Care and Maintenance of Your Homes Stucco
It is critical to carefully maintain stucco to prevent water intrusion and deterioration. With the proper care and maintenance, your stucco system should give you many years of beauty and function. It is very important that the five following steps be followed to protect your investment.
1. Semi-annually (at least annually) inspect all sealing around windows, doors, penetrations through the stucco, stucco transitions, (such as stucco to brick, stucco to stone), and stucco termination (at roof, at grade, at patios or walkways). Arrange for prompt repair of any areas of caulk that is split, cracking, crazing or is losing adhesion. Also promptly repair any cracks in the stucco.
2. Any leaks, cracks, areas of discoloration, mold or mildew should be promptly investigated by a certified EIFS inspector. Repairs should be proper and prompt.
3. Anytime you make a penetration through the stucco such as to mount a satellite dish, add shutters, new wiring, cables, plumbing, security system, etc, the perimeters must be sealed with a quality sealant approved for EIFS.
4. Modifications, additions or renovations (including roof replacement) to the structure of any kind should be inspected by a qualified EIFS inspector to ensure waterproofing of critical details is properly performed.
5. Periodic cleaning of the stucco is necessary to maintain it appearance and prevent permanent staining. Pressure cleaning equipment must be calibrated to the stucco manufactures recommended pressure level (low) to prevent damage to your stucco. Select a firm with experience in cleaning the EIFS systems.
