Homeowners in Davis, California often look at the exterior walls of their Davis home and realize the finish has seen better days. The color is faded from our brutal Central Valley sun, and tiny hairline cracks are starting to multiply. When property owners call Skyline Stucco Davis about this issue, they are usually wondering if they need a complete overhaul or just a fresh surface coat. That is where Stucco Redashing comes in. Skyline Stucco Davis answers the actual questions heard every week from homeowners out in the older neighborhoods near downtown or over in the newer West Davis tracts.
What actually is Stucco Redashing, and how is it different from painting?
Painting puts a thin layer of color over your existing wall. Stucco Redashing means Skyline Stucco Davis applies a brand-new, eighth-to-quarter-inch layer of cementitious finish coat right over your old stucco. We bond it mechanically and chemically so it acts like a brand-new skin. If your texture is worn down, chalky, or peeling from poor past paint jobs, paint will not fix that. Stucco Redashing fills minor imperfections, restores a crisp texture, and gives you a durable, breathable masonry finish that lasts 15 to 20 years or more instead of just a few years. Skyline Stucco Davis provides Stucco Redashing services for homes in Davis, California.
How do I know my Davis home needs a redash instead of simple patching?
Patches are great for localized damage, like where an old light fixture used to be or a minor impact crack from a stray bicycle. But if your walls are chalking off onto your clothes when you brush against them, or you are seeing a spiderweb of surface cracks across entire elevations, patching becomes a losing game. Here in Davis, our intense summer heat cycles expand and contract the walls constantly. When the outer finish layer loses its integrity across the whole house, Stucco Redashing is the only way to get uniform protection back. For homes and businesses in Davis, Skyline Stucco Davis provides Stucco Redashing services.
Can you redash over old paint?
The short answer is: it depends, but we usually have to do some prep work first. Stucco needs to breathe and grab onto a porous surface. If your house was coated with cheap latex paint that is already peeling, a new dash coat will just delaminate right along with that paint. We often pressure wash, scrape, or apply a specialized bonding agent to ensure the new layer actually sticks. Skyline Stucco Davis never skips this step because shortcuts in the prep phase always show up by the next rainy season. We provide Stucco Redashing services for homes and businesses in Davis.
Will redashing fix the structural cracks in my walls?
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something that is not true. If you have got large, diagonal stair-step cracks or wide fissures running down from your window corners, that is structural movement or foundation settling. Stucco Redashing will hide them temporarily, but they will punch right back through within months. We have to repair the lath, address the underlying movement, and fix the substrate first. Stucco Redashing handles surface aesthetics and weathering, but Stucco Redashing does not fix structural shifts in the framing.
How long does the whole redashing process take?
For an average single-story ranch home here in town, you are looking at about three to five days total, depending on weather and drying times. Day one is usually setup, washing, and crack repair. Day two involves applying the bonding agent and the base or dash coat. Then we need appropriate curing time. Stucco cures best when it does not dry out too fast, which can be tricky during those dry 100-degree Davis afternoons when the wind kicks up through the valley. We sometimes have to mist the walls to help the cement hydrate properly. For Davis homes, Skyline Stucco Davis is here for all your Stucco Redashing needs.
Can I choose any color, and will it fade?
You can choose almost any color you like, but Skyline Stucco Davis always recommends sticking with earth tones or lighter shades for Davis homes. Darker pigments absorb an immense amount of solar radiation, which stresses the wall materials and fades faster under our relentless local sun. We can mix color directly into the dash coat so it goes all the way through, meaning minor scrapes will not show a stark white patch underneath. You can also paint over a redashed surface down the road if you want to switch things up later. Call Skyline Stucco Davis for Stucco Redashing work in Davis, California.