Best Way to Paint Exterior of Stucco House

If you lot accept a house that is made out of stucco and desire to refresh the look of information technology so stucco paint is something that you lot might desire to wait into.

There are some tips and tricks that you could implement to make the task easier and arrive look like a professional person did it.

Lets dive right into it to see what methods there are out there and what to expect from each one.

Some Things To Consider In The Beginning:

• Stucco Bug: Have a look at the existing stucco that is on the house/edifice and check to see what kind of shape it is in.

  Are there any patches or cracks that need to be fixed before painting begins?

  In virtually cases a good acrylic caulk (like this i) is the easiest to use and work with but they do make a caulk that has sand added to it for a more than professional looking finish that blends a lot ameliorate.

• More Stucco Bug: Is the stucco peeling off in whatever places, or are there any areas that need a footling TLC?

  These kind of issues need to be taken care of prior to painting the construction and will make the end result much improve.

  Smaller patches can be fixed using a premixed stucco repair patch material similar this and comes in handy for making quick piece of work of Pocket-sized repairs.

• How Volition You Make clean The Surface: Is the stucco that is currently on the firm painted or non?

  It really doesn't brand besides much of a difference, both scenarios will require a adept pressure washing (2,800 – 3,100 psi) to become rid of all of the loose paint and material that may prevent the paint from sticking to the walls.

  If y'all don't already ain 1, I constitute a decent one on Amazon that is under $250 with pretty decent ratings, but look around and take your time when buying one of these and it will pay off.

   I usually pay somewhere effectually $300 – $400 for pressure level washers I use only they are much improve quality and I accept had no issues, information technology is one of those "you lot go what you lot pay for" types of deals, I guess.

• When Was The Stucco Applied: If the stucco is new, so you will desire to wait at least 60 days before painting information technology, to allow it to fully cure and harden up before you lot seal the stucco with any kind of paint.
• What Kind Of Stucco Texture Exercise You Have: What type of texture do you have, a crude one or a smoother kind? The two dissimilar types of textures will require different methods and tools to properly adhere to the exiting texture.

  A rougher texture volition crave a larger nap on the roller and more pigment, a smoother type will non need a nap equally aggressive and will tend to utilise a little less paint.

  Have a await at different texture samples by clicking here.

• How Will You Apply The Paint: Do you plan on using a roller to utilize the paint on the walls, or a sprayer, or both?

  A sprayer can be rented and is the optimal fashion to paint exterior stucco, it is much faster, uses way less textile and provides a professional person looking end consequence but back-rolling is recommended to get rid of the lines that the sprayer may leave.

• Weather condition Permitting: Exist sure that yous volition have a catamenia of good conditions when you paint or program on painting, h2o that is sealed within the stucco will results in issues.

  If y'all are in the rainy season and tin't wait before y'all pigment, then covering the walls is one option. You lot want to exist sure that the stucco has no moisture content prior to applying paint.

  A moisture meter will help with this and are adequately inexpensive online.

• How Will You Reach: If you have a single story house or edifice you are painting, so a simple pace ladder and/or extension ladder volition probably exist more than than enough to achieve the highest walls.

  If you are working on a ii or iii story building, ladders aren't going to do the job.

  Yous may want to buy a piffling scaffolding or hire some from a local rental yard.

  Just plan ahead to make certain you lot accept access to every nook and cranny that will need to be painted.

• Measure Your Walls: In order to buy the correct amount of pigment, you will need to measure your walls, and so you can buy the correct amount of pigment.

  I would add 25% to this because stucco tends to suck upwards paint and you almost always end up using more than y'all anticipated.

  A smaller house will exist pretty easy to do using a tape measure and a partner (optional) but a larger house will be a fiddling more difficult but can be done with a tape measure out.

  You could always use a measuring wheel or a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation tape measure, if you lot want to make the job easier.

  These two items will have all kinds of uses in the future too, especially if you are an gorging diy'er.

The Prep Piece of work Involved:

• Encompass Everything You lot Need To Cover: You will want to brand sure that all of the windows, doors, trim, vents and anything else that is not going to be painted is covered very well.

  This volition save time in the terminate and will ensure that professional results are accomplished.

• Caulk Any Cracks You Have: Caulk cracks and small gaps (ane/8″ or smaller) using a paint-able exterior grade caulk.

