Is Elastomeric Coating Right for Temecula Stucco Walls

By the time the first hairline crack has shown through a fresh coat, the decision about the coating was already made. For a stucco house in Temecula, CA, the film thickness set by exterior painting temecula ncw india is heavier than a standard wall paint, and that is the whole case for elastomeric.

What elastomeric coating is

An elastomeric coating is a thick acrylic latex that stays stretchy after it dries. A normal exterior paint forms a hard, thin skin and snaps when the wall beneath it moves. Elastomeric builds a much heavier film, measured in mil thickness, and that film can span a hairline crack and stretch a little as the stucco expands in the afternoon and shrinks overnight. In the Temecula valley the swing between a cool morning and a hot afternoon is large, so the wall is always moving a little.

How it bridges hairline cracks

The coating does not fill a crack. It lays across the top and holds, the way a rubber band holds across a gap. That works for hairlines and for the fine map cracking that stucco gets as it ages. A crack that opens and closes more than a hair is a structural question, and no coating should be asked to hide it. Larger cracks are patched first, primed, and only then coated.

Where it fits well

Elastomeric suits older, textured stucco with a web of fine cracks, and sun-baked walls where the surface has lost its first layer of paint. It is applied with a sprayer and back rolled, or with a deep nap roller, because the product is thick and wants to be pushed into the texture. One heavy coat over proper primer often replaces what would otherwise take two coats of regular paint.

Where a standard acrylic is the better choice

Elastomeric holds moisture in as well as out. A wall that is damp from a leak, a sprinkler hitting the base, or a planter against the stucco can blister under it, because the water cannot escape through the thick film. Newer stucco in good condition, with no cracking, does better under a breathable acrylic topcoat. Wood trim, fascia and doors take enamel or a standard acrylic, never elastomeric, since the thick film cracks on a surface that does not flex the same way.

The catch with recoating later

Once a wall wears an elastomeric coat, later repaints go over it. Standard paint does not bond well to the rubbery surface, so the next coat is usually more elastomeric or a bonding primer first. A wash clears the chalk before any recoat. A painter looking at a house along Temecula Creek or out on the wine country slopes asks what is already on the wall before choosing anything new, because the existing film dictates the options.