The paint on my stucco on concrete block house is chalky and peeling
and even cracking in a couple of places. Everyone here, in south
Florida, seems to pressure wash stucco before painting, but I am
wondering whether scraping then scrubbing with bleach and detergent
would be just as effective.

Here's a link, hopefully, that shows the cracking paint:
http://i51.tinypic.com/16hte2f.jpg

The stucco has what is referred to as a smooth finish, though I've
also heard it called a sand finish. But it's basically pretty smooth,
especially with several layers of old paint on it.

If a pressure wash is the way to go, what power of washer would be
necessary to clean it up?

If scrubbing would work, what kind of mixture would be best?

Thanks.

On 3/10/2011 12:12 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:56:27 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The paint on my stucco on concrete block house is chalky and peeling
and even cracking in a couple of places. Everyone here, in south
Florida, seems to pressure wash stucco before painting, but I am
wondering whether scraping then scrubbing with bleach and detergent
would be just as effective.

Here's a link, hopefully, that shows the cracking paint:
http://i51.tinypic.com/16hte2f.jpg

The stucco has what is referred to as a smooth finish, though I've
also heard it called a sand finish. But it's basically pretty smooth,
especially with several layers of old paint on it.

If a pressure wash is the way to go, what power of washer would be
necessary to clean it up?

If scrubbing would work, what kind of mixture would be best?

Thanks.

I have a 2700 PSI 3GPM washer and I use the 40 degree nozzle so it is
a wide fan spray that knocks down the power quite a bit but goes fast.
Be careful with too much power. It will eat that stucco right off the
wall.

My 2,000 psi machine might too. It ate concrete facing off tar treated
block.

In article ,
"dadiOH" wrote:

I had my central Florida house painted last summer. The guy pressure washed
it first, bit of chlorine added, no idea of what power. I was flabbergasted
at how well stuff cleaned up!

Maybe the chlorine bleached the dirt, mold, and spiders so you couldn't
see them.

On 3/10/2011 12:12 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:56:27 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The paint on my stucco on concrete block house is chalky and peeling
and even cracking in a couple of places. Everyone here, in south
Florida, seems to pressure wash stucco before painting, but I am
wondering whether scraping then scrubbing with bleach and detergent
would be just as effective.

Here's a link, hopefully, that shows the cracking paint:
http://i51.tinypic.com/16hte2f.jpg

The stucco has what is referred to as a smooth finish, though I've
also heard it called a sand finish. But it's basically pretty smooth,
especially with several layers of old paint on it.

If a pressure wash is the way to go, what power of washer would be
necessary to clean it up?

If scrubbing would work, what kind of mixture would be best?

Thanks.

I have a 2700 PSI 3GPM washer and I use the 40 degree nozzle so it is
a wide fan spray that knocks down the power quite a bit but goes fast.
Be careful with too much power. It will eat that stucco right off the
wall.

Pressure washing is the only way to go...you want to remove not only
dirt, but loose paint. You want also to pay attention to
weather...allow at least two days of dry weather after p.w. and before
painting. You should prime any areas that clean down to bare stucco.

Our condo was painted by a contractor and had had badly peeling paint
with a lot of mildew under the paint...probably not p.w. before the
previous paint job. The contractor sprayed the walls with bleach
solution before pressure washing, which seemed odd to me but worked out
to a very satisfactory job. We had loads of loose paint blasted off by
pressure washing and we devised a pretty neat system for capturing all
the paint debris for disposal. I had used bleach previously (1:10 with
water) to clean bad mildew from behind some plants, with no damage to
plants or lawn - just rinsed it well, no major deal. Prior to the
painting, my husband and I repaired quite a few damaged spots on the
concrete block/stucco...corners knocked off by mowers, block broken away
around dryer vents, etc. We used latex stucco patch (sanded), using two
coats if the defects were larger...our stucco was more textured and I
made the patches match by hitting them with a bristle scrub brush. If
you need to patch, it's pretty easy to use and scrape away until you are
satisfied. That was 2001, and it has held up very well. Our bldg. was
about 40 y/o, and quite a few fine cracks in the stucco, and contractor
used brushable caulk to cover those prior to painting...much easier that
smooshing with your fingers if there are a lot of cracks.

You may also want plastic tarps to cover landscaping with, but have to
be sure to remove tarps right away so plants don't get burned.

On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:56:27 -0800 (PST), yo
wrote:

The paint on my stucco on concrete block house is chalky and peeling
and even cracking in a couple of places. Everyone here, in south
Florida, seems to pressure wash stucco before painting, but I am
wondering whether scraping then scrubbing with bleach and detergent
would be just as effective.

Here's a link, hopefully, that shows the cracking paint:
http://i51.tinypic.com/16hte2f.jpg

The stucco has what is referred to as a smooth finish, though I've
also heard it called a sand finish. But it's basically pretty smooth,
especially with several layers of old paint on it.

