Repairing & Sealing Cracks in Stucco
If you’ve heard the term stucco, it’s because it is all over your home. It is a fine plaster used to cover wall surfaces. Made up of aggregates, a binding agent and water, stucco is applied to surfaces wet and, as it dries, it hardens into a durable, solid coating.
Despite being very durable, the rigid nature of stucco means that cracks and holes can develop over time due to impact damage. When a crack or hole appears, it is important to seal it as soon as possible to prevent further damage.
How to Repair & Seal Cracks in Stucco
Follow these quick and easy steps to repair your stucco damage:
- Step 1: Using a chisel and a hammer, widen the crack to ¼ of an inch. The edges of the crack should either be beveled to an inverted “V” or vertical.
- Step 2: Remove any deteriorated pieces of concrete and brush away any loose materials.
- Step 3: Using a standard caulk gun with a stucco repair mixture, which can be found anywhere that sells paint and hardware supplies, fill the crack or hole.
- Step 4: Use a wet towel to smooth over the new stucco to match with the surrounding stucco finish.
Once the crack or hole is filled, allow it to dry for the next 24 hours. You will notice that despite having dried for 24 hours, the fix will feel flexible to the touch. This is actually a good thing. If the wall where the crack was should move slightly or shift in the future, instead of the patch coming undone, it will simply adjust. Now that you have repaired and sealed off the crack, you can rest assured knowing no precipitation will be getting inside and causing more damage.
