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There is a Crack in the Stucco! Do I Call a Professional?

By July 20, 2020August 4th, 2021Stucco, Uncategorized
Stucco Damage

Stucco is made of water, binder, and aggregates and becomes a plaster when wet. Often used on buildings and houses as siding or a decorative look on ceilings and walls, it is a very common material. The southern half of the U.S., especially Florida and Texas, use this material more than any other area. It produces cracks upon settling and other issues, but do you need to contact a stucco professional to fix it or can you do it on your own?  Let’s take a look at what to do if there is a crack in the stucco and if you need a professional for the repair.

Stucco repair for crack in stucco.

A Small Crack in Stucco is Usually a Small Repair

Small cracks can appear in stucco as the foundation settles or the home ages. A homeowner can fix small cracks, such as less than 1/8. In fact, it is a great idea to try to do this on your own as it can save you money. However, you don’t want to let a small crack go for too long as it can turn into a bigger issue down the road. You can touch up small cracks with paint or seal it. In fact, you will probably have to repair cracks in the stucco every 1-2 years.  Ultimately if you were to skip out on this maintenance, this can cause larger cracks to allow water intrusion which can make the crack grow larger quicker

How do you fix it? One idea is to use Quickrete to make the repair or get a kit from a local home improvement store, around $5-$30.  The sooner you repair it, the faster you can seal it and hopefully keeping water and moisture out.

Call a Professional if There is a Larger Crack in the Stucco

A homeowner can fix a smaller crack, but larger than 1/8 can be more difficult.  How do you know if it is bigger than 1/8 inch? A great trick is to take an old credit card and see if it fits in the crack. If it does, then it is a large crack.  Large cracks indicate a few things can be wrong:

  1. Installation of the stucco was not properly done when the house was in the building stage
  2. Expansion joints are not in the correct place
  3. The stucco was not applied or mixed properly
  4. Several things could have happened during the building process

Unfortunately, when homes are the building process, no one is supervising the stucco process. Is the home less than a year old? Then it may still be under warranty and a home inspection company can help you. You want a professional’s advice on any of these issues in case a bigger issue may be brewing.

Conclusion

Watch the small cracks in the stucco and make sure they don’t become bigger.  Unfortunately, larger cracks can come with higher price tags for repairs, often ranging in the thousands depending on the size of the repair and location of the home. Various websites can give you estimated costs for the repair job and a professional stucco contractor can do that as well. Don’t wait to take care of any issues! Do you have questions about stucco or have you recently replaced it on your home? Please drop us a line below!