Painting Stucco - Do You Have to?

If you are applying exterior stucco to your home and you don’t like the natural color of the material then painting stucco is an option. There are actually three different ways you can color stucco which include painting, using different stucco mixes, and adding oxide pigments.One thing to keep in mind when painting stucco is that you need to be sure that the wall is ready to be painted. If you have just applied the retaining wall siding then you should wait up to six weeks before applying any type of paint. If you need to repair damaged drywall then you should do this first. Repairing damages should be done prior to applying any type of stucco mixture. It is recommended you repair all cracks and apply new stucco before you attempt to paint.If you want to paint stucco the best paints to use are acrylic based paints. Don’t use oil-based paints because they have a tendency to interfere with the way the paint actually works and dries on stucco. Not only does the paint not remain on the material but the oils in the paint are not good for the material. Acrylic paint is the best option for painting stucco and it should be the only consideration. There are plenty of colors for you to choose from. The best colors of paint that look the most attractive on stucco are the earthy tones. Colors like beige, tan, peach, and sand look the most attractive on this material. However, you can paint a stucco house any color you prefer.There are other ways to choose a color without painting stucco. You can actually add oxide pigment to the stucco mixture prior to applying it to the retaining wall.  Oxide pigments can also allow you to choose different colors. These pigments are added to the finish coat after the top coat of stucco has finished curing. If you do choose to use pigment to color the stucco, be sure to carefully measure the mix of every batch. Obviously one batch is not enough for an entire house. You will need to make the mixture a handful of times. If you don’t pay attention to the exact amount of pigment you are mixing in then the colors around the home will not be consistent.Some people want bright white stucco. The only disadvantage of something like this is if you live in a dusty environment or the desert then the dirt and dust will be more visible. You will need to spray your home down with a hose more often.  Painting stucco is not required if you want white. When mixing the materials for applying exterior stucco, you will want to use white Portland cement, lime, and white silica sand. This will allow the stucco to appear bright white without having to paint it.There are many ways you can change the color of stucco if you do not like the natural grey color it provides when it dries. Painting stucco is an option but you can also change the color of the stucco during the mixing process by using oxide pigments or different stucco and sand mixtures.