Painting Stucco - Disaster Stories

Stucco has been used as a final finishing product on buildings and monuments since ancient times; for literally thousands of years. And it has NEVER been a good idea to paint it. It was used by the Greeks, Romans, and even the ancient Egyptians. Even way back then, they all knew that painting stucco was a no-no.

Stucco is a breathable surface that must be left unsealed (as paint does) to maintain its breathability, allowing air and moisture to pass through it, thereby aiding in the ventilation of the rough construction surface beneath. Following are a few examples of what can happen when you apply paint to your stucco surface, even paints that are [supposedly] meant for stucco. Take our word for it, there is no such product really available on today's market.

Snap, Crack and Peel

Joe Ventnor was a suburban home owner in southern California. He had his house professionally painted by a reputable painting contractor who used the best materials (paint) available. It looked great! For a while anyway.

One weekend as Joe was mowing his lawn, he noticed some areas of his house were beginning to show some discoloration. But how could this be? The house was just painted less than two years ago. A couple of weeks, later Joe noticed the spots were growing some even seemed to be raising off the surface. Then it happened, the stucco literally began chipping away and falling off the walls and soffits.

The paint that was applied to Joe's house, despite being a top of the line acrylic material, had caused the stucco to lose its breathability causing it to dry out and lose its bond to the underlying surface. His warranty was expired and Joe was left with the expense of sandblasting off all the paint and affected stucco, patching the bad spots, and applying a fog coat. All this could have been avoided had Joe just had a fog coat finish applied to his house in place of the paint to begin with.

Stuck with the Unstuck

Rick Spence also lived in southern California, and had his stucco house painted by a reputable contractor. After about a year, Rick noticed the paint was peeling away from his house; literally coming off in sheets. The painting contractor claimed it was due to a poor stucco surface to begin with and agreed to repaint the affected areas after applying a bonding agent (primer). The repair went smoothly enough although the color of the repaired areas never quite correctly matched the faded areas of the original paint job. Again, after several months, Rick's paint began to peel, this time it seemed to be everywhere!

Rick was left with the same expensive repair bill as Joe, sandblasting away all the paint, and applying a fog coat finish to his home's exterior.

Don't be left with the same problems these people experienced. 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.