Stucco takes paint differently
Stucco is rough, porous and full of tiny peaks and valleys. Paint on it has to fill the texture, bridge hairline cracks and still let the wall shed water. That makes a stucco repaint its own kind of job, with its own cost drivers. This guide lays them out; it doesn't give prices, because those depend on the wall in front of the painter.
Figures for the station
NOAA's engineering weather data for Fort Huachuca/Libby list about 16 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year, a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.0 inches per hour, and a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet).
Freeze-thaw cycles are the figure most tied to stucco coatings. Water that gets into cracks can expand when it freezes, and a coating that keeps water out of the cracks helps the wall. A rainfall rate describes how hard rain can come down at its heaviest; wind describes how hard it can be driven against a wall. Neither is a forecast; they're design numbers.
Cost drivers, one by one
Wall area and height
Stucco repaints are priced from the wall area to be coated, less large openings. Two-storey walls, gable ends and walls on slopes need taller ladders, planks or lifts. Parapets and decorative bands add time.
Washing
Dust, chalk from old paint and any grime have to come off. A pressure wash at the right setting cleans the texture without blasting the surface apart. Then the wall needs time to dry, since stucco holds water.
Cracks and patches
Hairline cracks may be bridged by the coating itself. Wider cracks need to be opened up, filled with a compatible patch, and textured to match. Patches that aren't matched will show through the new paint as smooth spots or shiny outlines. Count on this being one of the biggest variables between quotes.
Efflorescence and stains
White, powdery deposits on stucco are salts carried out by moisture. They have to be brushed and cleaned off, and the moisture source looked at, or they'll push the new paint off. Rust stains and water marks may need a stain-blocking primer.
Primer
New patches and bare areas usually need a masonry primer, because fresh stucco and patching compounds can be highly alkaline and can damage paint applied too soon. Chalky walls may need a conditioner. A full prime coat adds labor and material.
The coating
- Acrylic masonry paint: the common choice; breathes and recoats easily.
- Elastomeric coating: a thick, flexible film that can bridge small cracks, but it holds moisture in if the wall gets wet from behind, and it changes how future repaints are done.
- Number of coats and film build: thicker coatings take more material and more time.
Our exterior painting page explains the trade-offs.
Application method
Stucco is usually sprayed and then back-rolled, which works the paint into the texture so there are no pinholes. Spraying alone can leave the shadow side of each bump bare. Back-rolling takes a second person or more time, so it shows up in the price.
Masking and trim
Windows, doors, light fixtures, roof edges and hardscape all need covering for spraying. Wood trim, fascia and doors are usually painted separately, often by brush, in a glossier finish. Ask whether trim is included.
Lead and older coats
EPA runs its Renovation, Repair and Painting program in states it has not authorized, and Arizona isn't among the states EPA lists as running their own EPA-authorized programs. If old paint on the house might contain lead, ask how scraping and sanding dust will be contained and collected.
Questions to put in writing
- How do you measure the wall area?
- Which cracks will you repair, and how?
- Will patches be textured to match?
- Is the wall being primed, fully or only at patches?
- What coating, how many coats, and will it be back-rolled?
- Is trim included?
- How long will you wait after washing before priming?
Our pricing guide and our sheens guide cover the other choices you'll make along the way.
Keeping it longer
After the job, keep sprinkler spray off the walls, and look each spring for new cracks, especially at window corners. Sealing small cracks early can keep a stucco repaint from becoming a stucco repair.