Stucco repair
Stucco Repair in San Jose, the South Bay and the Peninsula
Cracked, bulging or stained stucco does not usually need a full re-stucco to fix. We repair damaged stucco section by section, correct whatever let water or movement in behind the wall, then match the patch back into the surrounding texture. Jose Dominguez ran plastering crews on commercial buildings for twelve years before starting this company, and the same standard goes on every wall here, house or apartment building.
- Free estimates
- Two year warranty against water intrusion
- CSLB #1044105, Class B and C-35
- 5.0 on Yelp
- Se habla español
The signs that mean it is time for stucco repair
Not every crack means the same thing. A fine crack that follows the texture of the wall is usually cosmetic. A crack you can catch a fingernail on, one that steps like stairs at a corner, or one that keeps opening back up after being painted, is telling you something behind the wall is moving or taking on water.
Bulging or soft sections, and stucco that sounds hollow when you knock on it, point to repair work rather than a cosmetic touch up. So do staining that runs down from under a window or the eaves, chipped or missing patches, and small holes.
What is behind your stucco
Stucco is the outer face of a layered assembly, and a repair only lasts if the layers under it are sound.
Working out from the framing: the sheathing is fastened to the studs, two layers of paper go over the sheathing as a vapor barrier, and metal lath is fastened over the paper. Three coats of stucco go on over that, a scratch coat, a brown coat, and the finish coat that carries the texture.
The question a repair has to answer is which of those layers is still doing its job. A crack is where you find out.
What is actually causing the crack
Stucco cracks for a handful of reasons: normal house settling, movement at a corner or an opening, impact damage, or water getting behind the assembly and swelling or rotting what is underneath. Patching only the visible crack without finding which of those caused it is why a patched crack can reopen while the cause is still there.
Water intrusion is the one that costs the most if it gets missed. Once water is behind the stucco, it can sit against the sheathing and framing long enough to cause damage that has nothing to do with the crack you called about. That is why a free estimate includes a look at what is around the crack, not just the crack itself.
What a stucco patch repair involves
A repair starts with removing the damaged stucco back to sound material, not skimming over the crack. If the lath behind it was damaged by whatever caused the failure, that gets replaced before any new stucco goes back on. So does the paper behind the lath if water got that far. A patch laid over torn paper or rusted lath is a patch with the problem still underneath it.
A three coat wall is built up at about three eighths of an inch for the scratch coat, and about that again for the brown coat. The scratch coat goes on directly over the lath and takes its name from the horizontal grooves scratched across its surface, which are what the next coat grips. The brown coat is mixed to a slightly different consistency for a smoother surface.
What a repair matches is the wall it is going into.
Major repair versus a simple patch
Most stucco repairs stay contained to a section or a single elevation. A major stucco repair, one that opens a large area of wall or exposes framing, gets treated more like a small construction job. Framing gets inspected while it is exposed, and anything found gets priced and approved before the wall closes back up.
Weep screed repair and replacement
A weep screed is the perforated metal strip along the base of a stucco wall. It gives water that gets in behind the stucco somewhere to drain back out instead of sitting against the framing. It is the first piece fastened to the wall, before the paper, before the lath, before any of the three coats go on, and that order is why it is the one piece that cannot be corrected from the outside.
You usually find out about a weep screed from what it has stopped doing. Stucco that stays dark or soft along the bottom of a wall after the rest has dried out. Paint that keeps blistering in the same band near grade. A hollow sound low on the wall but not higher up. Rust streaks bleeding down from the screed line itself.
Two different problems get called the same thing, and they do not cost the same to fix. A screed that is there but blocked, buried under a raised patio pour or a flower bed or landscaping that built the grade up over it, still exists. It just cannot drain. Often that one is not a stucco repair at all, and regrading or cutting the patio back is the honest answer. We will say so, because it is cheaper than anything we would otherwise be quoting. A screed that is corroded through, damaged, or was never installed has to be replaced with new metal, and that means opening the base of the wall to reach it.
How much wall has to come off
Replacing a run of weep screed means taking the stucco off above it far enough to fasten the new metal and lap the paper and lath over it in the right order. That is a band along the base of the wall, not the whole elevation. The review below describes about 36 feet of it down one side of a house, which is a normal run for a single elevation.
[...] The repair work included approximately 36 Ft. of weep screed installed as the stucco was cracking and bulging on that side and 2 access doors installed; also 1 other wall was restuccoed. [...] There is office support that responds immediately to the questions we had along the way; was actually able to speak to a live person!
