Understanding the Stucco Coating Process
Gain a better understanding of the stucco coating process. Read more below.
The stucco on your home can last for up to 100 years without coating if properly cared for. However, depending on your location and the weather you experience, you may want to add an extra coating to it. This will help extend its lifespan and help improve the look of the home, too. Here’s what you need to know about applying elastomeric coatings to your stucco.
Why Your Stucco Coating Needs Extra
As well as the mechanical issues you may face with stucco, you’ll want to consider the aesthetics too. More homeowners think about their curb appeal, and the stucco on their homes will contribute to it. Over time, the cracks in the stucco will get more pronounced, and it will affect the look of the home. That’s something you want to think about, especially if you’re thinking of selling soon.
Why Use Elastomeric Coatings?
There are several different coatings that you can buy for your stucco, but the best one to use is elastomeric coatings. As the name implies, it’s a coating that’s designed to be flexible. As your home’s walls expand and contract, it will act as a ‘bridge’, filling in any cracks that appear. That way, moisture, and wind can’t get in, and it maintains the structural integrity of the wall.
How To Apply Elastomeric Coatings
If you want to protect your stucco, an elastomeric coating is your best bet. Here’s how you can apply it:
Clean the walls: The walls need to be clean before you can paint them. Brush them to remove dirt, and power wash them down with a mix of three parts bleach to one part water, to kill off any mold or mildew. This will allow the paint to stick better. Let it dry before the next step.
Seal up cracks: Find any existing cracks in the stucco, and seal them up with caulk. Allow that caulk to dry and cure, as directed by the instructions on the packaging.
Apply the paint: Now you’re ready to apply that coating. You’ll need around one gallon of coating for every 50 square feet of wall you want to paint. It’s best applied with a long nap roller or a sprayer. You’ll need to apply two thick layers, allowing the paint to dry between each layer.
Maintaining The Stucco Coating
Now that you’ve applied the coating, it should be able to stay in good condition. It’s important that you apply it as directed, to get the best results.
If you get any blistering or tearing, remove all the damaged sections with a putty knife. Seal the edges with caulk, and then apply a clear masonry sealer over the whole thing. Then, recoat the area with fresh elastomeric paint.
Benefits Of Elastomeric Coatings
As you’ve seen, elastomeric coatings have a lot of benefits already when it comes to coating your stucco. Here are some more benefits that you may not have thought of.
Long-lasting color: One of the best things about these coatings is that you’ll see it retains color much better than other paint options out there. As such, you’ll not have to reapply the color as often to get the best effect on your home. It’s another way that the coating will save you time.
Fewer coats needed: As you’ve seen, you won’t need as many coats to fully cover the walls of your home. That means you’ll need less paint, and it’ll take less time to do. That saves you time and effort, and you’ll still get an excellent result at the end of it.
Fill hairline cracks: Your stucco will begin to crack over time, even if you’re taking good care of it. If you’re getting those hairline cracks, you won’t need to worry, as the paint will fill them in for you. You won’t need to do anything else, so it helps retain the integrity of the stucco.
Waterproof your home: Water is the enemy of your home, and you’ll do a lot of things to keep it out. That’s something that an elastomeric coating can help with. As it creates a seal, it can help keep water out of the stucco, letting it stay in tact for longer.
Easier to clean: Typically, a good elastomeric coating is dirt resistant, and so is a lot easier to clean. That does make keeping your home looking its best a lot easier.
What To Consider With Elastomeric Coatings
As with all home improvements, there will be some things that you need to know about elastomeric coatings. Consider the following before you go ahead and buy your paint:
The more expensive, the better: As with most things, you’ll want more high-quality paint when it comes to coating the stucco. Generally, the more expensive the paint is, the better it will be. You’ll want to consider that when buying new paint.
Recoating the stucco: If there’s already paint on the stucco, you’ll want to remove it before you add an elastomeric coating. If you try and add the coating on top of existing paint, it can make all the layers too heavy as it’s quite a dense material. That can lead to damage in the long term, so consider this if you’re thinking of repainting the walls.
In Conclusion
Now you know all the ins and outs of elastomeric coatings for your stucco. It’s one of the best ways of protecting it from cracking and moisture damage, and so protecting its integrity. As well as this, the color in a coating will last for years, making your home look amazing. Look into coating your home now, to get them from the stucco in the years to come.