  When caulking, only fill up the cracks and use a wet rag to wipe the backlog caulk off of the wall, or information technology will stand out like a sore thumb.

  Try to add together a fiddling texture to the caulk to match the stucco, if it is a rougher texture, similar a sand stop, dab the caulk lightly with a paintbrush to friction match the texture a lilliputian meliorate.

  Anywhere wood meets stucco, y'all will want to apply a bead of caulking, because it will crack or a gap volition form, this is natural and is a normal occurrence.

• Make clean The Surface: Force per unit area washing the stucco is a expert idea prior to painting, it removes dirt and debris from the surface and ensures that the paint volition adhere well to the finish.

  If you can't beget one of your own, or don't need one that bad, then you can always rent i at a cost of nearly $30-$fifty a day.

  If you do not force per unit area wash the stucco, you can utilise a garden hose instead, but really, pressure washing is the style to become and is recommended.

  Using only a garden hose may result in the paint flaking off over fourth dimension considering the surface was non cleaned and prepped properly.

• Address Patches And Larger Imperfections: Make whatsoever necessary repairs to the stucco that need attention, meaning larger voids or damaged areas.

  To reach this, remove the existing stucco, keeping the newspaper and wire underneath intact and fill up with a stucco patch textile, using two to iii applications, but try to avoid filling larger patches in a single coat.

  They volition cease up turning out bad and will stick out like a sore thumb when you are all finished.

  Attempt to avoid filling in the spots with a single application, seeing every bit how it will likely cleft and make even more than work for y'all in the long run.

Painting Different Stucco Textures:

Smoothen Stucco Finishes: The smooth types of finishes are probably the easiest types of finishes to paint.

Repair piece of work is a little tougher to practice and make them appear seamless simply if you take your fourth dimension and utilize the right tools, it should come out pretty expert.

Scraping the walls with a big flooring scraper volition aid eliminate any larger items that may exist stuck to the surface.

A roller or sprayer will piece of work on these types of finishes but a sprayer will be much quicker and probably have a little bit amend results because you can spray a more even amount of paint on the surface.

Backrolling is recommended and volition assist soften the overall appearance. A roller with a i/2" nap volition work well and perform well, using a roller cover with a thicker nap would be much harder to utilise, especially for a novice painter.

Semi-Smooth To Medium Types Of Finishes: A medium finish would be considered nearly sand finishes, a worm type stop,etc. and will crave a fiddling more effort than a smooth or semi-polish finish would because of the added roughness.

These will unremarkably require a 3/4" - i" nap on the roller and will need two coats of paint to thoroughly cover the surface.

If yous use a proficient paint with an as expert technique, information technology should be more enough coverage.

I have seen people use 1 coat of pigment on these types of finishes but I don't recall it turns out every bit good as it could have, merely my personal stance.

Rougher Types Of Finishes: Rougher stucco finishes require a little more paint, thicker napped rollers and more attending to item because the surface is then rough!

I would recommend using a 1" nap roller for this and would recommend spraying the paint on this type of finish.

abacostucco.ca

You can scroll it on but it is going to exist very difficult to get into the crevices of some of the finishes, especially a dash finish.

In my feel, painting these types of finishes will crave at least ii coats of paint and possibly a third "touch upwardly" coat. This has the best results and ensures that virtually every spot is covered.

Be sure to check each wall after you paint (or take someone else check) for any small spots you may have missed and await from all angles.

If you painted the wall from left to right, walk from right to left to see if y'all missed anything.

Using A Sprayer:

When using a sprayer, certain techniques and tricks tin exist used to achieve professional results, not to mention, information technology can cut the time the projection takes in half!

This is the best manner to paint a stucco surface and volition yield the best results.

You might be surprised to encounter that at that place are decent sprayers out there for around $300 that will easily paint an entire firm'southward exterior, if you cull to do it yourself.

• Prep And Cover: Be sure that everything is masked off very well, these sprayers take a tremendous amount of force per unit area and tin blow your roofing right off, tape every joint of the plastic/newspaper, so no edges are exposed.

  A covering machine is a handy tool to accept on manus and brand the job so much easier!

• Apply A Shield: When spraying, use a shield to avoid over-spraying on areas that you do not want to be painted, such as walkways, the eaves, etc.

  Cardboard works well for a shield and is gratis, cut a couple out, so yous can toss the ones that get likewise saturated with pigment.

