Does Your Stucco Home Need a Makeover?
Have
you been thinking about giving your home a whole new
look? Perhaps there are hairline cracks in the surface,
or white chalky spots are marring its appearance. Maybe
you are just tired of the color.
The experts at The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute
have a simple solution: give it a fresh coat of paint. You
can achieve a long-lasting, attractive paint job on stucco,
as long as you follow some important guidelines.
If the stucco is fresh, let it cure for at least four weeks
prior to painting. This allows for shrinkage and reduction
in moisture content and surface alkalinity, both of which
can affect how the paint sticks to the surface. To help
prevent those white, chalky streaks – called efflorescence — hose
down the stucco once or twice a week during the curing
period.
Before painting any stucco less than one year old, coat
the surface with an alkali-resistant primer recommended
for masonry. This forms a barrier against surface alkalinity
in the stucco, which can degrade the topcoat and cause
the color to fade.
When painting older stucco, you will have to do a bit more
surface preparation. Use a wire brush, power brush or power
washer to remove all dirt, unbound sand, efflorescence,
chalk or loose surface
particles, including peeling paint. If the surface has
mildew or mold, it can be scrubbed off with a solution
of one part household chlorine bleach to three parts water.
When you are finished, rinse with water.
Choose a top quality 100 percent acrylic latex exterior
paint for best painting results. These paints are extremely
durable and typically provide an excellent appearance for
up to 10 years or more.
However, if the stucco has serious cracks, you may want
to consider using an elastomeric wall coating. Thick and
stretchy by nature, this coating
has the ability to “bridge” small cracks. Since
elastomeric wall coatings need to be applied in a very
precise way for best results, you may want to hire a professional
painting contractor to do the job.
For more information on how to paint stucco, or any masonry
surface, visit the experts of The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality
Institute online at http://www.paintquality.com/ppp/exterior/
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