Stucco is a long-lasting and aesthetically beautiful exterior material used on many homes and buildings. Its ability to withstand the elements, control temperature, and provide an attractive finish makes it a favorite choice among homeowners. However, stucco, like any other material, is susceptible to corrosion and damage with time.
If your home has stucco, understanding when to seek professional repairs might help you avoid more significant and costly problems. Stucco damage typically begins tiny, but if left untreated, it can jeopardize the structural integrity of your home. Here are seven telltale signs you must know before contacting a stucco repair specialist.
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Hairline Cracks
A few tiny, hairline stucco cracks are normal and should not cause alarm. Property owners in Philadelphia should periodically inspect areas with hairline cracks to ensure that they have not worsened, but they are primarily a cosmetic issue. Widened cracks or substantial hairline cracking, on the other hand, are a clear sign that you want stucco repair. Large cracks wider than a quarter of an inch should cause concern for homeowners since they can signify a significant structural issue.
To keep these issues from worsening, contact the best stucco repair company in Philadelphia as soon as you detect these warning signs.
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Crumbling & Loose Stucco
If you have areas of stucco that are significantly cracked and chipped, or even loose bits falling right off the wall, that is a major issue that must be handled. Crumbling and loose stucco can occur for various causes, including pest infestations, ground vibrations, settling, old age, and, naturally, water damage. However, if it starts cracking, the situation will worsen quickly since the damaged siding allows moisture, causing even more severe damage if not stopped by a stucco repair professional.
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Stains on Exterior Walls
When you notice unsightly stains on your exterior walls, you may be tempted to simply cover them up with a few dabs of paint—but there’s no point in correcting the appearance of your walls if you don’t first address the underlying cause of the problem because the damage will reoccur in a short period.
If your stucco has developed stains, it may be a sign of aging and a signal that you need the siding replaced. If the stains are vertical black or rust-colored streaks, you won’t have to search much further than your cracked or overflowing rain gutters to locate the source.
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Dents or Softened Patches
Is your building’s stucco patch indented? We’re not talking about chipping here; rather, the stucco appears to be intact but is concave in specific areas. If you touch the indented places, they may feel soft, or you may discover a few non-indented soft.
This is a major issue that requires stucco repair as soon as possible because it signals that water is accumulating behind the stucco layers containing the asphalt-infused paper and metal mesh layers. A moisture barrier, such as house wrap, should be placed beneath the paper and mesh, but it can only keep water out for so long until it seeps into the interior of your walls.
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Interior Moisture Damage
In terms of moisture entering the walls, it is not uncommon for damage to go unnoticed for long enough for interior water damage to appear within your home. Of course, there are other potential sources of water damage, such as a leaking roof, attic rain, or a hidden plumbing leak—but damaged siding is a strong possibility. Interior moisture damage can manifest in a variety of ways, including:
- Brown water stains and softened drywall patches are examples of damage to the walls and ceiling.
- Rotting hardwood floors or wooden interior trim elements including window frames, door jambs, crown molding, and baseboards.
- Soggy carpet or strange puddles on the floor.
- Energy costs on your monthly power bill have climbed, even though your active energy usage has not changed.
These are not good things to be happening in your home. Stucco repair may be required to stop them, but you will most likely need other work done such as drywall replacement, flooring replacement or repair, wood rot repair, and perhaps insulation replacement.
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Plant Growth
When stucco develops a covering of organic growth, such as algae or moss, it becomes unsightly and can harm your property’s curb appeal. However, vegetation can also create additional wear and tear damage, hastening the degradation of your siding.
This commonly happens toward the bottom of exterior walls because when rainwater strikes the ground strongly during a storm, it bounces up and splashes on the bottom two feet of the building’s façade, creating the moisture-rich conditions required by plants like moss and algae. It may also occur if you have plants and trees pushing their water-laden leaves against your exterior.
Plant growth can usually be removed by gently scrubbing it with a solution of water, bleach, borax, and soap, but it’s also a good idea to consider measures to reduce the amount of water getting on your siding, such as relocating bushes or trimming back tree branches.
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Impact Damage
Stucco is rather strong and durable, although it does have limitations. If someone kicks a soccer ball hard against your outside wall, it is scratched by a vehicle during a 20-point parking maneuver, it is hit by a falling tree branch or any of dozens of other scenarios, it will sustain impact damage and require stucco repairs.
In the end!
However, anyone who has already experienced hail damage to their property understands that a strong hail storm can cause the most severe impact damage. While each hail strike is generally minor (unless we’re talking about golf-ball-sized hail), the damage is frequently extensive throughout the structure. Most examples of impact damage that requires stucco repair may be handled quite quickly by specialists, but hail damage may necessitate more serious measures, such as replacement.
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