In many ways, stucco houses are the easiest to paint, and should be less expensive when bid by a professional stucco painting contractor.  Stucco, as opposed to wood, does not require significant prep work.  It pretty much just needs to be power washed and then it’s ready to go.  There are, however, a few items you should double check with your contractor before he begins painting your stucco:

When painting stucco, will he backroll? 

This means that after one painter sprays the paint on, another painter follows with a roller to “push” the paint more onto the wall and help it adhere better.  Backrolling is not absolutely necessary, though it does help ensure better adhesion to the wall and less likelihood of holidays.  The backroll should happen almost immediately after the paint has been sprayed onto the stucco walls before it begins to dry.

Stucco painting requires no holidays! 

Holidays are areas of the stucco that got missed by the new paint because the texture of the stucco blocked the spray from the sprayer or was too rough for a roller to penetrate.  The best way to avoid holidays to a hire a painter who looks for them as he goes.  To check this, go look at other stucco houses he has painted.  Holidays are easy to spot when the color of the walls is being changed.

How does he plan to fill cracks when using stucco paint? 

The best way to fill cracks in stucco is with a flexible material like caulking that will move with the house as it settles.  In earthquake-prone areas like California, stuccos houses can have so many cracks they look like varicose veins.  One caution is that the filled crack will thereafter have a smooth finish which will potentially stand out once the house is painted. 

Does he mask more or less when painting stucco?

Masking windows and doors is essential.  Since stucco houses are relatively easy to paint with a paint sprayer, it is vital to carefully and fully mask windows, fixtures (doorknobs, lights), electrical outlets, etc. before painting.  One a hot summer day, ask your painter to be strategic how he masks your windows.  You don’t want him to completely insulate the house and then leave the job site, unless you have air conditioning.  Just like the old carpenter’s mantra of “measure twice, cut once,” the painter’s mantra should be “mask carefully, clean up less.”  Paint sprayers, in the hands of non-professionals, can do a lot of damage, leave overspray on concrete, windows and roof shingles.  Also, a paint sprayer can be dangerous if you do not know how to use it.  The sprayer literally “atomizes” the paint to such a degree that if you get your hand too close, it will inject paint under your skin.  Not a pretty outcome!

Does your contractor have stucco paint repair experience?

Stucco repair is a skill that some stucco painters have and some do not.  You can attempt this yourself if you are pretty handy.  Go to Home Depot, but some chicken wire which goes behind the hold, and buy a stucco patch kit.  The big challenge is to get the stucco texture to match.

Click here, to get stucco house painting quotes from professional customer-rated painters.