  A good size for these is 12-15″ wide by iii-4′ long, holders can be purchased or fabricated then y'all don't have to agree the cardboard with your hands.

• Technique: Attempt to avoid making lines with the sprayer by having an even spray pattern and using quick, short bursts, equally opposed to longer ones.

  Pull the nozzle away from the wall in club to blend the starting and stopping points of your spray pattern and to avert whatsoever hard lines.

• Dorsum-rolling Makes A Huge Deviation: Exist sure to spray the stucco in many different directions, to better blend the paint and minimize the appearance of hard lines.

  For the all-time results, have someone employ a roller and become over what yous have sprayed.

  This will help cover the surface and get the pigment into any crevices and low spots that the texture may have and help to evenly spread the pigment effectually making a more compatible appearance.

Using A Pigment Roller For Your Stucco Walls:

Some of you may choose to utilise a roller to paint the stucco on your home, which is just fine, just requires a few different techniques than a sprayer would.

It volition take a chip longer to do it this way, simply tin can still requite professional looking results if washed correctly.

• Roller Covers And The Nap Size: You will want to utilize a roller with at Least a iii/viii″ nap on it, in order to become into the depression spots and ensure that you have a prissy, fifty-fifty coat of paint.

  Stock upwards on rollers because they will get abused and will clothing very quickly. Here is a link to the rollers I similar to utilise, they use a i″ nap instead and I have always had good luck with Purdy Brand roller covers.

• Technique: When rolling, utilise more pigment and less force per unit area when applying, this volition save your roller, making it concluding longer and will make information technology easier on you equally well.

  Utilize a different pattern when rolling, not just one or 2 different motions.

  This will brand the paint alloy ameliorate and volition help hide whatever paint edges that may appear later on.

• Apply Primer & Paint: If your stucco is unpainted (accept some type of cement based terminate to paint) and then call up that information technology will soak up quite a bit of pigment on the first coat and a primer is recommended for this first coat.

  Next apply the paint to the house using the same techniques described above.

  This coat will soak up less than the primer glaze did only will still have a picayune bit of that suction on the second coat as well.

  You tin utilise another (3rd) coat of paint if you lot cull to do and so but most people rarely do, mainly because of price and additional labor involved but information technology will be a amend stop result all-in-all (from my feel, anyways).

• Cutting In Around Doors, Windows, Etc.: You tin can use a smaller roller setup for any of the cutting in type work or a paintbrush, whichever y'all choose to do.

  If you do go a brush exist certain to get one that holds a generous amount of paint and volition not leave visible, harsh brush strokes when it dries.

FAQ's Virtually Painting Stucco:

• How Frequently Should I Employ A Fresh Coat Of Paint to my walls? - This is a matter of your climate, the quality and awarding of the pigment itself and visual advent.

  The short answer is between 3 and 10 years, although I believe the "standard" is about five years.

  If you are using a quality paint and live in an surface area where the climate is non as extreme, you lot could become ten years out of the paint, it only depends.

  Research your area on unlike social media outlets and forums to see what others are proverb to get a meliorate average of what to look.

• Is Painting Stucco Recommended? - Painting stucco is always a hot topic and there are really ii primary arguments which are: the maintenance gratis attribute of stucco is gone afterward you lot pigment (considering y'all have to continually repaint after that) and cost.
  
  Maintenance-Free Effect: This is the biggest statement when deciding to paint stucco and is a valid one.

  Once you paint, you accept to repaint every "10" number of years after that, which is hardly maintenance complimentary.

  A stucco color coat (acrylic or cement based finish) will final anywhere from 10 - 20 years or longer if properly applied and maintained, which is a lot more maintenance free than painting.
  
  The Cost Event: I think the majority of people choose to paint their stucco walls because information technology is so inexpensive, especially when compared to a new re-coat on the wall.

  A re-glaze is a new end coat (only the top layer of stucco, not the base coats) that is applied to the outside of existing stucco to requite it a new, fresh look.

  A re-glaze volition exist more expensive than simply painting (brusk term) and is easier to do besides.

• How Long Should I Await To Paint My Stucco ? - The recommended wait time is somewhere between 30 and 60 days, which accounts for a full cure of the cement materials used in the stucco procedure (base of operations coat(south) and/or finish coat).

  They do make primers that can exist used in a fraction of the time (usually 7 - fourteen days) it takes which volition piece of work but y'all will be rushing the curing process, PERIOD.

