# Compare Stucco Paint



## smadax (Oct 8, 2008)

We're doing a bid on 5575 sq ft. exterior repaint on stucco, 2-storey townhouse units. We've done basic interior/exterior painting, but not on stucco. I certainly don't wanna have it crack or bubble. :no:

I've been looking at an elastomeric product, Home Depot has it for a reasonable price and claims it's breathable, mold resistant & self primes... any thoughts about our use of this product? Would it be best to use a primer and top coat seperately??

I've looked into Loxon and it's not available in our region, we'd need to ship it from the closest major city. But, it's also extremely expensive and I'd rather use a feasible local product which would give me comparible results.

Would you recommend to roll or spray an elastomeric?
This is a thick product, how many sq ft can we assume it covers per gallon?
Should we go with an alternate product other than elastomeric, such as a regular exterior latex or acrylic??


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## smadax (Oct 8, 2008)

Well, thanks for all the great input... :whistling


After some more research I found the following; 
"Latex Paint vs Elastomeric... There are also swings in the painting industry. Traditionally, stucco and masonry buildings were coated with acrylic latex. But from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s the coating of favor for these surfaces was Elastomerics. Elastomerics are heavy-bodied acrylic coatings that can bridge small cracks, repel water, and retain their flexibility for many years. They seemed like the silver bullet for weatherproofing against soggy weather.

How times have changed! Elastomerics, once seen as a cure-all for almost any leaky situation (including bad building design, compromised caulking, and leaking flashings), are now in some disfavor. Specifiers and property owners are concerned about the limited "breathability" of these coatings, and the possibility that they may trap moisture vapor inside of walls and promote wood decay and mold. Many have swung back to conventional acrylic latex with its better breathability, but limited water repelling qualities.

But, of course, not all Elastomerics are created equal; nor are all latexes. To look at just one criteria, in Elastomerics there are considerable differences in permeability ratings (the higher, the bette,r as it lets the wall breathe), and in acrylic latexes, different products have different percentages of Acrylics (again, higher is better).

Another classification of coatings, called "high build" acrylics, combines some of the best characteristics of conventional latex (breathability) and elastomerics (water repelling qualities and crack-bridging abilities). Perhaps on the pendulum "swing" between the Apollonians and the Dionysians, high build acrylic for stucco and masonry represents a balanced middle point."

Seems the highest recommendation from professionals, was to spray and back roll the product. Neither the Acrylic Latex nor Elastomeric need primer if the surface is prepared properly.
 
SURFACE PREPARATION FROM SHERWIN WILLIAMS; 
"Pressure clean with a minimum of 2100 psi to remove dirt, dust, grease, oil, loose particles, laitance, forgien material, peeling, defective coatings, chaulk, form release agenst, moisture cure membranes, etc. Remove all mildew. Allow the surface to dry thoroughly. Scrape and sand existing peeled or checked paing to a sound surface."

Some suppliers also have semi-elastomeric which is midrange in cost compared between Acrylic Latex and Elastomeric. Loxon Topcoat coverage 120-160 sq ft per gallon.

There is much skepticism about the use of Elastomeric products related to the lack of breathability in comparison to the Acrylic Latex, some professionals have warned against it's use, claiming it causes deterioration of the home due to the build up of moisture. ​


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## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

I would talk to your local paint rep, _not _Home Depot! They will come to your job & help you wright up a spec. for your particular application. Why not ask a product expert who will see your particular job?


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## smadax (Oct 8, 2008)

I've talked to the sales rep from Sherwin Williams, they can't travel to my region because their too far to assist, we've been going back and forth via phone and email only.

I also talked to local paint shop "Color your World" they wouldn't attend the site, but said we should check out a huge apartment complex that was painted in their product 10 years ago. When we got there, the apartments weren't stucco, it was concrete. The paint was still in good condition though, there was no peeling it was just surface dirt and topical water marks... pretty good after 10 years!



> There is much skepticism about the use of Elastomeric products related to the lack of breathability in comparison to the Acrylic Latex, some professionals have warned against it's use, claiming it causes deterioration of the home due to the build up of moisture.


This does worry me and I'm considering going with a high quality 100% Acrylic Latex rather than the Elastomeric. I've been told that it's not necessary to use a primer, but I'd prefer to use primer because I have no idea what type of paint is currently on the units.


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## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

Personally, I'd stick with something like Dryvit or Throcoat over stucco & 100% acrylic on the rest. I've always been concerned with the lack of breathibality that elastomerics have. I do all residential in Chicago and have never used an elastomeric. My understanding is that it is primarily used when "wind driven rain" is an issue, like costal areas. Not an issue for me......


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## JBBS (Jan 17, 2008)

Just for sheetz and giggles, Dryvit has a couple of paint products for EIFS that would work for you. I have used them over faded EIFS with excellent results and im sure they would work over traditional stucco. Dryvit is in Canada so you shouldn't have any problems finding a source.


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## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

Just remembered that I bid a job late last year for a residential elastomeric over stucco. It had previously been coated with BASF "Flexcoat" I priced out the same materials at the time & it was $131.39 per 5 USD. Customer said he had been in the house about 5 years and thought it had been painted about 7 years ago. It was in fair shape for seven years. I dont think it looked any better than an acrylic after the same amount of time. Hope that helped. :thumbsup:


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## smadax (Oct 8, 2008)

*primal concerns*

Sounds good, thanks guys I'll check it out.



> This does worry me and I'm considering going with a high quality 100% Acrylic Latex rather than the Elastomeric. I've been told that it's not necessary to use a primer, but I'd prefer to use primer because I have no idea what type of paint is currently on the units.


What do you figure, will the product be fine to apply w/o primer if the surface is prepared properly?


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