Stucco vs Siding

[Dan Gould]

Finally its time to fix the siding on our house. Its currently a mixture (don't ask why) of wood and some no-longer manufactured synthetic.

Stucco has been popular with many neighbors in the development, and it all looks pretty good. However, today a rather annoying man was here to try to sell his "weatherguard" alternative which is supposed to be impermeable to water, never fade, and include significant savings on the utility bill. It also promises to be super-pricey.

But the problem really comes from his dissing of stucco as an alternative. He is basically saying that the weight is so much more than the siding, it will inevitably crack in less than a year.

We look at the houses that have had stucco done and see no problems at all.

Any advice is appreciated.

[jlhoots]

Stucco applied correctly (I'm no expert) won't crack in "less than a year".

It may eventually get some cracks but should be good for many years.

Weather may have an effect. There are also different types of stucco, & you may want to research that.

[Jazzmoose]

Sounds like sales BS to me, Dan. I remember seeing houses well over twenty years old with stucco in California with no cracks. But then I remember seeing apartment houses with stucco that did have cracks. I'll be the answer lies in jlhoots "applied correctly' comment.

[marcello]

Finally its time to fix the siding on our house. Its currently a mixture (don't ask why) of wood and some no-longer manufactured synthetic.

Stucco has been popular with many neighbors in the development, and it all looks pretty good. However, today a rather annoying man was here to try to sell his "weatherguard" alternative which is supposed to be impermeable to water, never fade, and include significant savings on the utility bill. It also promises to be super-pricey.

But the problem really comes from his dissing of stucco as an alternative. He is basically saying that the weight is so much more than the siding, it will inevitably crack in less than a year.

We look at the houses that have had stucco done and see no problems at all.

Any advice is appreciated.

Dan,

Take from me (I'm a Builder) that there is no product, especially in Flordia, that won't fade. A high quality stucco product, applied to specs, is not only long lasting but a energy saver too.

Correct sealants will stop the water and if you stucco over insluation board that will not only help your energy use but will also give you another layer of water protection.