Stucco Maintenance – Your Questions Answered!
We love that great look and texture that stucco can give your home, and no one can argue that it adds a lot of character to any house, but one of the most important reasons we like this kind of surface is that it has some very practical advantages. Stucco can create a surface that’s seamless, mold-resistant, fire-resistant, and even noise proof! But, every material needs to be cared for over time, and if your stucco is beginning to crack, it’s time to take action.
Repairing Stucco on your House Saves You Money
If you already have stucco on your walls, removing it entirely can actually be more costly than simply calling in the professionals for repair. Even after you take off the surface layer, you’re then faced with the cost of installing an entirely new exterior surface. If your home already has stucco, quality care and upkeep are investments that just make sense.
There are clearly plenty of reasons to have and keep up stucco walls, but repairing old or damaged surfaces takes the touch of a skilled craftsman. So what can you do? Call in the pros, of course. Homeowners can avoid messes and mistakes by having an experienced professional handle their repair. Our team can assess the current state of your walls to answer questions like:
- How well is your stucco attached to its lath (meaning the wooden slats or metal wire that attach it to the wall’s framework)?
- Is it salvageable at all?
- How is the surface quality?
We will then decide exactly what the best technique is to reattach your layer of stucco to the lath, repair surface damage, and repaint it to get the exact look you want.
We always look at the size and shape of the cracks since they are a good indicator of what the problem is. Minor stress cracks usually happen because of the typical expanding and contracting that we all know happens with our drastic weather changes. Cracks and bulges can also form from freeze/thaw cycles in the winter months. Water that has been absorbed into the stucco can freeze and expand as temperatures drop below freezing.
These cracks can be filled in with a strong mesh fabric that expands and contracts with the wall. Larger cracks tend to run diagonally in the middle of a wall and could be as long as three to five feet.
Cracks like this generally mean that your surface is pulling away from the lath, sometimes because the lath has warped over the years, also a victim of Philadelphia’s yearly temperature and moisture changes. If your surface is really starting to crumble away, we might need to pull it completely off and replace the rotting lath before we apply new stucco.
New Coatings Available to Protect Stucco
Over time, there have been developments in technology and product offerings that serve to really protect your stucco. There’s a whole new generation of exterior coatings that are, (believe it or not), self cleansing (known in the industry as hydrophobic). This means that any type of pickup such as dirt, mold and algae is washed down naturally when it rains.
Elastomeric coatings are high build, waterproof finishes designed to protect stucco. They are designed to fill and penetrate hairline cracks, seal the porosity of the stucco, and waterproof the stucco from the exterior side. They are also permeable, which means they allow moisture vapor to pass through the paint film from interior to the exterior without causing any damage.
Nolan Painting’s Senior Estimator Jim Falk shared that these new coatings are great for giving stucco the protection it needs and can be applied to any stucco home. He and his team can come out to your home to determine what type of coating is best based on your home’s environment so that you know if repair and replacing of stucco services on your house is what is needed.
He explained that when stucco goes uncoated, it’s very porous which means that all of the dirt, mold and algae get into the nooks and crannies and can cause damage. Sealing the stucco helps to prevent damage.
Jim also reiterated that there are misconceptions that stucco should not be painted when in fact, it most certainly should to provide additional protection from weather events that can cause stucco damage.
Nolan contractors are experienced when it comes to stucco. They can tell you exactly what you need and offer the right solution for your home.
Call The Experts At Nolan Painting For Stucco Replacement and Repair
If your walls are starting to show cracks and gouges, take action before the situation gets out of hand. Our stucco replace and repair contractors are ready to take care of all of your stucco needs! Contact us today to learn about our repair and replacing of stucco services on your house!