There are a wide variety of options for the exterior walls of your home. Brick or siding are of course the most popular, but there’s another type of exterior walls you may see on many homes, and it has its own benefits to bring to the table, but also some items to take into consideration with it’s ongoing care. That home exterior style is stucco.

Stucco is made by combining construction aggregate with a binding agent and water for application, then allowed to dry and harden. You may notice this is identical to the definition for plaster, and the two terms might be used interchangeably, however stucco is usually referring to an external application while plaster for any interior use. Stucco is particularly popular in the southwestern United States, but you may see it from time to time in the greater Cincinnati area on some homes. Typically, stucco is used to evoke that southwestern style, with a feel of a desert facing home on a hot and sunlit day. 

Stucco does have some benefits outside of just a fashionable appearance, however. Stucco exterior on a home will insulate better than most other kinds of siding. Because of the density of the material, stucco holds on to thermal energy, making it slow to heat up and slow to cool down. This means it’s far cheaper to regulate the internal temperature of your home, whether during the hot days of summer or the cold days of winter. Unsurprisingly, this benefit is even more valuable in the southwest, where desert climate often leads to much wider variances in temperature throughout the day. Stucco also has the benefit of being cheaper to repair, since it can be easily patched in part, sealing up cracks or covering over open spots with new material, which can be easily blended with the existing stucco.

Downsides to stucco do exist, particularly in our area. While it is cheaper to repair, stucco can be much more expensive to initially install on your home, as it is a very labor intensive process. The stucco has to be mixed, then applied, usually in multiple coats. Once the stucco has been applied, it can be very susceptible to rain damage, since water can cause the compound in stucco to break down, particularly if special care isn’t taken when applying the stucco. Because of that, stucco is less workable as a “do it yourself” option and is best applied by professionals unless you have the necessary expertise and experience. What’s more, the susceptibility to water means special care needs to be taken when cleaning stucco, making sure you don’t cause damage yourself. 

Regardless of the exterior material on your home, whether it’s stucco or more traditional siding, our team at Kings of Clean has the necessary tools and training to make sure your home is left clean and unharmed when our visit is done. To schedule a home washing, contact us today