Stucco and Wood Repair

Where Quality Matters

Repair Damaged Stucco and Wood

Does your stucco home have cracks in the finish? Small hairline cracking, also known as settlement cracks, are very common on stucco finished homes. However, these cracks, if left unattended, can pose a risk for water intrusion through the exterior finish and into the wall cavity of your home. Wind-driven rain is not prejudiced. It will take the path of least resistance. Think about it this way. If you take an eight-foot long hairline crack and roll it up into a ball, you’d have a hole the size of a quarter on the wall of your home. Accurate Painting of NWFL can provide a repair solution for all types of stucco problems. Everyone knows the damage wood rot can do to a home. We are experienced in the removal and replacement of problematic wood surfaces.

Stucco was formerly used like plaster, both on the inside and the outside of buildings. In the US, stucco is a common material for finishing home exteriors. It is generally made with Portland cement, sand, water, and sometimes limestone. While you can apply stucco over brick, stone, and other hard surfaces, in older homes it was layered over a wood lathe support. In new homes, it was layered over a galvanized wire mesh.

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Stucco and Typical Problems

While stucco may make an attractive exterior for a home, it has significant problems. No matter how well the installation was done, moisture and cracking afterward can cause much trouble. Unfortunately, stucco tends to be prone to cracking. It is hard, but somewhat brittle. As a home settles with age, that can cause cracking, which makes for water entry.

Stucco can repel water, but only up to a point. Heavy rains, as we see here in the Panhandle, can saturate it, allowing moisture into the stucco’s wood frame and the wood sheathing of a home. Then, mold growth and wood rot can occur. Again, cracking makes this happen faster.

Stucco Repair

As often said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That starts with the original installation of the stucco on a home. Unfortunately, the stucco on many homes was misapplied. Large-scale problems may mean large-scale reconstruction of your home’s stucco.

If you’re at the other end of the scale and you’re just starting to notice long, thin, and shallow cracks, get them repaired now. Letting them go makes them bigger. Moisture retention and rot can start. Even if you don’t see cracks or other kinds of damage, have the stucco sealed to keep moisture from getting in and starting trouble.

If you are in need of general stucco and wood repairs in the Santa Rosa Beach, Niceville, Destin, and 30A area, please contact us today.