Painting Stucco - Good Idea or Not?

What Exactly is Stucco?

Stucco is an ancient, perhaps even prehistoric building finishing material. You may be surprised to find that many well-known structures such as the Greek Parthenon, the Roman Coliseum, even the Egyptian Pyramids were once covered almost entirely in a stucco finish. Colors in ancient times were limited to earthy colors that occurred naturally and were derived from the natural materials local to the actual building sites. Stucco coloring is now available in a variety of color variations through the use of modern chemical dyes. The color in stucco is generally applied within the stucco itself and usually provides a fairly long lasting luster. But the time always comes when the color fades and a new finish is in order. The first thought of most people is to simply paint over the existing finish. Bad Idea! Stucco is porous by nature and needs to breathe. Not to mention, once you paint your stucco building, you will be doing it over and over again, literally every few years.

What to do with Old Stucco?

There are many variables to be addressed when you are ready to refinish your stucco building:

• Has it been painted?
• What color do you want?
• What is your budget?
• What is the overall condition of the existing stucco?

Condition of Existing Stucco

If your building has good stucco, the best approach is to pressure wash (lightly) and apply a fog coat. A fog coat is a very thin layer of Portland cement, water, and color pigment (no sand) that goes on and covers the existing surface much like paint, but is actually a new surface that successfully adheres to the existing exterior while maintaining its breathability. If the existing stucco is cracked, chipped, or peeling, it needs to be repaired prior to the new finish being applied.

Expense

To entirely re-stucco your building will not be cheap and should be considered only as a last resort when the existing finish simply cannot be, or will be too costly to repair. The only positive to entirely re-stuccoing is the comfort of knowing it won't need to be redone for many years. Pending of course, proper care and maintenance. All in all, a fog coat is your most viable option when refinishing a stucco structure.

Previously Painted Stucco

If the surface is already painted, you cannot apply new stucco over the paint. The stucco will not properly adhere to the paint and will crack, chip, and fall off in fairly short order. This includes re-stuccoing an entire wall or simply patching here and there. If your stucco has fared well, you can paint over it, knowing you will only be further sealing the stucco, thus disrupting its ability to breathe, and you will be painting again in just a few short years. Should your painted stucco require repairs, you have ended up with a notably expensive repair situation on your hands.

You will need to sand blast the entire structure, making sure all the existing paint is successfully removed. This is the main reason stucco should never be painted in the first place and painting stucco is never recommended.

Call the Fog Coat Corporation today at 844•583•1084 to learn more about stucco and fog coat. Our professionals are always ready to answer any questions and address any concerns.

Allison is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Palm Desert serving the Coachella Valley. http://www.changeseeker.org/MeettheTherapist.en.html and http://www.changeseeker.org/TherapyServicesProvided.en.html