I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

TIA

Hank

On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 12:16:21 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?


Elastomeric Masonry & Stucco Paint (acrylic latex)

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

I use a pre-mixed stucco patch ( HD sells a plastic quart container).
Just small amounts rubbed in with my fingers for hairline cracks.

Do you plan to spray or roll the paint on? What kind of texture
finish is the stucco?

"Hank" wrote in message
...
I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

TIA

Hank

Elastomeric is the best, however, there are all grades of it. Some of it is
so thick, it requires a special sprayer, or it will burn out the sprayer.
If you do it in elastomeric, do your homework. If you do it right, you
shouldn't have to touch it for a long time. If you don't .................
It's not your Daddy's paint.

Elastomeric painting of stucco can seal it, keeping moisture out of it,
which then keeps the freeze/thaw or wet/dry cycles down, and extends the
life of the stucco.

Steve

On 3/4/2011 3:16 PM, Hank wrote:
I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

TIA

Hank

Our Florida condo, stucco/concrete block, was painted by a contractor.
The previous paint job was done by unskilled idiot - wasn't pressure
washed, full of mildew that cause the paint to peel. 40 y/o building,
so numerous hairline cracks. After pressure washing, the contractor
used a brushable caulk which, IIRC, was clear or translucent. They did
a perfect job, with no peeling after 9 years. We had previously gotten
a bid for $27K for elastomeric paint, two coats. With only 8 units,
that was pretty high. The contractor we hired, for under $7K, rec.
primer and two coats of paint, but condo board opted for one coat.
Everyone I know of who painted stucco/cb in Florida used semi-gloss
latex/acryllic. Semi so it doesn't hold soil/mildew as readily.

To answer some questions:

I plan on rolling it on, not spraying. The house is in Orange City
Fla. I am not sure how to describe the texture, sorry.

Thanks for the tips.

Hank

"dadiOH" wrote:

3. Paint with a good grade acrylic latex;

Painting stucco is a very bad idea. The Stucco Manufacturers Association
recommends fog coating:

http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/industry/tech.shtml

Here's a commercial vendor of fog coating products:

http://www.fogcoat.com/

On Mar 5, 8:44*am, Robert Neville wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote:
3. Paint with a good grade acrylic latex;

Painting stucco is a very bad idea. The Stucco Manufacturers Association
recommends fog coating:

http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/industry/tech.shtml

Here's a commercial vendor of fog coating products:

http://www.fogcoat.com/

That fog coat sounds very good.

On Mar 4, 6:47*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"Hank" wrote in message

...

I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

TIA

Hank

Elastomeric is the best, however, there are all grades of it. *Some of it is
so thick, it requires a special sprayer, or it will burn out the sprayer.
If you do it in elastomeric, do your homework. *If you do it right, you
shouldn't have to touch it for a long time. *If you don't ..................
It's not your Daddy's paint.

Elastomeric painting of stucco can seal it, keeping moisture out of it,
which then keeps the freeze/thaw or wet/dry cycles down, and extends the
life of the stucco.

Steve

stucco must breath or moisture pushing through can damage it. I am
where it gets to -20 , in winter moisture from the inside absorbes
into the stuccom if its sealed and not breathable thats bad, and any
leak from cracks wont allow it to dry as designed. Regular latex house
paint breathes. Of course new stucco is best but to seal it tight I
think is inviting big problems 10-20-30 yrs down the road.

On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 04:08:01 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

To answer some questions:

I plan on rolling it on, not spraying. The house is in Orange City
Fla. I am not sure how to describe the texture, sorry.

Thanks for the tips.

Hank

Textures I've seen in Florida have been smooth or resembling "orange
peel". There are many types of stucco finish used, some called "heavy
knock down".

I'm in Nevada, and the finish looks like this:

http://hexonxonx.net/software/synth-texture/stucco-bw.gif

A heavy knock down sample:

http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/images/stucco_finish_2.jpg

On Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:44:21 -0700, Robert Neville
wrote:

"dadiOH" wrote:

3. Paint with a good grade acrylic latex;

Painting stucco is a very bad idea. The Stucco Manufacturers Association
recommends fog coating:

http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/industry/tech.shtml

Here's a commercial vendor of fog coating products:

http://www.fogcoat.com/


Folks in Arizona and Nevada didn't get that memo. Dye can be used to
color the stucco instead of painting. The problem with dye is getting
a constant consistency of color. Get the mixture wrong and the finish
will not look good.

