Homeowners, take note! Stucco repair can be a maze, but we’ve got your guide! Armed with the right information, you can save time and money while avoiding a dingy, unattractive home. Let us break it down for you and ensure your stucco repair is done right.
Found Cracks in Your Stucco?
Let’s start at the beginning, you are a homeowner who is walking around your house and finds that you have some light cracks in your stucco. Knowing that this can become a big issue you want to address it as soon as possible. Then you wonder…
How will this affect the look of my house? How do I get the repair to match as much as possible?
Well it comes down to knowing what you are doing. The last stages of a repair is when the base coat is applied and then the finishing coat goes on top. Having a good finish coat will make or break the look of your house.
The Finish Coat: Understanding Texture and Color
The finish coat is made up of two parts: the first is the texture and second is the color. Texture is more complex than you would think. First comes the identification of the type of texture present. And you DON’T want to get this wrong.
Texture: Key to a Successful Stucco Repair
Getting the wrong texture will cause the entire repair job to go to waste. As once you put on the wrong texture the repair will stand out from the rest of your house and this is a costly mistake. One that can only be fixed by redoing part of the repair.
Once the right texture is identified it has to be sourced. Depending on when the stucco was originally applied and what was chosen to be the texture will make a BIG difference. For instance some textures come colored and only need to be applied once. This is a major contrast to some other textures.
Some textures require multiple steps to be applied correctly. A stucco expert may need to apply a finish coat and then come back and add physical texture. Physical texture is applied using a trowel and a lot of skill.
Some textures may have been originally added by hand which means that it comes down to the skill of a stucco professional to duplicate the texture on the repair. Don’t trust anyone to do a repair as stucco craftsmanship takes years of practice.
Painting: Tips for Achieving a Seamless Stucco Repair Match
The second part of a finish coat is the paint. Paint is essential to make a repair blend with the original stucco. The main issue with matching paint is fading. Fading occurs when overtime the sun and outside elements wear down a color and change its look.
The best defense against this is to take a piece of stucco off the wall and use it for a color match. A color match is taking the existing color and finding the closest color of paint. This match can’t just be done by anyone. A stucco supplier or stucco professional should attempt to color match a piece of stucco. Working with the right people will allow the job to be done right as stucco paint is not the same as run of the mill paint.
Once you have the right paint you are almost there. The next step is to apply the paint to the newly added textures. Once the paint is applied the repair site should blend in with the rest of the house. Although you will still be able to tell that the color is slightly off, especially up close.
DIY or Call the Pros?
This was all very helpful but how am I ever going to do this myself? The simple answer is you should find someone who knows what they are doing. A stucco profession should be called in to help with this process as trying to save money the DIY way will be risky. A small mistake can be difficult to correct and may end up costing you more in the long run.
Need Help?
If you need help the team at ZD Stucco Repair is here to help and you can give us a call anytime.
