Patching or painting your stucco can be very dangerous and if done incorrectly, may lead to structural damage and expensive repairs. Unlike other home building materials, cracks in stucco should not be painted over or quickly filled in because there is always the possibility of covering dangerous water damage that may threaten the structure of your home. This is very dangerous and a lack of experience may lead to far more serious issues, which is why it is always better to hire a professional stucco contractor to complete inspections and repairs of stucco for you.
Stucco homes are beautiful but will experience wear and tear from different elements over time, especially in temperamental climates. Moisture and cold can both cause problems and the continuous cycle of warm and cold weather will cause stucco to expand and contract, resulting in cracks. As water and ice enter these cracks, they will become worse over time and allow moisture to enter right into the walls of your home, which will lead to mold and rotting and this is one of the reasons why you cannot just patch or paint over stucco, no matter how tempting and easy it may sound. Cracks may be an indication of a much bigger and more serious underlying problem, like water damage, and if that is the case, it must be looked at so that the proper repairs can be made.
Reaching for paint or caulk whenever you see cracks in stucco may seem like a good idea but in reality, it is not because you’ll only be covering up a problem instead of fixing it and this can be both problematic and dangerous. Patching or painting over stucco is a lot like ignoring the underlying problem while creating a larger one and you need to remember that both painting and patching are temporary cover-ups and not actual solutions, so if there is existing water damage already in your stucco, then the paint will only peel and crack again. No amount of patching or painting will prevent future cracks and if the root of the problem is not fixed, then you’ll just be wasting your time.
Many people think they’re doing the right thing by filling in the cracks so that moisture cannot get in but they forget that this can seal in any existing moisture, which is something you definitely want to avoid because that moisture will seep into the wood frame of your home’s structure and lead to rotting. Moisture will affect other porous materials of your home’s structure as well, so it’s a very dangerous situation that you want to prevent from happening.
Stucco Wall Systems is a reputable company whose contractors can help with stucco repairs. If you are in the Mississauga, Oakville or Etobicoke areas, give us a call today and we will take care of your stucco needs the right way!