Among homeowners, stucco can often have a bad reputation, but truth be told, it’s unearned. When stucco is installed correctly, it can help make your home more energy efficient, fire retardant, and less susceptible to noise pollution.
The bad reputation, however, comes from stucco exteriors that are poorly installed or not properly maintained, which can cause many water-related issues which end up damaging your home, the most common being excess moisture getting trapped in the siding.
So, what happens when moisture is able to seep into your stucco walls without a path for drainage? These are three of the most frequent issues we run into as stucco remediation professionals.
3 Problems Caused by Excess Moisture in Stucco
- Stains – The contaminants found in rainfall can wreak havoc on untreated stucco. Rain can also wash contaminants from roofs and windows onto the stucco. Overtime, these contaminants can build up, form stains, and start to wear away at the stucco. The best way to prevent this is to have your stucco installed properly by exterior building envelope specialists who understand the entirety of a complete stucco system. The first step in fixing this is to have your stucco evaluated during a consultation with the same such specialists.
- Cracks – Cracking can happen when water-logged stucco begins to buckle in some areas and shrinks in other areas. The likeliest solution to cracks caused by poor installation and failed stucco is a complete remediation.
- Mold – Of course, where water is allowed to sit, mold is always a concern. Mold and rot can cause health problems for those living in your home, and it’s best to address the root cause of the issue right away. After all, simply tearing down the existing stucco and putting new stucco on-top of the moldy materials won’t help. The mold must be completely removed and a new system that is able to keep your home dry must be installed.
Wondering If Stucco Remediation is Right For Your Home?
We know that terms like remediation, repair and replacement get thrown around by contractors and that it might be confusing what’s really best for your stucco. Our goal is to educate our clients so that after a thorough consultation, they understand exactly what we think is causing the problem and our best advice for finding a solution that goes beyond surface-level. Reach out to us today to set up a consultation!