Stucco sample in Las Vegas:

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-032-extreme-heat-a-tale-of-two-cities/images/bsi-032_photo_01.jpg

OP, this is the pre-mixed path I use. Works perfectly for my needs.

http://imagethumbnails.milo.com/003/034/824/290/3034752_3595824_290.jpg

Oren wrote:

Folks in Arizona and Nevada didn't get that memo.

Folks in AZ and NV don't have a big problem with moisture, but even there it's
not a good idea as houses breath. The OP was posting from Florida which is a
whole 'nuther story.

On 3/5/2011 9:44 AM, Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

3. Paint with a good grade acrylic latex;

Painting stucco is a very bad idea. The Stucco Manufacturers Association
recommends fog coating:

http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/industry/tech.shtml

Here's a commercial vendor of fog coating products:

http://www.fogcoat.com/

Painting stucco may be a bad idea in some climates, but certainly not in
Florida. There is no unpainted stucco in Florida, and residential
construction is almost entirely concrete block and stucco. Unpainted
stucco in Florida would take about five minutes to start growing
mildew/mold. After the last near miss with hurricanes where I lived,
one report on damage to homes included the finding that older homes had
less damage than newer ones because they had more coats of paint -
wind-driven rain goes THROUGH concrete block. It is also recommended to
use water-based paint so that the masonry "breathes"; oil-based paint
blisters because it doesn't allow the moisture to exit. All masonry has
some moisture.

On Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:12:39 -0700, Robert Neville
wrote:

Oren wrote:

Folks in Arizona and Nevada didn't get that memo.

Folks in AZ and NV don't have a big problem with moisture, but even there it's
not a good idea as houses breath. The OP was posting from Florida which is a
whole 'nuther story.

I lived in Florida, in a painted stucco house that had no problems
at all with moisture.

The fog coat sounds like a good option. I had never heard of it.

From your link I did find this tidbit.

"...Stucco surfaces that have not been painted can
be completely recolored using Fog Coat."

"...Three-coat stucco systems are designed with
protection against water penetration (i.e. around
windows, doors, cracks, etc.). Any moisture that
penetrates the weather-resistant barrier drains
out at the weep screed."

Maybe the OP will tell us his construction or post a photo on a free
hosting site. . Is there a page that states stucco 'cannot be
painted'?

" wrote:

Painting stucco may be a bad idea in some climates, but certainly not in
Florida. There is no unpainted stucco in Florida, and residential
construction is almost entirely concrete block and stucco. Unpainted
stucco in Florida would take about five minutes to start growing
mildew/mold.

Unpainted stucco does not mean uncolored stucco and the structure underneath the
stucco (block, poured concrete, stud frame) makes no difference. While some
paints are mold resistant, using paint as a primary means of mold control is not
an accepted building practice anywhere that I'm aware of.

Special rules don't apply in Florida for stucco. Here's one link I found in
about 30 seconds for a stucco supplier:

http://www.floridastucco.com/product...bCategoryID=12

Note that they talk about a non-paintable color finish that is weather
resistant.

After the last near miss with hurricanes where I lived,
one report on damage to homes included the finding that older homes had
less damage than newer ones because they had more coats of paint -
wind-driven rain goes THROUGH concrete block.

I'm not surprised. Note that that same water resistance to water entering the
stucco from rain also applies to water leaving the stucco. That's the issue. You
want water to migrate out of the stucco or you will have mold and other
problems.

If external water (ie driven rain) is reaching the block, your house isn't built
properly. There should be a water barrier (like tarpaper, tyvek, but not poly
film) between the block and the stucco.

It is also recommended to
use water-based paint so that the masonry "breathes"; oil-based paint
blisters because it doesn't allow the moisture to exit. All masonry has
some moisture.

That's true, but has nothing to do with painting stucco.

Oren wrote:

Is there a page that states stucco 'cannot be
painted'?

I didn't say can't be painted - said it shouldn't be painted.

http://www.fogcoat.com/

Lots of people do paint stucco, but they create a situation where the underlying
stucco can fail or an environment for mold growth.

On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 15:46:32 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

Poor Florida homeowners...100s of 1000s of them, doomed to paint failure -
and maybe perdition too - just because their stuccoed houses have been
painted.

When painting stucco is outlawed, only outlaws will have painted
stucco.

I'm still here taking notes.

Thanks All.

Hank

On 3/5/2011 3:36 PM, Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

Painting stucco may be a bad idea in some climates, but certainly not in
Florida. There is no unpainted stucco in Florida, and residential
construction is almost entirely concrete block and stucco. Unpainted
stucco in Florida would take about five minutes to start growing
mildew/mold.

