I was out talking to my neighbor tonight (he's a concrete contractor) about painting my stucco. I told him I was going to "paint" the stucco the same color etc. He asked me, "why don't you just fog it?" He says that "fogging" is just using the colorant to "stain" the existing stucco. We looked over the house and I think (he agrees) that I just need a corner or two touched up before painting/staining. The rest of the house is in "very good" stucco condition. But I'm perplexed.
Until tonight I'd never heard of just spraying the colorant over the stucco. Have any of you heard of this? Tried it? What is your experience. He claims that once you paint the stucco that it will forever require additional paint, but that the colorant just stains the existing stucco and actually you can change the color every few years if you want.
I will say that he just did his house and it looks great. Again have any of you had experience with this?????????
/FAIR USE/ Fog coat is a fine-powdered, cementitious product composed of portland cement, lime and mineral pigments used to help in the repair of stucco discoloration. The product is mixed with water and then spray-applied to the stucco which is then absorbed by suction into the stucco. Unlike paint, which covers the stucco surface only, fog coat blends into and becomes a part of the stucco. Although it can be used on almost all stucco textures and surfaces, fog coat is not always a standard procedure in the application of a color coat. Additionally, fog coat will not solve stucco appearance problems that are the result of texture irregularities. For instance, in a sand float finish the aggregate is floated in different directions which produces variations in the appearance that are not correctable by fog coating. Smooth and similar type textures are not ideal candidates for fogging because the suction has been minimized; therefore the fog coat may not adhere as well as it would on other textures. Fog coat on some textures may leave a chalky residue which does not destroy the integrity of the product. Fog coat should never be applied to painted or sealed stucco surfaces.
Another item to be aware of is that most stucco surfaces have very subtle variations in the color, which adds to the character of stucco. By applying fog coat, a uniform color will be created which may give the appearance of paint rather than natural stucco. If the intention of fogging is for concealing stains on the stucco, fogging may not entirely cover extremely dark stains.
Applying extremely dark stucco colors on a building is not recommended because most manufacturers will not produce fog coat for a dark color. Since that is the case, this Association recommends that the plastering contractor provide notice to the client informing then that fog coat may not he available and that any color discrepancies, whether caused by normal stucco application or otherwise, will not he repairable. Because there are many factors which dictate the shade of stucco color (see technical bulletin #7), fog coat is subject to these same factors and rarely will come formulated to match the exact color on any given building.
Fog coat is not an exact science and should not be expected to produce a perfect stucco surface. This Association does not recon fogging unless the possible results, such as the ones noted above, are more tolerable than the currently existing condition.
That technical bulletin was pretty negative. I probably wouldn't have been surprised if I had known the source when I started reading it. Anything that eliminates a lot of work for a trade union is going to get slammed.
After reading the supplied tech bulletin. It sounds to me like your going to have to hire the fog to be done. You can do the painting yourself.
Painting stucco is done every day in the Southwest, specifically Phoenix. Yes paint on stucco fades eventually. New homes ( over green stucco ) need painted again in 3-5 years, and then about every 10 or so after that.
It's generally called a "dash coat" and it's the final application in a traditional 3 coat stucco job. If the walls have been painted, the dasher will have to apply Weldcrete or other bonderizer prior to spraying the dash. Dash is nice. It fills the cracks also. It's available in bags at stucco supply outlets.
You can do this yourself with a hand held hopper. One of these.
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But it's a ton of work like that and will take some time and a helper or two. Plus you'll need to cover all the shrubs, bushes, etc. Most folks hire a plasterer who arrives with crew, cover material, and a dash machine which is a larger hopper for mixing the dash and incorporates spray hoses and wands.
I was looking at your post and question, I'm not sure how old this post is but I would like to answer your question. I have had my home fogged and I can attest that it really is better then painting!!! It lasts and yes you can change colors whenever you want, I prefer getting the house fogged rather then painted!!! We had a contractor that originally did it but since then he has moved out of the state and we are having difficulty finding someone that does stucco fogging! I'm in the Los Angeles California area, do you know of anyone in my area that does stucco fogging????? I have called the local painters in my area and none of them seem to even know what fogging is! Is this a lost art, can someone please help with some suggestions as to where I can find someone that does fogging, I appreciate your input.
replying to clare, Shirin wrote: Can you share who you hired to restore your stucco to do fogging. I am in Los Angles area and looking for a good and reasonable one.
painting. Sure how old this post is. But I definitely recommend Fogging over paintiing. The fogging blends into the original stucco base. It's absorbed so to speak. As where paint adheres to the surface but can't infiltrate the stucco. Fogging requires far less maintenance over the long term then paint. You can fix spots easily or change colors or shades easily.
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