As a finishing material, Stucco is highly durable and has been known to last 80 years or more on a building. For this reason, you could be forgiven for thinking that it might have higher maintenance costs than other materials used for siding. However, this isn’t true, and it remains a low-cost option for homes right across the country.
To protect and preserve your stucco walls for longer, here are some useful tips:
Never paint your stucco
While painting your stucco walls to keep them looking fresh and vibrant might seem like the easy and cheaper option when compared to re-stuccoing (re-dashing), it can give you higher maintenance costs over a long-term period, and might even damage your home.
Paint effectively seals moisture inside your home, and when a stucco surface is painted, that trapped moisture causes the layer of paint to crack and peel away far quicker than on a traditional siding material.
Addressing cracks
Some cracks will always appear in stucco, and as a rule, most small ones don’t need to be repaired. However, if you spot a crack bigger than a 1/8th of an inch, you should ask a local contractor to repair it for you.
Inspecting and cleaning your stucco
You should inspect your stucco on an annual basis, and be on the look-out for cracks, holes, or separations. Should any repairs be required, try to have them carried out quickly to prevent your home from suffering any damage.
Cleaning your stucco walls can be done using a mild cleaner mixed with water, and while you can use a garden hose with a jet nozzle to clean it, you must avoid holding the nozzle too close to the stucco, and should never use a pressure washer.
Coloring your stucco
There are a whole host of colors available for stucco, but it’s important to remember that it can take a number of years for the color to cure fully. Throughout this time, you’ll no doubt notice some color changes taking place as the finish goes about setting, and evaporation of any excess moisture takes place. Generally, a stucco application needs around 30 days to cure in between the application of the first coat, and the application of the finished, final coat. The final coat should be applied in dryer weather and ideally on a warm day, and after the 30-day cycle of curing is over, your contractor will return to inspect the stucco.
Attaching decorative items to stucco
Penetrating the weather-resistant membrane of the stucco – or indeed the outer layer of stucco – with such things as staples, nails, or screws, isn’t recommended, and could cause water to start entering your home and causing damage. If you do want to attach something to your stucco wall, you must hire a professional, who will use the appropriate fasteners for the surface.
Gutters and sprinkler systems
Water should always be directed away from the stucco walls, otherwise it can cause staining and enable unsightly algae growth.
Windows and doors
Whenever your stucco meets a door or a window (or any other type of wall penetration), there is likely to be a small gap caused by expansion. These are usually perfectly normal, but can cause large amounts of water to bypass the stucco. As such, gaps should be caulked annually, and you can usually do this yourself inexpensively.
You’ll also find a number of weepholes under every windowsill, which enable water to be allowed out from the track of the windowsill. With a paperclip or similar item, poke through the holes at least once a year to check for debris.
Caring for your stucco walls and preserving them so that they can carry on looking great and performing well for decades to come, isn’t hard and shouldn’t cost you too much either. Follow the tips above to ensure your stucco lasts, and lasts, and carries on lasting!