A lot of house owners face a simple question from time to time: when it’s high time to paint the stucco. For example, should a 7-year-old house with traditional stucco finish to be painted? In general, in such cases specialists recommend using pigmented stucco or the color coat as it’s often called. It is applied to eliminate the need for paint and depending on the color applied and the location of the house can last decades. So if at some point in the future the color on your house becomes faded or you decide to change colors, an alternative to stucco paint is to have a new color coat applied.

However, an exterior re-paint is a big job, and may best be left to a licensed painting contractor. But whether you decide to do-it-yourself, or hire a professional, here are some tips that will start you off in the right direction:

-        Repair small stucco cracks with an elastomeric sealant. Choose a brushable type as it will provide a more natural look. Wider movement stucco cracks might require professional repair that includes raking the cracks and filling them with a special sealant system or other treatments. Movement stucco cracks and other serious problems, for instance, loose framing, cannot be cured by patching and painting, so be sure to seek professional help if that is the case.

-        If you identified areas that require the application of new stucco, it’s important to moisten the repaired locations during the curing process to minimize cracking.

-        All stucco repairs should be shaded or covered in hot weather, and avoided if the temperature is below 40 degrees.

-        Opposing to what may seem like common sense, repairs should be done before cleaning the stucco finish. That will help to minimize moisture getting into the cracks.

-        Now it’s high time to clean and prepare the stucco. One method of cleaning and evidently the best one is light pressure washing, possibly with a chemical cleaning agent. The objective is to clean without damaging the stucco finish. If you detected that after cleaning the surface became chalky, crumbly or sandy, apply an acrylic based surface conditioner that will help stabilize the stucco.

-        Selection of stucco paint and application method is extremely important. Specialists recommend using a high quality acrylic latex paint. Don’t forget that stucco is a concrete product and thus porous. The major problems associated with Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems revolved around moisture intrusion and the inability of the material under the stucco to dry out.

-        There are three application methods: spraying, rolling, or a combination of the two. In general, painting stucco is all about getting it to absorb the paint. Thus rolling is the best way and the combining method is the second in the popularity list. You spray the stucco paint on and work it in with the roller.