Stucco Repair and Painting Refresh: A New Look For Your Stucco Home

Stucco homes are a visually interesting finish with its uniquely beautiful but equally beneficial exterior coating. The cement-like siding material typically made of sand, Portland cement, lime, and water is one of the more cost-effective types of home exteriors, can last more than 50 years with the proper maintenance, and is fantastic for energy efficiency (which is why you see it so often used in the American Southwest!). One thing stucco isn’t so good at? Being the focus of a DIY project.

Stucco siding can be finicky, laborious, and time-consuming material to work with as a homeowner. Do-it-yourself application is not recommended for initial installation or maintenance repair jobs along the way. The same goes for painting a stucco house yourself––because of its texture and necessary prep work to ensure the paint sticks properly to the surface, best to leave your stucco painting or repair project to the professionals unless you’re completely confident in your abilities.

The exterior painting professionals at CertaPro Painters® of San Francisco know just how to handle your stucco painting and repair needs. They’ll work their magic to replace any damaged, bulged, cracked, or browned streaks that may be not only hurting your curb appeal, but may also be impacting the stability and longevity of your home.

Read on to learn more about the CertaPro Painters® process for repairing and painting stucco and get some trending exterior painting project color schemes that can have your home looking like new in no time.

Desert & Southwest Color Inspiration

Stucco is a natural fit for homes in a desert climate due to its ability to insulate. It’s why you see them so often in the Southwest region of the U.S. where there are extremely hot temperatures but also cold nights in the winter. Most stucco homes can help cut the costs associated with keeping your home’s temperature well-insulated. Stucco is also fire-resistant. Homeowners get an extra level of security in dry climates that are prone to fires when they have stucco finishes.

Beyond the practical nature of the material in hot, dry climates, stucco also provides an aesthetic that’s unique to those areas. For homes built in the Southwest style, stucco can be a great way to embrace the home’s architectural features like slightly sloped terra-cotta-covered roofs and vigas that protrude through the exterior walls.

The Southwestern landscape can draw big inspiration for your home’s exterior color palette. Many exterior painting color palettes incorporate the natural colors of the dry deserts and green valleys surrounding them. For some color inspiration, look to Sherwin-Williams’ Desert & Southwest Style Palette that “highlights the warm, earthy tones of sun-baked adobe homes, terra-cotta roof tiles and desert sands with just enough contrasting hues of green and gray to cool you off.”

Any of their selections would look lovely on a stucco home (even if your roots aren’t in the Southwest). Paying homage to these styles is a great way to highlight your unique stucco finish. We especially love Sherwin-Williams stucco paint colors like Oak Creek (SW 7718), Spiced Cider (SW 7701), and Tiki Hut (SW 7509) together. For a brighter body color, look to the golden Birdseye Maple (SW 2834) paired with coordinating colors Lanyard (SW 7680), and Link Gray (SW 6202).

Benjamin Moore also makes sure to include rich earth tones of the Southwestern deserts as part of their America’s Colors Collection of 42 subtle hues. Colorado Clay (AC-15), also known as Roman Shade (1228), especially gives us those terra-cotta feelings.

Why Are Stucco Home Repairs Needed?

As the saying goes, there are two types of stucco houses: Ones that are cracked and ones that are going to crack. Any cement-based product is eventually going to crack under the pressures of expansion, wind, moisture, or stress. Cracking can also be caused by the improper fitting of lath or an incorrect mixture of stucco when it was first applied.

Your local CertaPro Painters® of San Francisco team will come in and evaluate the different kinds of cracks in your stucco to form a personalized repair plan for your home’s exterior. Different kinds of cracks will require different kinds of care depending on their size and placement. The untrained eye doesn’t know a spider crack from a hairline crack––and you don’t have to in order to get them fixed. With the proper repair from a team of professionals, you’ll gain peace of mind that your home will be left with greater stability.

Sometimes, repair techniques are not enough to fix your stucco problems and you’ll need what is called remediation. This often is the case when stucco is left untreated and exposed to water that can put your home at risk for developing mold. It’s possible that you may have just purchased a home with a stucco exterior that the previous owners did not upkeep, so there may be significant damage beyond the normal cracks or discoloration. Functional flaws will be assessed and replaced accordingly so your stucco has a clean bill of health upon completion of the project.

It can be especially tricky to get the desired texture and color to match the original finish when making repairs to stucco. If you’re not completely comfortable and knowledgeable in the restoration process of stucco, it’s best left to the professionals.

Painting Projects With Stucco

Updating your home’s exterior painting palette requires much more attention and skill when you have a stucco finish than you’d normally experience with other types of surfaces. Primer is recommended on your stucco to cover repairs and leaves a smooth finish. Without it, the stucco can absorb moisture from the coating leaving it vulnerable to cracks.

When you choose to have a professional painting project completed by the team at CertaPro Painters® of San Francisco, they’ll ensure that the cured stucco is sealed with elastomeric/waterproof primer to create a uniform surface for applying your chosen color palette. If you have no idea with elastomeric stucco painting means, no problem. That’s why they’re there!

The kind of stucco texture on your home will also play a role in the methods and tools needed to properly adhere paint to the existing texture. Tapping into the equipment resources that a professional painting team can provide, like pressure washers for proper prep work and paint sprayers for optimal application, will get the job done much more efficiently with a polished result.

Exterior paint provides more than just a facelift for your home’s exterior. A well-applied paint project will help protect your stucco from rain, pollution, and mold. It also helps preserve the stucco and prevents cracking and crumbling from happening sooner than it should. Professional painters will be able to advise you on the best waterproof paint you should be utilizing for superior protection. The surface needs to be able to “breathe,” so the best paint selections are ones that are vapor permeable. Blistering or peeling can happen if the wrong paint is used that introduces too much moisture into the walls.

When you take good care of your stucco, it will take good care of your home for years to come. If you’re feeling unclear about what repairs may be needed or how to tackle an exterior painting project with stucco, reach out to the team at CertaPro Painters® of San Francisco. Schedule your estimate online, or by calling us at 415-661-8400 to speak with a stucco painting professional.