Matching the existing texture and color
Color is the part that catches people off guard. Sun fades stucco pigment unevenly over the years, so a section that is a perfect texture match can still look like a patch next to a wall that has weathered for a decade. We match texture against the surrounding wall, and you will hear up front when color is going to be the harder half, before the work starts rather than after.
When patching is not enough
A patch fixes a section. It is not the right answer when cracking is spread across more than one elevation, when water has been behind large sections of wall for a long period, or when the stucco is old enough that matching a patch into it is no longer realistic. At that point resurfacing the whole wall, or a full re-stucco, is the more honest recommendation, even when a patch would be the cheaper thing to sell.
You will hear which category your house is in during the walkthrough, before anything is priced. If your project is new construction, a full re-stucco, or converting existing siding to stucco, that work is covered on our new stucco and re-stucco page.
What repair work can uncover behind the wall
Two things that turn up short of rot are torn or brittle paper, and lath that has rusted where water sat against it. You cannot see either one from outside, and both are cheap to put right while the wall is already open.
How a repair runs
- 01
Send photos
Most repairs start with pictures, so the visit is a confirmation rather than a first look.
- 02
Free walkthrough
Usually the same day or the next. Small repairs can sometimes be quoted from photos and a call.
- 03
Written proposal
Scope, material, finish and price in writing, with permits confirmed before we quote.
- 04
Repair and warranty
Two year warranty against water intrusion, material and labor, in writing before work starts.
Permits for stucco repair
Most stucco repair does not require a permit, because it repairs what is already there and does not change the structure. Requirements vary by city and by scope. We confirm with your local building department before we quote, so you are never guessing.
Not sure whether your house needs a patch or a full re-stucco? A free walkthrough will tell you.
Request a Free EstimateHow a stucco repair estimate works
For most repairs we ask for photos first. That gives you a realistic sense of scope before anyone drives out, and the visit is a confirmation, not a first look. Small repairs can sometimes be quoted from photos and a call. Anything larger gets a full walkthrough, usually the same day or the next.
The warranty on repair work
Where we repair stucco
[...] Jose is very professional and timely with communication, making Plastering Solutions easy to work with. The crew is also very hardworking and respectful. Jose is fast with providing a consultation and quote at a reasonable price. I was really surprised by the fair price, especially in this economy. [...]
Questions
Questions people ask about this work
If yours is not here, ask us on the phone. It is a better use of your time than guessing.
Is stucco repair covered by homeowners insurance?
We have not worked a stucco repair as an insurance claim, so budget for it as a direct project and do not count on insurance covering it. If your situation involves a specific covered event, your insurer is the one who can tell you whether it qualifies.
What can a photo settle, and what needs a walkthrough?
A photo settles whether it is small enough to price from the picture. It does not show whether the lath behind it is still sound, how far water traveled once it got in, or whether framing was affected, which are the things that actually set the scope and the price.
How long does a patch need to cure before it can be painted?
Every coat needs time to cure before the next step, whether that is another coat or paint. Because cure time depends on the size of the repair, the material and the weather, we work that out for your specific job and put the real schedule in your written proposal.
Do you repair stucco damage around a leaking window or door?
Yes. Patching stucco back around an opening after a leak is common work. If resealing will not be enough and the window or door itself needs replacing, the stucco patch back is scoped with the replacement, not booked afterward.
Who do I call if a repaired section fails, and how fast do you come out?
Call the same number you called the first time. Yelp calculates our response time at 10 minutes with a 100 percent response rate, and a warranty call gets looked at in person, not diagnosed over the phone. If it traces to the stucco assembly we repaired, the correction is covered for material and labor. Full terms are on our warranty page.
What if the crack comes back?
If a repair treated only the visible crack instead of the cause, that is a legitimate concern with any contractor. Our warranty covers water intrusion on the exterior stucco assembly for two years. If a crack reopens from normal house movement, we will look at it and tell you whether it needs another repair.
My house was built before weep screeds were common. Does one need to be added?
Not automatically. If the base of the wall is dry and the stucco there is sound, there is no reason to open a good wall to add one. It becomes worth doing when that section is already coming off for a repair, or when what you are seeing at the base of the wall says water is getting in and has nowhere to go. You will hear which one your house is during the walkthrough, before anything is priced.
Other things we do on the same house
Free estimate
Send photos. Get a straight answer.
Most consultations are scheduled the same or next day, and the scope, the material, the finish and the price come back in writing after it.
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Se habla español.
CSLB #1044105, Class B and C-35. Two year warranty against water intrusion on exterior stucco.