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Stucco Patching & Painting
Page 2

Exterior Patching & No Perfect Match
Its quickly apparent from searching on the internet that stucco repair is not written about very much.  Even determining the types of stucco finishes available is difficult, and there is a reason for this. Tim Carter the famous newspaper columnist and contractor, wrote in one of his columns "Patching stucco so that you don't see the repaired area is as difficult as patching a hole in a piece of fabric using scrap from the original bolt of cloth. It is virtually impossible to do. A stucco mason can create an infinite amount of textures depending upon the materials used to create the stucco and the tools used to finish it. Blending the new texture with the original is a true art and craft. If you succeed in creating the illusion, go out and immediately purchase a lottery ticket!"

Though he conveys well the thought that patching stucco is difficult, for  people with experience and patience a good looking (read not noticeable) stucco patch is possible in some situations. 

In many other situations patches that can be seen but are not obvious to casual observers are also achievable.  But unfortunately there are still situations where the correct answer is to re-stucco the entire exterior of the building.

Typical stucco patch where the texture doesn't match

Here's a typical example of what Mr. Carter was referring to. This is sharp sanded stucco with air voids and getting a perfect patch on it is not going to happen.

In the South West exterior stucco finishes comes in several different types and styles and each has its advantages and disadvantages. But before reading the rest of the page please understand the following: Most stucco has a significant number of flaws or marks in it which in a perfect world wouldn't be there. After reading the rest of this article and looking at the photographs you will never look at stucco walls the same way again.

Sanded stucco patch fairly well done

Here's a higher quality patch than the one pictured above it. There is a little shadowing but its not too bad.

The down side to knowing about stucco defects is you will notice the flaws much as a jeweler does when she looks at a diamond. The difference being you don't need a magnifying glass to see the stucco flaws each time you come into or out of your home or office. The "character marks" were always there and obvious to people with the knowledge,  and after reading this you will see them clearly.

For some people seeing the defects and variations is a new and never ending source of irritation.  Knowing that all stucco looks different from various angles and knowing that making a perfectly blended patch is difficult in many situations, we are now ready to proceed to the pages showing the various types of exterior stucco and what the patches look like.

stucco wall painted with high grade acrylic paint (pure flat would look better)

This picture was taken at a local strip mall. A contracting buddy of mine painted it with a high grade paint. The paint job will last a long time and will look better as it ages as the sheen in the paint dies down. The photo was taken from the worse angle possible with the sun in a position to make the variations stand out. From straight on it looks normal.

 

Link to Next Page - Six Types Of Stucco

 

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