That brutal Peoria sun and our occasional monsoon downpours take a serious toll on exterior walls. If you have not looked closely at your Stucco lately, you might be missing early warning signs that can turn into expensive structural headaches down the road. Peoria Stucco & Plastering has spent years working on local homes around Vistancia and Peoria Heights, and catching minor exterior issues early saves homeowners thousands of dollars. Peoria Stucco & Plastering provides Stucco Repair and Stucco Maintenance services for homes in Peoria, Arizona.
Before You Start Your Walkaround
You do not need a truckload of special gear to do a basic health check on your Stucco. Grab a notepad, a camera or your phone, and a small pocket tape measure to gauge Stucco crack widths. Pick a bright morning when the sun hits your exterior walls at an angle because shadows make hairline Stucco cracks and bulges much easier to spot. Walk completely around your house and pay extra attention to areas near the roofline where gutters might be splashing or where sprinklers hit the Stucco walls daily.
What You Can Realistically Check Yourself
Hairline Stucco cracks that are thin as a pencil hair happen on almost every house in our dry climate. You can easily spot these during your weekend walk and take photos to track if they grow over the next few months. Look closely around window frames and doors since those spots shift and settle first. Check for chalky residue on your hands when you rub the Stucco surface, which means the paint or finish coat is breaking down. Look near the bottom of the walls where the Stucco meets the concrete slab or ground. If dirt is piled up against the Stucco wall, moisture gets trapped right against the plaster.
When It Is Time to Call a Pro
Not everything is a do-it-yourself fix. If you see Stucco cracks wider than a nickel, or areas where the Stucco is bulging out like it is holding water behind it, stop poking at it and call Peoria Stucco & Plastering. Hollow-sounding spots when you gently tap the Stucco wall mean the finish has delaminated from the lath underneath. Stains that look like rust or dark water streaks running down from a window sill usually mean water is getting behind the Stucco system. That is when you need a professional moisture meter test to see how far the rot or Stucco damage goes beneath the surface.
Doing a quick perimeter check twice a year keeps you ahead of potential issues. Fix the little things with a bit of elastomeric patch before monsoon season hits, and leave the deep structural Stucco repairs to Peoria Stucco & Plastering.