Stucco is a great material for the exterior of your home, but it needs some maintenance over time. If you’ve noticed cracks in your stucco, or maybe even if the stucco itself is falling off, there are a few easy steps you can take to fix it up and prevent further damage.
How do I update the stucco exterior house
Repair & Patch Any Cracks
- Use a hammer and chisel to remove any loose stucco.
- Clean the surface with a wire brush, which will help ensure that your patch is flush with the surrounding material.
- Apply masonry adhesive (the same type used to install new stucco) over the entire surface of your repair area. Let it dry according to its instructions (usually 24 hours).
- Once dry, apply another coat of masonry sealant over the adhesive—this will prevent water from entering behind the patch in addition to covering up any remaining cracks or gaps in your old exterior stucco walls for good!
- Scrape off Loose Stucco
- Use a putty knife to scrape off loose stucco.
- Use a wire brush to remove any remaining loose stucco.
- Use a cleaning solution to remove mildew and mold from the walls
Pressure Wash the Exterior Walls
- Pressure washing is the best method to clean stucco. You can rent a pressure washer at home improvement stores or buy one if you don’t own one.
- If your house’s exterior is made of brick, stone, or any other porous material, do not pressure wash it as this could cause damage to the surface.
Apply a Waterproofing Coating
- Once you’ve applied the stucco, make sure to apply a waterproofing coating. This will protect against moisture in the air and any water entering your walls from outside sources.
- You can either use a sprayer to apply this coating or brush it on with a paintbrush. Whichever method you choose will take longer than just brushing on the stucco, but it’ll give better results.
- It’s important that all areas receive an even application of this waterproofing material; if there are streaks or spots where more is needed than in other places, this could cause problems later down the road when trying to fix them.
- It’s also important not to skimp on how much of this waterproofing material you use; make sure that there’s enough left over after applying so that if there are any touch-ups needed they can be done easily without having to re-paint everything again!
Follow these easy steps for fixing your stucco exterior home.
- Repair loose stucco.
- Apply a waterproofing coating to exterior walls using the caulking gun and silicone caulk.
- Pressure wash the exterior walls to remove dirt buildup and any remaining chunks of loose stucco from your home’s exterior wall surfaces, including around windows, doors, and other openings.
- In your home’s exterior walls as well as around roof flashings (the metal pieces at roof edges where shingles meet rafters), then let dry completely before painting or staining it again if desired (this may help prevent future problems with moisture intrusion behind your new coat of paint).
- Scrape off all remaining bits of loose stucco that remain on your house’s exterior surface after pressure washing by hand so that they don’t interfere with applying another coat later down the road when needed!
- This should only take about 15 minutes per small area depending upon how much damage there was originally before starting this project. Ao long as everything else has been done correctly already except maybe some patching here or there which shouldn’t be too difficult.
- Once everything else has been taken care of properly first off like we said earlier–you wanna make sure everything gets done right first before trying anything else
- Otherwise, you will just end up wasting time doing things twice over again later down the line when something goes wrong later down the road with those same exact spots instead.”
How to smooth stucco exterior walls?
The key to a smooth finish is to use a long-handled trowel and roll each stroke as you apply it. You can also use a wide putty knife or wood float for the initial application of stucco, but these tools are not effective for smoothing and finishing because they have rounded edges that create lumps and bumps when used over an entire surface.
If you’re applying stucco to an exterior wall, it’s best to start at the bottom and work your way up. Start by spreading a thin layer of stucco over the entire surface using a long-handled trowel or a wide putty knife. Let this layer dry for two days (or longer depending on weather conditions) before applying any subsequent layers.
Conclusion
There you have it, five easy steps to fixing your stucco exterior home. It’s important to remember though that these steps are only the beginning of a long-term maintenance plan for keeping your stucco home looking great year after year.
You should also make sure to check out our blog posts on other common problems and solutions for stucco exterior homes!
