Stucco siding is a great way to improve and elevate your property’s exterior appearance.
Your home is your haven, and while what’s on the inside is what counts, the outside of your house can be just as important. The exterior is one of the first things you notice about your property, even if you are just hanging out in the backyard.
The owner of the house isn’t the only one that notices the exteriors. First impressions of your entire home by visitors and even potential buyers start with your exteriors. The choice of exterior building materials plays a big role in how your house not only functions but also how it looks.
For a distinct, refined look that is energy efficient, make property owners opt for a beautiful stucco finish. But what is stucco siding, and what can it do to elevate your home’s exteriors?
Let’s find out more below.
What is Stucco?
Stucco is a product similar to cement that is applied to the outside walls of a home in multiple layers, ranging in thickness. Its texture can vary from one application to the next based on the property owner’s preferences. Some homeowners prefer a smooth look, while others want something a bit more textured. It can be applied over masonry or wood or metal frame, called a lath, and in most cases, it is made from cement, lime, and sand.
Today’s newer technology has several newer stucco system options, such as acrylic, insulated, and crack suppression, that tackle stucco cracking and other problems that can come up with this material. These options offer the possibility for more texture.
9 Things Stucco Siding Exteriors Can Do to Elevate Your Home
There are many options for exterior building materials, and choosing the right one, one that best meets the balance of function, appearance, and value for the homeowner, is key. Many property owners opt for a stucco finish because of the numerous benefits and distinct look. So, let’s dive into what stucco can do to elevate your home’s exteriors. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Improved Aesthetics
There are many advantages to using stucco for your exteriors, one of the biggest being its beautiful appearance. Stucco siding for houses offers a heavily textured surface, perfect for mission-style and modern homes. But properties featuring different styles can also incorporate stucco. This material offers a range of textural options, such as:
- Pebbled
- Swirled
- Coarse
- Smooth
- Raked
Homeowners can choose between a concentrated, rough texture or a sweeping and smooth application, any method that best complements the style of your house.
Because professionals can apply stucco siding in a seamless manner, it is the perfect accent to your architecture and other exterior elements of your home’s elevation. Stuccoing your patio, pillars, or eaves gives a home a dynamic look for modern, traditional, and contemporary styles alike.
2. Customizable Options
When property owners opt for siding, color choices are limited based on your contractor and manufacturer’s options. However, when homeowners choose stucco, professionals can add pigments directly into the mixture, allowing you to get the perfect custom shade. And, while you won’t need to paint stucco over time, you can repaint it in whatever color you choose.
Some property owners decide to go with synthetic siding rather than traditional stucco. This synthetic material, called EIFS, retains paint color even better than standard stucco. With proper, professional installation, few people can tell the difference between traditional stucco and EIFS finishing.
3. Simple Maintenance
We feel like it’s fairly safe to say that most homeowners want their homes to look elevated while putting the least amount of time, effort, and money into the maintenance process. Stucco requires little maintenance, even in extreme climates!
Outside of keeping snow away from the walls, power-washing to remove stains or spots, and directing eavestroughs away from the walls, there isn’t much homeowners need to do to keep it looking great!
4. Durability
When homeowners look to elevate their home exteriors, a long-lasting solution is ideal. The last thing a property owner would want to do is to sink time and money into something, only to have to do it again a year or two down the line.
Stucco is one of the most durable siding options on the market, just one of the many reasons it’s so popular. With the right application and proper maintenance, stucco can last for more than 50 years with little effort on the homeowner’s part. This is partly thanks to the fact that stucco expands and contracts as the temperatures rise and fall, which reduces the risk of crumbling and cracking.
5. Increased Home Value
Once completely dry, stucco provides your home with a concrete shell. This durable and hard exterior material is amazing at elevating your home’s curb appeal. It also provides other value-increasing characteristics, like:
- Energy efficient
- Earthquake, fire, and rot-resistant
- Sound dampening
- Low-maintenance
- and more.
When your property is appraised, these attributes can add thousands and thousands of dollars to its market value.
6. Lower Home Insurance Premiums
While this section doesn’t necessarily elevate your home’s exteriors, it does help justify an already great choice, and we would be remiss if we left it out of this list.
The characteristics that we listed above about stucco siding material aren’t only beneficial if you decide you want to sell your house. Because stucco siding for houses can better withstand natural disasters such as fires and earthquakes, last longer, and cost a lot less to maintain than other types of siding, it could lower your monthly homeowners’ insurance premiums.
7. Increased Home Efficiency
What good is a house that looks nice on the outside if it doesn’t do anything to help with home efficiency? One major perk with stucco siding material is that you won’t have to choose between function and beauty — you get both!
Stucco siding for houses can save you money every month on your energy bills. Stucco siding has a big R-value (insulation efficiency), making it easier to maintain your desired temperature than if your house were wrapped in another type of siding, regardless of the weather.
8. Quick and Easy Installation
Updating your home’s exterior is one of the biggest renovations you could take on. If you want to elevate the exteriors of your property fast, choosing stucco siding is one of the quickest options out there. Most applications take between one and two days, including drying time. This also minimizes the disruption to your day-to-day routine.
9. Versatility
If you want to update your existing house and are looking for ways to elevate what’s already there, stucco is the obvious choice since contracts can apply the stucco siding material to concrete masonry or wood framing.
If you are replacing siding, it’s still a firmly simple process to put a lath in place and apply stucco to it. This versatile application, as well as the visual options, makes stucco siding a great option for properties of many different styles.
Even if you aren’t renovating an existing house and are building from the ground up, stucco finishing is a wise home exterior choice.
Upgrade and Elevate Your Home Exteriors with Mountain States Windows & Siding
Whether you opt for stucco siding or another type of exterior material, like vinyl siding, the experts at Mountain States Windows & Siding are here to help you.
Our team has worked hard to build and maintain our reputation as a hassle-free and trusted home improvement company. Our team is dedicated to providing our customers with more than just elevated siding and modern windows — we also work to ensure every single project runs smoothly from beginning to end.
At Mountain States, we are dedicated to providing our customers with high-quality products, top-tier materials, and above-and-beyond services that will elevate your home’s appearance, function, and value. When you choose our team, you are choosing honest, premium, and friendly service.
We serve residential and commercial buildings in Salt Lake City, Park City, Payson, Lehi, and many surrounding areas. If you are taking on a remodeling project, make sure to take a look at Mountain States Kitchen & Bath for all your renovation needs.
Contact Mountain States to get started today!
