Stucco Siding Basics
Stucco is a mixture that’s made of cement, sand, lime and water. You can make it using raw ingredients or purchase a stucco mix. It has a thin consistency and serves as a finish that you apply in layers to a home’s exterior. Stucco works well on a variety of exteriors, including masonry and wood, which can make it a practical choice for siding.
Stucco Colors and Textures
Stucco is a versatile siding option because it’s easy to find a color that coordinates with your home’s exterior. You can choose to tint the stucco mixture before applying it to achieve your desired color. Alternatively, you can paint stucco siding after you’ve applied it to the home using exterior paint in the color of your choice.
It’s also possible to create various textures using stucco. The key here is to use the right application technique to achieve the desired look. When you’re selecting a stucco siding, consider these finishes:
- Dash Finish: This type of texture mimics the look of gravel for a rough, highly textured look.
- Sand Finish: This finish makes it look like there’s sand in the stucco mixture, creating a fine texture.
- Skip Trowel Finish: This finish has a raised texture that’s achieved by using a flat trowel to skim over the wet stucco.
- Smooth Finish: A smooth finish is flat and lacks texture. It’s a popular choice for homeowners but can be challenging to achieve, so this is a job best left to the professionals.
Application
Installing stucco to your siding is typically not a do-it-yourself (DIY) job. While an experienced DIYer might be able to apply stucco to a small area, applying it to the side of a home is a labor-intensive task that’ll require several people and take several days to complete. The stucco application process varies depending on your home’s construction and your design preferences. Traditional stucco application is a three-step process that begins with applying a scratch coat over a metal lath that’s attached to the home’s exterior. This scratch coat creates the rough surface for the next layer — the brown coat — which is the stucco’s base coat. Finally, the third layer serves as the finish coat, where any texturing will be added.
Wood-sheathed home exteriors will require these three layers of stucco. If you’re installing stucco over concrete, brick or block walls, you may be able to use fewer layers. It’s important to talk with your contractor to determine the appropriate application for your home.
Stucco Advantages
There are many reasons why stucco has been a choice for home exterior application for centuries. Since stucco is a concrete mixture, it’s supremely durable. It holds up well for decades and typically requires little maintenance during those years. Stucco can also help prevent the spread of a fire from the exterior of your home to the interior of the wall for at least an hour.
Additionally, stucco is easy to customize to suit your preferences. Being able to select a textured or smooth finish adds further customization options to exterior stucco siding.
Stucco also holds up well against the elements thanks to its seamless application. Its full coverage on your home’s exterior eliminates any seams or crevices where water can seep inside, which can reduce the risk of unwelcome leaks during heavy rain or snow.
Stucco Disadvantages
Like any material, stucco also brings with it some disadvantages. One drawback is that stucco can be more prone to damage than other types of siding. When the foundation of a home settles, hairline cracks might appear in the stucco. These cracks may increase in size over time. Additionally, debris that hits the house can cause the stucco to flake, which will require some maintenance. And while the cost of stucco itself is inexpensive, the application is time consuming and labor intensive, which can make labor costs high.
Another factor to consider when choosing stucco siding is your local climate. Stucco is not especially good for insulation, so it won’t help keep the home warm during cold winters. It can also absorb water, which can eventually penetrate your walls and stain the stucco’s exterior, requiring frequent cleaning and touchups. If you live in a rainy area, your home will need proper flashing to divert the direction of the water away from stucco siding.
Stucco Maintenance
Stucco is generally easy to care for and doesn’t require regular maintenance unless it needs a simple cleaning. Use your garden hose or pressure washer on its lowest setting to spray the stucco clean with water. Target any deeper stains with a nylon brush and gentle scrubbing. If you still can’t knock out the stain, you can use a mixture of trisodium phosphate and water for deep cleaning. Once you’ve cleaned the stucco, you can refresh it with a coat of paint to improve its appearance.
Follow all safety recommendations for your power washer and wear protective gear during operation. Always test out the pressure washer in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t damage the stucco.