If a pressure wash is the way to go, what power of washer would be
necessary to clean it up?

If scrubbing would work, what kind of mixture would be best?

Thanks.

Use a diluted bleach, NOT a sudsy detergent. Power wash with a wide
fan spray. Soak the walls, apply the bleach solution, allow to set a
few moments / minutes if you have mildew or such. Then rinse from top
to bottom.

Keep in mind you are also rinsing dirt out of the stucco. Judge the
pressure of the water/ distance and back away, so you do not damage
the stucco. The idea is to wash and rinse. Let it dry before you
paint.

I believe stucco over block is pretty thin so be careful with the
power washer.

THE ANSWER IS YES, NO, MAYBE, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NEVER, MAYBE, AND I
DON'T HAVE A CLUE.

There are MANY different variations of stucco, and if I could deduce your
particular type and problem, I would be working for the NSA at roughly $5
million a year.

Stucco is applied in stages.

Each stage's integrity depends on the stage before.

There are different stages, some being just sand, concrete, colorant, or
some binder, such as an acrylic or some adhesive outside the parameters of
sand, concrete, and whatever they throw in there.

Once you want to "clean" such stucco, it can come apart with the ease of a
fingernail pulling off one layer from another.

So, it is an equation that has variables.

If you have a loosely adhering level of stucco, you will find out really
quickly when you just blow a 3' x 3' hole in your stucco.

Easy is the best approach.

Scrubbing can take off flimsy surface coatings as fast as a power washer.

The trick is to find out what you're working with, then deal with that.

Don't go at it with a power washer, or you will quickly find out if you have
a soft vulnerable area or stucco.

HTH

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
Read up and prepare.
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com
www.heartsurgerysurvivalguide.com

On 3/10/2011 7:20 PM, Steve B wrote:
THE ANSWER IS YES, NO, MAYBE, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NEVER, MAYBE, AND I
DON'T HAVE A CLUE.

There are MANY different variations of stucco, and if I could deduce your
particular type and problem, I would be working for the NSA at roughly $5
million a year.

Stucco is applied in stages.

Each stage's integrity depends on the stage before.

There are different stages, some being just sand, concrete, colorant, or
some binder, such as an acrylic or some adhesive outside the parameters of
sand, concrete, and whatever they throw in there.

Once you want to "clean" such stucco, it can come apart with the ease of a
fingernail pulling off one layer from another.

So, it is an equation that has variables.

If you have a loosely adhering level of stucco, you will find out really
quickly when you just blow a 3' x 3' hole in your stucco.

Easy is the best approach.

Scrubbing can take off flimsy surface coatings as fast as a power washer.


The trick is to find out what you're working with, then deal with that.

Don't go at it with a power washer, or you will quickly find out if you have
a soft vulnerable area or stucco.

Pressure washing stucco/concrete block is SOP in Florida...standard,
routine. Yes, it's possible to etch your name in concrete with a
pressure washer, but one quickly realizes they are too close or have the
pressure set too high. I definitely would not use it on wood, as it
turns the wood to fuzz. The stucco I'm familiar with has some
texture...not the deep troweled texture, but sanded or a bit more than
that (dabbed with a brush)....there is no way to get loose paint off
such a surface unless one picks it piece by piece. With all the
retirees in Florida, none has enough time left to resort to that )

I would take pains to pick/dig dried caulk joints and repair them, as
well as searching out any other gaps (plumbing and/or electric entries)
to caulk them - around hose bibs, dryer vents, etc. Those who want a
coat of paint below grade can just blast away with the p.w. (pro's do
it), dig a little ditch whilst they clean the masonry; prime bare
masonry, paint, throw the dirt back in....the color goes down to soil level.



HTH

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
Read up and prepare.
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com
www.heartsurgerysurvivalguide.com

On Mar 10, 10:56*am, yo wrote:
The paint on my stucco on concrete block house is chalky and peeling
and even cracking in a couple of places. *Everyone here, in south
Florida, seems to pressure wash stucco before painting, but I am
wondering whether scraping then scrubbing with bleach and detergent
would be just as effective.

Here's a link, hopefully, that shows the cracking paint:http://i51.tinypic.com/16hte2f.jpg

The stucco has what is referred to as a smooth finish, though I've
also heard it called a sand finish. *But it's basically pretty smooth,
especially with several layers of old paint on it.

If a pressure wash is the way to go, what power of washer would be
necessary to clean it up?

If scrubbing would work, what kind of mixture would be best?

Thanks.

Chalking is not normal for Latex, I would take samples to a pro paint
store to see what you have, Oil chalks and the Chalk must be removed,
Stucco chalks. Dont just think latex paint and a quick wash is best,
you could make a bigger mess.