Popular types of stucco facades

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Combined facade with stucco and imitation stone

If you conduct a small survey and ask people what type of facade decoration is the most popular, many will probably call it stucco. And this is no coincidence, it painfully often occurs in everyday life.

And in this article we would like to talk about what types of plastering of facades are, and what is their fundamental difference.

Plaster

Today, the word stucco itself has ceased to be a definition of one type of finish, now it is rather a collective name for many materials that have approximately the same set of qualities and characteristics. That is why it is very difficult to answer the question of which facade plaster is better.

Often, choosing what to stucco the facade, the question rests on finances, and this is also an important selection criterion, but the most expensive materials cannot guarantee quality for many years, because the facade is influenced by many factors, and each of them must be taken into account.

Qualities required for facade plastering

Natural stone stucco

We will talk about what types of facade plasters are a little lower, but for now it is necessary to highlight the main qualities that this material must be present:

• Throughput, which experts call vapor permeability, this quality of the plaster affects whether condensation will accumulate under the surface of the finish. Any facade plaster should let the steam out, but at the same time prevent it from getting inside.
• Moisture resistant. A parameter that determines how much moisture will be absorbed by the material, and how much this moisture can destroy it.
• Ease of application, the quality that all types of exterior plaster should possess. It is from him that buyers most often repel, who decided to make repairs with their own hands.
• The cost of the material. This parameter should always be in relation to the quality characteristics of the material itself. For example, facade plaster with quartz filler is much more expensive than simple, but it can also be used in any climatic conditions and with any temperature changes.
• Heat insulation. Often this indicator depends on the thickness of the coating layer, but some mixtures cannot be applied with a layer of large thickness.
• The choice of color and texture of the material. It all depends on personal preferences, but you should not forget about the harmonious overall appearance of the house.

How to make the right choice

Deciding on the question of which facade plaster to choose, you need to start from several important indicators:

• Seasonal temperature drops.
• Humidity in the region or proximity to water bodies. The closer the house is to a river or sea, the higher should be the quality characteristics of the plaster.
• Proximity to the road. Houses located in the city limits are more susceptible to exhaust gases and dust.
• The prevalence of low or, conversely, high temperatures in the region. Each plaster has its own limitations on thermal effects, as well as the number of defrost cycles that it can tolerate.

Important! Not depending on what types of facade plaster will be selected, it must withstand all the factors listed above.

Types of plasters

Facade plaster applied in various ways

All types of facade plasters differ in the main binder in the mixture. It affects the quality and cost of the material.

Let us dwell on each type in a little more detail to understand which stucco is better for the facade, starting from personal preferences and features listed above.

Mineral plaster

Mineral plaster applied using the "fur coat" technology

The main bonding component of mineral plaster is cement (see Facade cement plaster: application features) This is the most common and often used material in private and mass construction. Of course, if the cement mixture did not have a number of minuses, then there would be no point in inventing new materials, although there are many positive aspects of this plaster.

Pros:

• High vapor permeability.
• Low cost.
• Resistant to moisture and dust.
• The ability to color the mixture and give it a wide variety of colors.
• You can use different application technologies, the “coat” shown in the photo above is just one of many options.
• High adhesion to all mineral-based surfaces.

Minuses:

• Relatively low coating life.
• Possible deformation when the plaster layer dries.
• Heavy coating weight.
• Low heat and noise insulation.
• Difficulty applying to wood or metal coatings.

As you can see, the ratio of positive and negative qualities is almost the same, and this is what makes mineral-based plaster so popular among consumers.

Important! If it is necessary to apply a layer of cement plaster more than 30 mm thick, then the application instructions require additional reinforcement, which can be done using fiberglass mesh.

Acrylic plaster

Application of acrylic plaster with a construction trowel

No less popular type of plaster, which is based on acrylic resins and various additives that affect the quality of the coating and durability.

The choice of acrylic-based facade plaster (see Acrylic plaster for the facade: how to use) is determined by many factors, but we will focus only on the most basic:

• Low price, which is only slightly higher than the cement-based mixture.
• High vapor permeability.
• Moisture resistant.
• Ease of application due to the use of plasticizers.
• A huge variety of colors and textures.
• Acrylic plaster is supplied in jars, ready for use and does not need to be bred.
• High adhesion to all surfaces except metal.
• Profitability, since plastic acrylic plaster can be applied with a very thin layer.

Minuses:

• Weak resistance to ultraviolet rays. Simply put, it fades in the sun after a few years.
• It is easily damaged.

Despite the fact that the negative qualities of this material may seem very significant, just look at this problem from the other side - because of the low cost and ease of application, you can renew the facade of your house every five years without significant financial loss.

Silicate Plaster

Silicate plaster of a popular brand

At the heart of this material is liquid glass, which has high rates in all necessary parameters. Most often, such a plaster is used on porous surfaces, such as aerated concrete or expanded clay concrete.

It has high covering abilities, and creates additional thermal insulation.

Pros:

• It does not attract dust and is easy to clean even with strong detergents.
• Does not lose color under UV rays.
• Resistant to mechanical damage.
• It has high vapor permeability.
• Creates additional protection of a facade against natural influences.

Minuses:

• High cost in comparison with mineral and acrylic plasters.
• Difficulty applying certain skills or experience.
• If it is necessary to restore or replace the facade, silicate plaster will be very difficult to remove.

Silicone plaster

Drops of water on the surface of silicone plaster

One of the highest quality and most durable coatings. Despite its high cost, silicone plasters are in demand, especially when it is necessary to finish for many years to come.

Pros:

• Resistant to dirt and dust.
• Neutral to water and moisture.
• Insensitive to all types of solvents used in construction and repair.
• Plasticity, thanks to which you can hide most of the flaws allowed during construction.
• Silicone plaster does not fade in the sun and does not lose its qualities over time.
• High strength coating, which is very difficult to damage.
• Lies on any surface and grasps them securely.

Minuses:

• High price.
• Difficulty applying.
• Low vapor permeability.

Silicone plaster is used in regions with difficult climatic conditions and temperature extremes.

Pebbledash

Stone plaster on closer inspection

To describe all the positive qualities of this material, you will need a separate article of a large volume, so we will not describe them, but just consider what plasters with stone chips are like.

1. Facade plaster with quartz. It has a fine grain and is often used for interior decoration.
2. Marble chips (see Facade stucco with marble chips: types, features, application methods) A coating reminiscent of Venetian plaster, which, thanks to a splash of marble, can mimic natural stone.
3. Facade plaster with granite. It has a characteristic luster and strength of the stone itself, the crumb of which is used in the manufacture of plaster.

Interesting! Not depending on what kind of crumb stone is used in the stucco mixture, the color of the coating can be any, due to the addition of coloring pigments to the composition.

And you can visually see how the stucco with stone chips on the facade looks like, in the video in this article.

Conclusion

To summarize all of the above, we give a small table that will clearly show all the characteristic features of the listed types of plasters.

Now, having figured out what facade plaster can be, how to choose the right one, and what you should pay attention to when choosing, you can safely proceed to repair the facade, and with the right approach, it will last a long time and will not cause unnecessary trouble with its restoration and care.