Looking after and maintaining your home’s stucco exterior is of great importance for a multitude of reasons. Should any stucco repair work be necessary, getting a professional stucco contractor in as soon as possible is incredibly important for preventing an increase in the damaged and the escalating costs that go with it. The process begins with knowing when a stucco fix is the way forward is to be able to identify any issues as they appear. Here’s how.
Visual
The easiest clue that something is not quite right with your stucco exterior is that there is visible damage to it. This can be in the form of cracks, mold, stains and/or discolouration. These visual indicators can be caused by a number of reasons. Cracks are fairly easy to spot with an up-close inspection and could be a sign of age deterioration or lower quality instillation materials. Mold is often caused by moisture which gets in behind the protective damp proof layer behind the stucco, either because of the layer’s old age and deterioration or because of an improper initial installation. The mold is not always directly visible but can be detected through the appearance of stains and discolouration. An unfortunate thing about inspecting the exterior via the visual method is that if or when you find any of the tell-tale signs associated with damage, it gives you no indication of what the true extent of the problem is. Still, this is your first line of defence in the damage prevention and restoration of stucco.
Utilizing your other senses
Strange as it may sound, scent and touch can also tell you a lot about the condition of your stucco exterior. Differentiating between natural and unpleasant scents is fairly self-indicating and musty odours coming from your walls may be cause for concern, as are places on the stucco surface that are damp to the touch. When applying slight pressure to the stucco, there should be no brittleness and it should not crumble under your fingers. In a case where it does happen, this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Professional testing
This form of testing is simple in that you are not required to participate in a hands-on way at all. Nearly all stucco contractors offer a service exclusively focussing on testing the quality of the stucco on your home’s exterior. It may be more expensive than a simple inspection which you can perform yourself, but it will be thorough and identify a variety of problems while at the same time gaining information about the extent of said problems. The extremity of the test will vary and can range from a hole being drilled through the stucco to the wall behind (which will be filled up afterwards) to infrared machines and other measurement apparatus. This method of testing will give you the clearest picture of the issue with the most detail.
Regular check-ups, whether done by yourself or professionally, is an integral part of owning a stuccoed home and keeping it in a good condition.
