocks (instead of a dash of salt!) flicked onto it while the stucco is still wet and fresh.
In some places you will see stucco with glass chips, which is called bottle dash stucco. This is also a cement based stucco.
There are other variations of dash stucco. They are cement based. Acrylic stucco does not lend itself very well to a dashed finish.