Stucco is a versatile and inexpensive material used for decorative coating on walls and ceilings to cover up metal, concrete, or other less appealing surfaces. It’s easy to apply to many different areas without requiring excess work or materials, is easily colored for customization, and lasts years after application. Because of these, it makes for a great solution to really spruce up your property’s surfaces!
Knowing the exterior or interior plaster and stucco cost will help you prioritize its use in your home or building. Depending on the size of the job, conditions, and the finish, estimates can vary.
How to Use Stucco
It’s often used to enhance a building’s appearance, especially those with unappealing facades like metal, cinder block, lay brick, and concrete. As a decorative coating, stucco can be applied wet to the interior or exterior surfaces, where it is then left to dry and harden.
What Determines the Price of Stucco Installation?
Stucco prices may vary depending on several factors—the most significant being the type of material used. Since the cost of stucco varies, it’s fairly easy to choose one that fits your budget!
House size will also affect the cost of stucco installation since pricing is done per square foot, which can range from $7 to $9, including materials, labor, and equipment. Given that price point, the national average to stucco a house can cost somewhere between $8,000 to $11,000! However, take note that this is merely a benchmark, and the actual price down to the last penny will depend on your location, the job size and conditions, and the type of stucco you use.
Determining Cost on Type of Material
Each type of stucco has its pros, cons, and different uses. Other than your budget requirements, choosing the right stucco for your project will also depend on what you intend to use it for. Consulting with your contractor is the best way to choose the right type of stucco that will meet your home’s needs while still being the most cost-effective choice.
Cement Stucco
When applying stucco to plaster a concrete wall, cement stucco is the most affordable option—almost five times cheaper than other types of stucco!
Often called traditional stucco, it’s made of sand and water that forms a plaster when mixed. It’s best applied to the exterior of your home, given its strength, and it’s also suitable for customized designs with the ability to create unlimited textures.
While it has many advantages, cement stucco always has some drawbacks. It is the most time-consuming stucco to apply, taking a full week for each coat to dry. This type of material will also fade over time, so it isn’t the best option for dark cement style looks.
Stucco Mesh
Some surfaces are trickier to work with than others, so contractors may use wire mesh to keep stucco in a place where it would normally slide off. The mesh also allows a smoother application of the stucco, but it’s also costlier than other stucco types.
Acrylic Stucco
A flexible material, acrylic stucco is a great option to prevent hairline cracks. While its sand finish has fewer finishes compared to concrete, it still has customizable options.
However, acrylic does have some disadvantages. While it dries quickly, the application is more difficult to keep up with, and it must also be done at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Rainy areas aren’t ideal for acrylic stucco since it can soften when exposed to a lot of moisture, so keep this in mind when choosing options!
Labor Cost
Depending on the contractor and your location, labor fees can range from $30 to $60 an hour. This will also depend on the size of your house, which a contractor will send a crew to work on to fix your home’s exterior. Make sure you ask your contractor for a breakdown of charges so that you know exactly how much is going into labor alone.
Conclusion
Among other additional factors, such as paint, cleaning, and job difficulty, the cost to stucco a house mostly depends on the square footage available and the type of material used. All the considerations above can help you make the best choice possible, along with hiring the right professionals. Getting experts who have the experience and credentials to make your home stucco project successful is one step closer to a better home.
Are you looking for exterior plaster and stucco services in San Francisco? At One Stop Plastering, we provide residential and commercial stucco and plastering services with over sixty years of experience. Contact us today for a free bid!