  There is no substitute for a slow, moist-cured base and stop coat (cement based) but these products will piece of work in a fourth dimension crunch.

• What Kind Of Paint Should I Use - In that location are many unlike paints out there so I don't want to name 1 specific brand just I will say that I would not get with the cheapest exterior paint out there.

  Use a paint that is in the mid to college end of the price spectrum so you lot eliminate a lot of the potential "issues" that typically come up up when using a cheaper paint like runs, inconsistent colour, etc.

• What Is Elastomeric Paint? - Elastomeric pigment is a paint that seals any surface information technology is practical on and it actually has a significant thickness to it, when compared to traditional paint.

  In my experience, these paints are usually troublesome for stucco because information technology seals the stucco, not assuasive information technology to breathe anymore (similar it is designed to do).

  There volition be two chief opinions about an Elastomeric paint on stucco and this will come up from stucco and painting contractors.

  Stucco Contractors: Stucco contractors usually don't like elastomeric stucco and will try to recommend a stucco re-glaze instead.

  They don't like to rely on pigment products that may accept potential issues downwardly the road with a production they don't unremarkably utilize.

  An acrylic finish is going to probably be recommended instead.

  Painting Contractors: Painters who like Elastomeric paint think it is a proficient product because of the thickness that is achieved, information technology's ability to bridge cracks and the longevity backdrop information technology has.

  If applied correctly, it is a decent material that tin keep out moisture and have a about crack-free stucco task after.

• Should I Use A Primer Before I Pigment? - A primer is an absolute must in my book because you are sealing the stucco properly earlier yous actually paint.

  Stucco that is

  UNPAINTED is porous and is thirsty, so yous eliminate the suction by applying the primer coat and the primer coat takes the animal of this rapid suction which can cause inconsistent color, different saturations of paint, a slightly dissimilar hue or sheen, etc.

  Afterwards you apply a primer coat, the surface volition now have a lot more than consequent suction, resulting in a better paint job in every aspect.

  If you lot are working with an acrylic or a surface that has been painted before the primer is not as essential, if the finish is in decent shape just is always recommended.

  Specialty Primers: Some stucco manufacturers and paint manufacturers brand a primer that is specifically designed to embrace stucco surfaces.

  They are resistant to the elevated PH levels of the stucco and volition "bridge that gap" between the stucco and paint color.

• How Much Pigment Practice I Demand? - Like I stated earlier, UNPAINTED stucco tends to suck upward the textile more than than any other siding so you lot volition calculate the amount of pigment you will need and add near 25% on the primer coat and about 10% more on the paint itself.

  This is non a hard and fast rule but information technology is absolutely necessary to calculate more than the stated coverage on the can.

• What If My PH Is Too High? - This is a loaded topic and I don't want to go too involved here only sometimes there is a business concern regarding the PH level of the stucco being too loftier to paint.

  There are a couple of different measures you could take to see if it will help, like watering the wall multiple times a day for three-4 days directly.

  Another resolution to the problem would exist to use a specialty primer that is designed to handle these higher levels of PH, similar Omega Stucco'southward primer for it'southward acrylic finishes.

• What Type Of Sheen Should I Utilise? - 99% of the time y'all volition utilize a flat pigment, especially being on the exterior of your building.

  There have been (very rare) cases where I have used an eggshell sheen for a project but only considering I was matching an existing paint on the building.

Potential Issues That May Come Up:

• I accept pinholes all over that never got painted - Coming Shortly!
• I Can see lines from the sprayer - Coming Soon!
• I tin see lines from my roller - Coming Soon!
  
  
  
• The PH Level Of The Cloth Is Besides Loftier To Paint - Coming Shortly!
  
  

Paint Failure Articles Worth Reading:

• A expert article with lots of info on potential paint bug and failures
  

That'southward most information technology when it comes to stucco paint and how to use it for a fresh, new expect.

Take your time and remember to really prepare the surface for the pigment, this will exist the determining factor for how good the projection looks in the terminate.

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The Stucco Guy

My name is Ryan and I have been in the structure trades for many years now and I feel that there is a huge "knowledge gap" when it comes to particular trades.... like stucco. I hope you detect the information hither useful. Thanks for stopping by!

greenbergwrive1959.blogspot.com

Source: https://thestuccoguy.com/how-to-paint-exterior-plaster-some-helpful-tips/

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