Whether we’re talking about a home, commercial building, or residential building, the look of your building’s exterior is critical when it comes to making a first impression on a client or reflecting your or your company’s personality and style.
One way to raise the value of your home or office is to invest in a durable, cost-effective, and easily maintained material called stucco.
Suppose you are looking to install stucco or already have stucco on your property.
In that case, you might want to consider stucco painting as an additional way to personalize the look of your building.
Not only does painting stucco elevate the aesthetics of your building, but it can also help prevent damage and the growth of hairline cracks.
Benefits of Stucco Painting
When it comes to stucco painting, you might be thinking that the only reason you spend your hard-earned money is to improve the appearance of your building, that painting stucco is only useful for aesthetic purposes.
The reality, however, is that stucco painting not only enhances curb appeal but it is also extremely effective when it comes to protecting your home from various ailments.
Rain and other intense weather conditions are no joke when it comes to the impact they can have on your property.
Possibly the biggest reason why stucco painting is useful for protecting your home from weathering is that it helps seal out moisture after a rainfall.
If you have ever seen a home with stucco before and after rainfall, you know that the stucco will appear darker for some time afterward.
That is due to the stucco absorbing moisture from the rain. Consequently, the excess moisture can cause water damage or provide an environment conducive to mold growth.
Stucco painting provides a seal between the stucco and the rain, therefore protecting your home from potential damage down the line.
Not only does stucco painting protect your property by sealing out moisture, but it also protects stucco from harmful UV radiation.
In the same way, we apply a coating of sunscreen on our skin to protect ourselves from UV rays, stucco painting helps protect stucco from those very same rays.
Prolonged exposure to the sun can lead to structural damage or cracks that greatly affect the ability of stucco to do its job.
Painting stucco is also effective for covering satins and filling in pre-existing hairline cracks. To briefly recap, the benefits of stucco painting are:
- Seals Out Moisture
- UV Ray Protection
- Fills Hairline Cracks
- Covers Stains
- Improves Curb Appeal
Paint Choices
The paint is personal. Choosing the right color for your home or business is important for communicating your style and personality.
When it comes to color choice for stucco painting, there is no shortage of options.
But color isn’t the only choice you have to make when selecting the paint, you want. You also need to choose between acrylic or elastomeric paint.
Acrylic and elastomeric paints are two of the most popular paints to use on building exteriors because of their flexibility and capabilities to stand up to weathering over time.
When deciding on which type of paint to use on your building, it’s recommended that you seek counsel from stucco contractors to ensure you know all of the pros and cons that each type brings to your specific project.
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Stucco Painting Process
Imagine that you’ve just purchased your dream home, the kitchen is spacious, the landscape is immaculate, and it’s the perfect size for you and your family.
Still, the stucco color on the house’s exterior doesn’t match your vision for your home, and you don’t know where to start the painting process.
The first thing you should do is visit the website of a licensed and insured stucco contractor like Magnum Stucco to get oriented with your options.
They will help get you familiarized with color options as well as the overall painting process. In general, the process for stucco painting involves four main steps:
- Pre-Paint Preparation
- Painting
- Clean-up
- Inspection
Pre-Paint Preparation
Before the first brush or roller gets to touch your stucco, it’s important to do some pre-paint work to avoid some potential problems, like covering your patio chairs with unwanted paint splatter.
Steps that should be taken before the actual painting begins to include:
- Pressure Washing to remove underlying grime
- Covering all surfaces NOT being painted
- Move or cover all outdoor furniture
- Caulk windows and doors in some cases
Painting
Now we get into the meat and potatoes of the project, the stucco painting. Usually, stucco painters will apply at least two coats of either acrylic paint or elastomeric paint, depending on your specific project.
Additionally, the areas that are being painted should be painted to 100% coverage before to ensure no spots have been missed.
Of course, your choice of paint will be applied with a combination of brush, roller, and/or sprayer, depending on the area that needs to be painted.
Clean-Up
Always important and always overlooked, the clean-up stage is crucial to a quick and efficient stucco paint job.
Ensure that a thorough clean-up is performed at the end of each work session and the end of the project.
The last thing you want is to admire the awesome new paint job on your home, then accidentally knock over a half-empty can of paint that spills all over your patio. Extra paint should be bottled and labeled for future use.
Inspection
When the job is finished and the painters have cleaned up and are ready to leave, make sure to do a thorough walkthrough of the newly painted areas to ensure the job is done to your satisfaction. Touch-ups and missed spots should be fixed right away.
So, now the painters are gone, your property looks great, and you’re thinking: What’s next? Well, now it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy! Just make sure to keep an eye out for any damage to the stucco and keep the contact information you have from the stucco contractors you hired because you should be re-applying a new coat of paint roughly every 5-10 years to ensure the new look stays looking fresh.
