Surfaces that are cracking and peeling are allowing moisture to get behind the paint, these areas need to be prepared by pressure washing, scraping, and patching prior to painting. If not properly prepared and sealed prior to painting moisture will continue to get behind the surface and cause deterioration.
1 Like
Stucco is technically not supposed to be painted. It’s for this reason that color is offered as an integral component. In general, paint as a “wall cover” has very little if any perm (ability to breathe) and will bottleneck any trapped moisture from being able to exhaust. That said, it doesn’t mean that you can’t paint your stucco. Stucco may be painted, however, when moisture is present, it will delaminate and disintegrate. This is often evidenced by blistering.
Remember that stucco is a “cladding” with very little binder (cement) in it. It’s enough to hold it on the wall, while allowing it to resist the elements. In moister climates, acrylic stucco is used in place of the conventional. Keeping moisture away from walls as much as possible, while allowing your stucco to breathe is critical to having a surface that is long lasting and maintenance free. There are rules that apply to painting, however, they are ignored about 99% of the time. Remember that “PERM” is the name of the game. You want your walls to wet in, and wet out. Sealing is not bad either, provided that it’s a permeable one.
So your stucco is failing. The first thing to do is not reintroduce moisture at a high velocity. The idea is to either completely sandblast it off or manually scrape it down. The last thing you want is to trap and spread moisture throughout any field of area where it wicks deeper under the surface of an already painted section.
An evasive process like sandblasting will require a complete re-stucco. However, a localized scrape down and re-stucco may suffice. When doing a localized scrape down, the idea is to remove all lose cement and stucco and refill accordingly. Try to avoid spreading new material that exceeds the thicknesses of the existing ones. Failure will result in elevation changes where the newly applied is thicker than the original. Ideally, it should be flush and a have a near zero burn line between the newly applied and old. Blending is the key
If the localized treatment is to be painted, you MUST allow it to dry out completely. Dry times should not be confused with cure times. Typically, stucco manufactures will not warrant it if painting is done before 27 to 30 days. That said, using accelerators… can afford you a faster dry time. Painting prematurely will result in failure of the cladding. Simply put, it will bubble up and that means good money wasted.
Before painting your newly applied stucco, be sure to make sure it’s dry. Also, make sure that your landscaper redirects or moves your sprinklers out and away from your stucco. Typically 24" to 36" will suffice. Soaker… systems and the likes may be used for landscaping that is next to the wall.
BTW- Acrylic paint breathes better than oil. If the paint doesn’t have a perm # assigned to it, then it’s probably not measurable, or the manufacture didn’t want to expose it. BASF makes a few commercial… coatings that have perms that are between 16± and 28±. If your paint has no perm, use acrylic and be sure to keep the moisture out and away. Even the cheaper paints will last when applied correctly.
No you should repair the surface before painting
No, water or moisture entering the cracks will continue to damage the stucco from the inside out, causing not only the paint to peel, but will cause the stucco to eventually crumble and fall of the lath or netting. Stucco repair is cheap and fairly easy to apply when compared to repairing more extensive damage down the road.