I'm thinking about moving to Florida's gulf coast, where nearly all the homes have a stucco exterior. I've heard that stucco requires "treatment" or painting about every 5-7 years. Is this true? Would appreciate responses from group members with personal knowledge - thanks in advance.
I'm not an expert on the subject but:
I lived in a stucco house for about 10 years and never did a thing to it other than patch some cracks with color matched stucco.
They can be resurfaced where they go over the surface with fresh stucco but if you paint it it's like going back to square one. It has to be "chicken wired" and refinished causing the job to be much more expensive.
Anyway, that's the way I understood it.
Here's a link that probably explains it much better.
If you buy stucco be sure its the real stuff, there is synthetic stucco which has had alot of issues because it doesnt breath well and any leak can cause mold behind it. Stucco unpainted may last 30-40 years before a recoat is needed, painted stucco has to be repainted but done right may last 20 years, stucco can be washed, 5-7 years is not necessary to just make it look good. Stucco is low maintenance
a quote from your referenced site:
"For southern climates, where there are fewer problems with the freeze-thaw cycle and the heating season is short, non-cement paints won't be as problematic, unless there is an external moisture source such as bad flashing or a leak in the roof."
the OP was talking about florida, pretty southern.
virtually all stucco houses in az are painted.
regards, charlie phx, az
I lived in homes in Fl with stucco over block walls and now live in NV with wood frame construction and stucco.
No problems.. fresh paint never hurts..:)
I figured there maybe some contradictory stuff in there but I doubt all stucco houses in AZ are painted. I lived in Abq. for over 20 years where it was common knowledge not to paint over stucco unless you had no plans to stay in the house. I'd never do that but I'm sure a lot of people do.
This is also from that link:
"Painting Problems with Stucco Painting stucco with latex or acrylic paint changes the permeability properties of the stucco system. "Everyone has found out through error that painting stucco is not the way to go," says Dennis McCoy, owner of RAM Builders of Lindon, Utah, a remedial contractor with a special focus on repairing or replacing stucco. "We see the difference in the dry rot we find which is 20 times worse behind painted stucco."
Which was what I was referring to. :-)
Different climate, but my stucco house in Chicago is unpainted and has been maintenance-free for the 13 years we have owned the house. I believe the people who owned the house before us had some areas patched, as I recall when we first moved in you could just barely tell where the patches were. Now I don't notice / can't tell. I would not be surprised if that were the only maintenance since the house was built in 1914.
A local couple (owner/builder --NV) did not want to paint the stucco. Instead they wanted dye/colorants (White). They were advised against it ... something about consistent mixing.
The job turned out bad, so they painted the stucco.
Do you remember what type of paint did they use?
On 7/29/2008 11:50 AM Billy Pilgrim spake thus:
Disclaimer: IANASE (I am not a stucco expert). But this (not painting stucco) is a new one on me. I have never heard that painting stucco is a bad thing, and I think all the stucco I've ever seen (certainly 'round 'heah, S.F. Bay area) has been painted. People paint stucco here all the time.
Haven't checked that site out yet, but I wonder if this is a local/regional thing? Folklore? ("Yeah, it's gotta breather, ya know.") Myth?
By the way, that quote contains one of the biggest misnomers of all time: "dry rot". Ain't no such thing. (At least not as it's commonly understood.) Rot happens when things get *wet*. The fact that it's dry merely means the water has gone.
You're obviously not from NM.
Common sense:
What are you going to do when it needs to be refinished? Which is usually done about every 25 years.
I think this is y the OP wanted people with *experience* to respond. :-)
Good and important advice. A lot of new stucco is what's called EIFS. Do a google and you'll find lots of info. Construction done
20 years ago was the worst, but as I understand it, there can be problems with rot even in construction done much more recently.I went to an open house recently where one of the features of the new stucco house was a moisture monitoring system. They actually have moisture sensors built into the exterior walls. I call this the the "Your f..d" alarm, because when it indicates there is moisture, while there may not be rot yet, it most likely isn't going to be cheap to fix either.
There are inspectors that are expert in stucco houses, checking for moisture, rot, etc. Be sure to get one on any EIFS stucco house you're planning on buying.
On 7/29/2008 1:00 PM Billy Pilgrim spake thus:
But the OP is in NY.
Why on earth would a stucco wall need to be "refinished"? Unless your house was hit by a truck or something, all it's ever going to need is repainting.
True, experience trumps a lot.
I never really asked, but knowing the local area I suggest it was acrylic latex (elastomeric paint).
The same type I use. Sprayed on the stucco.
Stucco gets old and has to be refinished. It gets bleached out, cracks and just in general old looking. Especially where it is exposed to the sun. That's why in NM we would hire a company that specializes. (just like siding or roofing) that comes out and applies a layer over the old stucco and it looks just like new. Much much better than paint. Paint looks good for a little while. Maybe a couple of years. A refinish job will last 20 to 25 years.
This is where the problem is. If you paint it, before you can refinish it, the paint has to be removed. Not sure how this is done but I think they sandblast it off or the house has to be rewired and restuccoed. Very expensive. Only the people that are ignorant, or are too broke to do it right, paint over stucco. The paint always peels off eventually and really looks bad.
There maybe a special kind of paint but I've never heard of it and like I said I lived in NM (where 80% of the houses are stucco). A lot are painted over stucco and they usually don't look that good.
If you were to refinish the stucco, with the paint on the old stucco, the new stucco will not adhere and it will fall off.
BTW: The OP is buying a house in FL.
:-)
The house is in FL
Read the article and read my response to David above.
I'm talking about "Stucco Houses" not just a side or a fence. You can paint stucco, and it will look good for awhile, but there is a better way.
Sounds like the cheap way out.
If you mean sandblasting stucco, I read it.
Complete BS.
Billy,
Please enlighten the group with your stucco experience. I've lived in, owned, numerous homes with stucco..even currently.
Tell us one time you've seen stucco torn from a house.
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