Unpainted stucco does not mean uncolored stucco and the structure underneath the
stucco (block, poured concrete, stud frame) makes no difference. While some
paints are mold resistant, using paint as a primary means of mold control is not
an accepted building practice anywhere that I'm aware of.

Special rules don't apply in Florida for stucco. Here's one link I found in
about 30 seconds for a stucco supplier:

It isn't a rule, but there is stuff about Florida that everyone seems to
know as soon as they move down .. trim trees away from roof line and
pick up dropped citrus or you'll have rats. Keep bread and cake in the
fridge or you'll have ants in the kitchen. Everyone gets termites,
sooner or later. Flora-Tam is the best St. Augustine grass. Builders
use concrete block/stucco, period. Parts of structures that don't get
much sun get a lot of mold, so semi-gloss paint will help shed whatever
mold grows on or eats.

http://www.floridastucco.com/product...bCategoryID=12

Advertising claims prove nothing, other than the well-known fact that
Florida is full of sheisters.

Note that they talk about a non-paintable color finish that is weather
resistant.

After the last near miss with hurricanes where I lived,
one report on damage to homes included the finding that older homes had
less damage than newer ones because they had more coats of paint -
wind-driven rain goes THROUGH concrete block.

I'm not surprised. Note that that same water resistance to water entering the
stucco from rain also applies to water leaving the stucco. That's the issue. You
want water to migrate out of the stucco or you will have mold and other
problems.

Well, water entering in 100 mph wind is rather different than normal
migration of moisture from masonry.

If external water (ie driven rain) is reaching the block, your house isn't built
properly. There should be a water barrier (like tarpaper, tyvek, but not poly
film) between the block and the stucco.

Not built properly? It didn't blow down and the roof stayed on. Proof
it was built well enough )

It is also recommended to
use water-based paint so that the masonry "breathes"; oil-based paint
blisters because it doesn't allow the moisture to exit. All masonry has
some moisture.

That's true, but has nothing to do with painting stucco.

Wellllll...if I use water-based paint on stucco, as do all of my friends
and neighbors, I guess it DOES have something to do with painting
stucco. I suspect that stick-built homes with lath and stucco have
different requirements.

On Mar 4, 4:16*pm, Hank wrote:
I want to paint my house. It is stucco over the block. House is about
10 years old. My questions are these:

What is the best paint to use?

There are some hairline cracks, will the paint be thick enough to fill
them? If not, what do I use. They are about the same thickness as a
thumbnail.

TIA

Hank

As others have said elastrometric stucco paint but the best paint in
the world isnt going to do any good if the previous layers were less
than what you are appling now. As with most paint jobs preparation is
everything.. A good paint store is going to be the best source of
info. Local climate is also going to effect your paint selection here
again yourr local paint store is going to have the best info.

Jimmie


Jimmie

On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 02:15:20 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

I'm still here taking notes.

Thanks All.

Hank

So what is the texture of the stucco. You haven't mentioned that yet?

On 3/5/2011 9:44 AM, Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

3. Paint with a good grade acrylic latex;

Painting stucco is a very bad idea. The Stucco Manufacturers Association
recommends fog coating:

http://www.stuccomfgassoc.com/industry/tech.shtml

Here's a commercial vendor of fog coating products:

http://www.fogcoat.com/


I've got a stucco arch on my porch in need of "painting". Fog coating
seems to be cement slurry without sand.

I'm thinking now of just rolling on thin stucco patch with some white
concrete pigment, if it needs it. It all needs done so there is nothing
to match. Does that seem workable?

Jeff

On Mar 6, 2:01*pm, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 02:15:20 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

I'm still here taking notes.

Thanks All.

Hank

So what is the texture of the stucco. You haven't mentioned that yet?

I don't know how to describe it. How would anybody describe a stucco
texture? Does the texture make a difference in how to paint it?

Hank

On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 05:22:49 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

On Mar 6, 2:01*pm, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2011 02:15:20 -0800 (PST), Hank
wrote:

I'm still here taking notes.

Thanks All.

Hank

So what is the texture of the stucco. You haven't mentioned that yet?

I don't know how to describe it. How would anybody describe a stucco
texture? Does the texture make a difference in how to paint it?

Hank

Smooth, rough, Spanish or European style.... Search Google images for
stucco textures.

There would not be a real difference in how stucco is painted.
Cleaning it with a power washer might though. Example, heavy
knockdown texture can be damaged by knocking some texture off.

Use a wide fan spray when you power wash it and you'll be fine.

Good luck.