- Preparing and painting stucco

We have a stucco house. Is it practical to paint over the stucco or will the paint just peel off?

Tips:

1. Stucco should be cleaned yearly using my home cleaning formula.

2. When cleaning stucco always apply the cleaning solution by using a low pressure sprayer (garden sprayer) starting at the bottom and working up to the eaves. This eliminates streaking on the stucco. Do not use power washer - garden hose is adequate.

3. Before painting or coating stucco it is always best to caulk around windows and doors using an acrylic latex caulking compound.

4. Always paint stucco surface first, windows doors and trim last.

Solution:

Yes, you can certainly paint over stucco very successfully. First clean the stucco as noted above. Select your desired colour and purchase best quality elastomeric paint. Some companies may refer to their product as a coating rather than a paint such as Modco Elastacoat available through General Paint stores. Elastomeric coatings can be applied by spray, roller or brush and do not require a totally dry surface before applying. Therefore you can wash the house and begin to paint on the same day. These products also have a bridging quality which will fill and cover any hairline cracks in the surface. Any open cracks should be filled with acrylic latex caulking before painting.

Other elastomeric coatings are available from Behr, Benjamin Moore & Home Hardware.

Article courtesy of: Shell Busey