When stucco installation is done perfectly, it can certainly help make the home more fire retardant, less prone to noise pollution, and more energy-efficient. Nonetheless, if stucco installation is not properly maintained or is poorly installed, countless stucco issues can arise which can eventually severely damage your home.
What Causes Stucco Issues?
Oftentimes stucco related issues are related to water. In most cases, they usually have to do with extra moisture being trapped within the walls in your home.
Here are the most common stucco problems and how to fix them:
1. Staining of Stucco Exterior
If your stucco remains untreated, rainfall can surely take a toll on your home’s exterior. Rain brings with it an array of contaminants that can become absorbed into the stucco and result in stains. Rainwater can also wash contaminants from the windows and roof into your stucco. Ultimately, this can lead to huge deposits of contaminants on your stucco. This leads to the overall deterioration of the substance.
Solution: You should contact a stucco remediation team that will utilize environmentally friendly products to get rid of the contaminants. After this, the professionals will then utilize a low-pressure water spray in order to effectively clean the stucco. Lastly, the experts will apply a water-resistant sealer that prevents similar problems from recurring in the future.
Can you perform this kind of repair yourself in order to save some money? Yes, however, if you don’t have enough experience or instruction from experts, it’s more likely that you’ll end up damaging the existing stucco. Mitigating such damage can end up being much costlier than simply hiring a team to take care of the issue from the start.
2. Mold on Stucco
Mold is constantly a concern every time you deal with issues of excess water retention and moisture. Indeed, mold issues are very serious given that they can damage both the structural integrity of your home and the health of your family. This is without mentioning the unsightly effect that mold can produce on the exterior of your home if it starts to grow on stucco.
Solution: The primary step is to establish and exterminate the source of moisture or whatever is allowing water to accumulate.
Secondly, the stucco affected by the excess moisture needs to be removed. Afterward, you need to identify any potential structural damage and replace it with sound foundations. Lastly, a professional will install another stucco system coupled with a high-end water management system to prevent the recurrence of similar issues.
As with many issues in home remodeling, planning is key to avoiding them in the first place. When it comes to mold growth on stucco, this is no different. An experienced team will be able to foresee potential sources of mold before they apply stucco to your home and prevent you from having to deal with such issues in the future.
Unfortunately, if you don’t know to ask about mitigation steps, it’s possible that the business you hire to complete the work is not doing them.
3. Cracking of Stucco
Two types of cracking problems exist in stucco homes – the more comprehensive ones and the localized issues.
Normally, water damage underneath the surface is the main cause of localized cracking. General cracking might be a result of shoddy workmanship during the stucco installation.
Solution for localized cracking: A professional repair team will work to handle joint work as well as install a coating system that greatly strengthens the stucco system without changing its look.
Solution for the comprehensive cracking: If the cracking is because of more serious flaws as a result of poor
installation, then it is highly recommendable to conduct a complete stucco replacement.
Preventing Future Stucco Issues
If you own a stucco home and are struggling with issues related to moisture, then there is some great news. After you have identified the stucco problem affecting your home, you can always contact a professional to help you address them.
The good thing about talking to an expert is that you do not get a surface-level solution. Instead, you work with him/her to get to the root cause of the specific issue. From there, the two of you work together and give the stucco system a total overhaul with high-quality craftsmanship. This way, you are able to prevent any future issues from taking place.
If you are concerned about the costs of fixing stucco issues in your home such as the ones highlighted above, consider that not taking care of the issues as soon as possible could end up being even more expensive in the long run. Likewise, hiring an inexperienced business to solve the issues simply because they quote you a lower price, can also result in higher costs over time.
We always recommend speaking with multiple vendors before settling on one. Additionally, in researching the business you’re considering giving your hard-earned money to, also look for reviews from past customers online. The majority of the time, it’s easy to find feedback from past clients; such input can prove invaluable in helping you completely mitigate issues with stucco in your home.