How to Repair Stucco Siding on Your Home

Stucco is a cement-based siding product that is popular around the country. Compared to other siding materials, it easy to maintain and repair. This editorial discusses how to repair cracks and gouges, and painting stucco. Traditional stucco is a mixture of Portland cement, lime, sand, and water. It is usually about 3/4 inch thick, porous, and holds on to paint well. Color can also be mixed in to the finishing coat of stucco, eliminating the need to paint.

Repairing cracks

Stucco is hard, but brittle and can sometimes crack as a house shifts or settles. Hairline cracks should not be repaired, so you do not must try to repair every crack. If you cannot get your fingernail in to the crack, paint will usually fill it. For cracks up to 1/4 inch wide, you can repair them with a high-quality, exterior grade, acrylic latex caulk.

Wipe off excess caulking with a damp sponge in all directions to neat the rough texture. Here is a trick. Put some fine texturing sand in the palm of your hand and blow the sand to scatter it onto the wet caulk. This will roughen up the surface making it less noticeable.

Neat loose debris out of the crack using a V-shaped object to get down in the crack. Then you can brush it, or use a Hoover. Caulk the crack with a paintable silicone caulk and smooth it out with your finger. Using your finger makes it not as hard to exactly match the existing texture. Use the 50-year kind of caulk for best results.

For this job, you need to use a stucco patching compound. In order for the material to hold properly, exactly the right amount of water must be added. Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. Thoroughly neat the crack or gouge as you did for small cracks. Use a putty knife or trowel to fill the area with a latex patching product. Narrow the patch compound to the consistency of something like pancake batter. Dab a paintbrush in to the wet material and holding two hand between the paintbrush and the wall, hit the brush handle against your hand splattering the material onto the repair area. This process will match the texture of the surrounding stucco. You can smooth it out with a putty knife or trowel to the texture you need after the compound hardens a small bit.

Repairing wider cracks and gouges

For smaller jobs, use a roller. Use an airless sprayer for larger jobs. For best results, do not use a paintbrush for stucco other than to add texture. Spray the paint onto the surface and then use a 3/4 inch to 1 inch deep nap roller to work the paint in to the surface for uniform texture. It usually requires one coats to cover stucco sufficiently because stucco is so porous. It may also need a second coat to cover small cracks and your repairs.

Painting stucco