Stucco Exterior & Trim — New Windsor

What the job involved

Stucco is not siding and it should not be coated like siding. It's a porous cementitious surface that needs to breathe — trap moisture behind an impermeable film and it will push the coating off in sheets, taking some of the stucco with it.

The first job was cleaning without damaging. Stucco holds dirt and organic growth in its texture, and it's tempting to reach for pressure. High pressure on stucco erodes the surface and opens hairline cracks into real ones. This was soft-washed with the solution doing the work.

Hairline cracks were then repaired properly. Stucco cracks are normal — the material is rigid and the building moves — but they have to be filled with a compatible, flexible material before coating, or they reappear straight through the new finish within a season.

The body was coated with a breathable masonry-appropriate system, and the wood trim, fascia, soffit and window surrounds were prepped and finished separately in the correct exterior product for wood. Two substrates, two systems — using one product across both is a shortcut that costs the homeowner the job's lifespan.

Full scope of work

• Soft wash of the full stucco envelope
• Hairline crack repair before coating
• Breathable masonry-appropriate coating
• Wood trim, fascia and soffit
• Window and door surrounds
• Gable and detail work