Painting Stucco

Can I roller stucco or should I rent or buy a wagner sprayer?

Thanks

Dereck, What ever you do don,t buy one of those Wagner Home sprayers. They are junk. You can use either a roller or rent a quality sprayer from Shewin Williams etc.If you go with the roller use the longest nap you can find and keep in mind that you will use a lot of elbow grease to get good coverage A sprayer can be a little tricky to use if you have no experience and I think that hand application gives a longer lasting finish but thats an old fashioned view. Make sure that you do a good job prepping the stucco before you paint. Thats 90% of a good job. If I were you I would think about hiring a pro. there’s a lot of differance between smearing on some paint and a quality paint job. By the way did I mention that I have over 20 years experience as a painting contractor? Feel free to PM me

Hey Derek, hope everything is well. I agree with looking into a pro. I attempted to paint my moms stucco house before she moved to a town home. Rented a sprayer but had to fight the slight breeze and it was a pain in the . Ended up using a thick nap roller and it took quite a while for good coverage. Be sure the house is spotlessly clean from dirt, bugs, cob webs, ets… That really slows it up. Good Luck. Love2Fish

I totally agree with the other guys about the house being as clean as possible. You might want to power wash it before attempting to paint it. I’ve done a considerable amount of painting and stucco is as difficult to paint as is an old brick wall. Thick knap rollers will work but they waste paint and don’t always give you the best coverage. I have found that a stiff bristle brush works as well as anything. You can work the paint into the low spots easier than with a roller and you get an even coat with very few drips and runs that you will get if you use a roller. You can cover a good 30% to 50% larger area using a brush than you can using a roller especially on a rough surface like stucco. Whatever you do buy the best paint you can. You want something that covers in one coat and sets up fairly fast so that you don’t get many runs. I would suggest a high quality oil based enamel which will hold up the best over time and usually covers much better than a latex. Spraying also would work but I’d stay away from the Wagner power painters. I know lots of people who have them but nobody that likes them. If you do decide to spray wait for a dry day with little or no wind and low humidity. Fall days are the best time for painting outdoors. This time of the year you should be fishing.

Eyehunter

I have a friend who is a retired lather (the “framework” for stucco). His cabin is stucco, his garage is stucoo, and yes his former outhouse is stucco . He swears up and down that stucco should never be painted…and then he’d say, and by the way NEVER paint stucco. Something about sealing in moisture and not allowing it to breath…asking for it to crack. If you want any more detail I’ll see him in a couple of days.

Do not use enamel on your stucco. It may cover a little easier but it will not bond with the stucco and you will be repainting in a couple of years.I have painted more than a few stucco homes and have not had any call backs for cracks nor have I heard of it before now.You can see from the posts that everyone thinks they’re a painter. Hire it done and you will be insured and have a warrenty to fall back on plus a job that will last much longer than the money saved by doing it yourself.

I have heard not to paint Stucco also?????

I Power washed sprayed and back rolled mine at it looks great.

If it’s a newer home with stucco, it is probably an EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system). Some of this stucco is silicone based and latex paint won’t adhere to it. Also it is very important before you pressure wash it to make sure all of the caulking around windows and doors and any other penetrations is in good condition. EIFS tends to fail when water penetrates behind the surface. I agree with the other guys and say hire a professional who has dealt with this surface, otherwise you may end up with problems.

Heres what i know about stucco. Its an exterior application that the binder is concrete motor. Sand is the filler and the strengths in the sand and lime. Ive painted stucco but it has to be done right. Any concrete has to be dry otherwise when ever you seal the surface the water in the concrete has to evaporate from the reverse side. If concrete stays wet most of the time then occasionally dries it rots, becomes soft then falls apart. I’ve never heard to never painting stucco but if hes stucco’ed all his life he probably knows some of the quirks that are in the personality of stucco. All the concrete applications i’ve ever painted i used a breather type primer and paint. Doing this helps the moisture transfer back and forth through the paint other wise the paint peels and the concrete or stucco may eventually fail. Good primer and paint lets water transfer back and forth through it so water dosen’t get trapped behind it then forceing peeling to happen. Myself i’d stay away from an oil based primer or paint that dosen’t breath. Oil is known for sealing completely because its a good stain blocker and most stain sealers are oil, the heavy duty ones are, the light duty sealers are water based. You can use an oil primer on concrete but again an exact science dosen’t apply here. If you paint the surface go to a reputable paint store and buy a good primer and paint that breaths. Trapping water behind paint is the leading cause of paint failing. Use a breather type primer and paint and it will stay bonded to the surface for as long as the local conditions apply here. If theres mold and stain on the surface pre wash with tri-sodium phosphate, this is a good cleaner and etcher and get rids of any mold. Wait until the surface completely dries for priming or painting. If its smooth stucco instead of rough stucco you can spray it on but back rolling it with a 1/2″ to 3/4″, even a 1″ nap roller should be done to force it into those little nooks and crannies, spraying alone won’t do it unless its smoother stucco than that. Rough or more textured stucco should be back rolled or back brushed if your going to spray to get the paint on the surface. If its rough stucco look for runs and sags after you’ve back rolled because the paint settles in creaveces, builds up and drips. Concrete and lime applications can be painted but it has to be able to breath to get the best life out of the primer and paint. Concrete and stucco holds alot of water when wet and will fizz like an alka seltzer if you drop a concrete brick in a bucket of water because of all the air in the concrete and water entering and displacing the air. I avoid painting the south side in the heat of the day because the paint dries to quick and dosen’t anchor propper, this is what oil applications are for, to be able to dry slow, to soak in and anchor. I like to paint in the cooler months on the south side or early in the morning. When its real hot its a good idea to wet the surface down some too cool it down and this helps the paint to dry slower. Use a good name brand paint for exterior applications especially and use thier better quality in store paints, i use Sherwinn-Williams and Benjamin moore paints, Pittsburg paints are good too. I don’t want to mention who i think the marginal paints are (possible liability) but if your curious e-mail me. There are good primers and paints on the market for this type of painting. It can be done but use quaility products and do it right, the paint store will give you the right advice for your area.

Derek, Hook is the QA Manager at Wagner. He would be the guy to talk to. I believe they make the sprayers for Sherwin Williams.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Tuck, Hooks and I will be talking smart at the fry.

We also have a stuco house and used Wagner product to paint it! Yep, Hooks like to talk smart, and most times he is

Heres another hint, when the preps done and your ready to prim or paint. Always apply caulking over a primed surface. Pimer is a surface stabilizer and the caulk will adhere to it. Youve seen times when the caulk seems to be coming out and you pull on it and the whole ribbon or rope comes out of the crack. This won’t happen when you prime the surface of the crack with back brushing or rolling. This give the caulking something to adhere too besdies the marginal surface on the walls in the crack. After you’ve caulked the crack push it in as deep as it will go with your finger to force it in the crack. After a few feet has been done use a wet sponge and wipe across the crack not with the length of the crack or it takes some of the caulk out. This also gets rid of that glazed surface that shows through the paint because of the diffrence on surface textures. It hides alot of cracks almost completely and then its able too look nice instead of a long shiny surface the whole length of the crack. Rinse the sponge when needed. The caulk then has something to adhere too in side the crack. Most people don’t know thats the reason why caulking comes out, if you prime the crack inside and out caulk will adhere to it.