Elastomeric Paint over Hardcoat Stucco

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Author Message stuccohomeowner Posted on Friday, February 08, 2002 - 06:04 pm:    We are considering painting over our stucco home with an elastomeric paint to seal the house and to cover some hairline cracks which have appears since the house was built 6 years ago. Any comments or suggestions about specific products? Thanks Anonymous Posted on Monday, July 01, 2002 - 10:33 pm:    My only comment is to select a paint that will let the plaster (stucco) breath. The paint should prevent the larger water molecules from entering the plaster but shouldn't encapsulate the plaster and prevent water vapor from escaping to the exterior. A good elastomeric paint that meets these criteria is made by Tnemec under the brand name "TnemeCrete." Bob Higgins New member Username: Concreterx Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, July 09, 2002 - 12:25 pm:    Also, be careful that the stucco screed is not covered or obliterated. The weep screed should be free to do its job, otherwise rising damp may cause mild to severe subflorescent damage to the coating AND stucco. lou pfeffer New member Username: Loupa Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2002 Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 04:08 pm:    what is the normal life of a drivit coating? if original coating is colored,should it be painted during lifetime? Anne Whitacre New member Username: Awhitacre Post Number: 17 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 07:41 pm:    to answer both questions: 1) to cover stucco, the typical thing we specify here is the Dryvit topcoat -- 100% acrylic coating, with a pretty good mil thickness. The Tnemec is also very good. 2) the life of a Dryvit (or other EIFS) coating, will depend on how it looks. The coating itself is usually given about a 10 year life, but some coatings really pick up dirt and a light colored one can look pretty bad after a few years. I go through a neighborhood in Seattle with a lot of EIFS apartment houses and one by one, all the pale peach, cream, pale yellow and light tan ones have been repainted to darker colors. In a high traffic neighborhood, they are impossible to keep clean. On the other side of the spectrum, one house in my neighborhood that was a deep blue faded and had to be redone after four years. The color will look funny before the coating degrades... so go by that. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI New member Username: John_regener Post Number: 20 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 12:07 pm:    It isn't just pastel colors that have problems. A nearby shopping center featuring big boxes covered with EIFS with deeptone colors requires repainting every 18-24 months. The issue is fading of the pigments used in the acrylic coating. This is a big deal not only for acrylic coatings but conventional paint as well. So, for color stability, check the type of colorant used in the coating and get some assurance that the coating has suitable fade resistance. For deeptone colors, perhaps there is only a short life before fading. For pastels, the issue seems to be color shifting. Either way, pigment quality is the key, in my opinion. Someone more knowledgeable than this spek riter should comment further. Brent Fisher, CSI, Dryvit Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 02:06 pm:    All very good comments. It is important to discuss coatings and textured finishes separately. They respond to environmental conditions very differently. That said: 1) Dryvit finishes are designed to have a lifespan of somewhere around 18-22 years, depending on climate and exposure. In most cases the color will become either dated or possibly fade such that a recoating using a Dryvit Paint Coating or Elastomeric Coating is necessary. A recoating coating will add years to the finish. 2) We have found that the color is not as critical a factor in determining color fastness, as is: a) whether the pigments are organic or inorganic ones, b) the binders used in the product have an ability to "accept" the colorant. 3) Another key ingredient in this keeping the surface clean and free of surface molds. Look for a textured finish or coating that offers the optimum ability to resist mold growth. We use a testing protocol developed in Singapore to test our products, and it far exceeds the Mil Std ones favored in the States. Thanks. Ken Hercenberg New member Username: Ken_hercenberg Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 10:46 am:    Thanks Brent and Bob. You are both a wealth of information as usual. We typically advise building owners to maintain their buildings by planning to recoat every 10 to 12 years and to clean the buildings every 2 to 5 years, depending on need. Brent, can you advise what is the best cleaning method? I would think that a low pressure, hot water wash would make the most sense since we don't want to damage the surface. This would also give the building owner a chance to have the sealant joints at openings (doors, windows, and louvers) checked, since that will probably be the primary failure points, regardless of exterior finish used. The suggestion to use a breathable coating is good advice. If you are having problems with hairline cracks, you may want to talk with the coating manufacturer before applying a new coating since you don't want to just end up telegraphing the existing problem. Keep in mind that the term 'elastomeric coating' is in the eye of the marketing person and does not have a legal definition (just like tastes great, less filling, low fat, etc). EIFS topcoats, Tnemec Envirocrete, Miracote, and Strongcoat are all potentially good products to consider. Good luck. Anne Whitacre New member Username: Awhitacre Post Number: 18 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 01:48 pm:    just as another note: one building owner/manager I know makes a habit of stripping out and replacing the joint sealant every two years on all their eifs and stucco buildings... just as general maintenance. They repaint (recoat) every 5 years. Those are the only buildings of that type I know of that have had no problems with water intrusion. SARA ROP Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 02:20 pm:    I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS USED OR KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT A PRODUCT CALLED PERMASIL? THIS PRODUCT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, CAN BE USED AS AN ADDITIVE TO STUCCO, PAINT, MORTAR, GROUT, CONCRETE, AND WOOD. THIS PRODUCT CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO THESE ALREADY EXISTING SURFACES. THIS PRODUCT IS TOTALLY MOLD RESISTANT, AND STOPS WATER PENETRATION. THIS PRODUCT ALSO ALLOWS FOR WATER VAPOR ESCAPE. William C. Pegues, FCSI, CCS New member Username: Wpegues Post Number: 53 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 02:25 pm:    Permasil (www.permasil.com) is applied to finished surfaces. It is not an additive. At their site, the have a pdf file on the product - which seems to be their only product, no variants of it. William John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA New member Username: Bunzick Post Number: 52 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 08:49 am:    Sounds almost like Sara is promoting Permasil! I do not know the product, but I can be fairly sure that it cannot be "totally mold resistant" and "stop water penetration." It may have additives to inhibit mold growth, as do many products, but it will not be able to completely stop it if the conditions are favorable to the mold. Also, no coating can be certain of stopping water penetration. "Stopping water" makes it sound like there is some leaking now. This is most likely a problem with the stucco it would be going on. If you want to stop the water, you should repair the stucco. A coating may be able to span small cracks, at least temporarily, but eventually as the crack moves the coating will fail again.