Can You Paint Stucco?

Short Answer: YES!

A little background on the house and products used

The stucco is completely cured; probably on the house for over 10 years or more; the house was built before 1910.  Before the stucco was put on the home, the house had lap siding.  The stucco was put on the home over the existing lap siding.  The requirements for the project were that the coatings could be:

1. Applied to metal fascia, downspouts and gutters without peeling in the near or distant future.
2. Protect the stucco from moisture/water penetrating the stucco and the underlying lap siding while still allowing the house to breath and moisture to escape the home from the inside out.

As a solution we used Loxon XP, a product from Sherwin Williams, to go on the stucco portions of the home.  We made this decision because of this products ability to resist wind-driven rain from penetrating the exterior side of the paint and soaking into the underlying masonry stucco or wood framing and insulation.  In addition, Loxon XP allows moisture vapors from the interior of the home to escape without interfering with the adhesion or performance of the paint coating.

For all the trim (wood trim and metal downspouts/fascia/gutters) we used a top coat of Sherwin Williams Duration exterior satin paint.  The metal portions of the home (downspouts/fascia/gutters) had Sherwin Williams direct to metal (DTM) bonding primer applied prior to the top coat.  The non-metal wood trim had Sherwin Williams Duration exterior satin paint applied directly over the existing paint without the DTM primer.

The steps we took were as follows:

1. Pressure wash the home to clean dirt and debris from surfaces to be painted
2. Remove downspouts
3. Prep and tape off areas that are not to be painted – such as roof shingles, shrubs, concrete, and decks
4. Prime metal trim with Sherwin Williams direct to metal (DTM) prime coat using airless sprayer
5. Apply Sherwin Williams Duration exterior satin latex finish top coat to all metal and wood trim using airless sprayer
6. Allow 24 hours for trim paint to dry
7. Tape off all trim
8. Coat body with Sherwin Williams Loxon XP using an airless sprayer and back roll the paint to fill hairline cracks
9. Install horizontal trim boards at gable peaks
10. Paint stucco gable peaks with Sherwin Williams Loxon XP (different color than body)
11. Roll horizontal trim boards using Duration exterior satin latex
12. Deprep home
13. Touch up home

Project Overview

Total Time (hours): 100+

Estimated Material Cost: $1,200 (paint, supplies, and equipment, no labor costs)

The Loxon XP product is extremely thick; although the manufacturer suggests that it can be rolled directly onto the surface, we would highly recommend spraying this onto the stucco and back rolling (using a roller like you would paint walls to work the product into the stucco surface).  A lot of ladder work was needed to complete this project as well as a lot of hours taken away from other enjoyable activities.  We were very happy with the way these products sprayed, dried, and performed during their application.

This product reduces the need for a prime coat; although we only applied one coat, we would recommend applying two coats of Loxon XP to the stucco portions of a project.  Based upon our experience with this project we recommend using Brush Masters to professionally apply this product for you (really 100+ hours by yourself or dearest friends – c’mon now), whether you are a:

• builder (residential or commercial)
• remodeling company
• general contractor
• property manager
• restoration organization
• home owner

You can reach Brush Masters at 763-478-3232