I sort of asked this quesiton in a round-about way a week or so ago, but thought I’d cut straight to the point this time.
We have a 70 year old brick and stucco house. The stucco has been painted 3 times in it’s lifetime and it’s flaking off. I’ve talked to a number of people and there seems to be a split in the debate of paint vs. never paint.
2 of the recent stucco contractors both said the same thing: you NEVER paint stucco, as it traps moisture and ‘rots’ the stucco from the inside. Both suggest sandblasting, a new rough-coat, and then a new skim coat.
I’ve talked to 2 people who say it’s fine to paint stucco, as long as you get a ‘breathable’ paint.
1 stucco contractor suggested a new ‘paint-like’ spray-on coat. He never called back though, so I’m not sure what he was talking about.
A non-stucco person mentioned that they had heard of a spray-on shotcrete type of application.
So, basically, I’m opening up the floor to more debate here. Do we sandblast and re-paint, sandblast and re-stucco, or something else?
Replies
I have painted stucco and with several types of paint. No real problems. Paint life was fair to good.
If you go to the mess and expense of sandblasting, by all means do a scrub coat of stucco. Sandblasting may well reveal other problems, weak areas that get blown away, hidden cracks, and so forth. Expect to do some patching, then the color coat of your choice.
If you have stucco that's never been painted, and the surface is sound, you can probably put a scrub coat of stucco over it. If it's had scrub coats before, you might think of it kinda like roofing, can it stand another layer of stucco, or should you sandblast to get rid of that overly thick look.
An unpainted stucco surface looks better and lasts longer. But if there's sound paint already there, no harm in putting more on. It's not the finest choice, but it can be a better choice than doing nothing.
If you're in the LA area, I can recommend Elite Sandblasting, they just did my place six weeks ago.
-- J.S.
We are going to build an addition to our stucco house. The original house (build 1953) has had the stucco painted a number of times and is currently white (whose idea was mint green anyway). The stucco is mostly in good shape, although there are some ugly patches performed by previous owners/tenants. The addition will also be stucco. Should we have the new stucco and the old stucco all painted to match? Should we have the old stucco sand blasted and then re-stuccoed to match the new stucco? I know the latter option is preferrable, but also more expensive.
Thanks for your time
Scott Owen
Depends on what your finish is. If its a sand finish, painting it would probably work after all the prep is done. Once you paint it though, keep painting it unless you sandblast.
If its a texture finish, paint is not going to look right. Better off blasting and putting a new scrub and texture coat on it.
If it were mine and I was going to all the trouble of blasting the old paing off, I would re-stucco it. You don't have to blast the old paint just to repaint, but you should if you plan to re-stucco.
Thanks for all of the feedback.
So is there any truth to the comments that I've received that painting 'rots' (my term, no theirs) the stucco?
Does all stucco paint flake en-masse, or only if you use the 'wrong' paint? I'd prefer a full new coat of stucco, to do it right, but ####coat of paint WOULD be about $7500 cheaper.
Is there a 'right' paint for stucco?
Is new, unpainted stucco, for the most part, truly maintenance free?
My only fear is that I pay $8000 for the new stucco only to have the next owner paint it.
I've never heard about paint causing rot in stucco. I suppose if the paint sealed in moisture into the plaster which needs to breathe, it could cause some deleterious effects. However I would be surprised of the paint would actually seal the plaster well enough to cause moisture problems.
The paint will adhere based on the surface preparation. If the stucco has been blasted and everything loose scraped and patched, and if its been primed, I have not seen paint peel over large areas.
new, unpainted stucco is maintenance free in my experience. This assumes that the lath job was adequate and the owner understands that small cracks are inevitable. The way I maintain my stucco is to wash it with water every couple of years to wash away the dirt and spiderwebs. Of course I live in the arid desert.
If you do your prep work and have a sand finish, a good paint job should look fine, and is obviously a fraction of the cost. It just won't outlast new stucco.