One of the most heartbreaking sights for the owner of a stuccoed home is the hole left when a piece of stucco breaks off. It could have been caused by someone backing in their vehicle too far or a hit from an errant hard ball from a baseball game played on the street. Or it could mean that there is a major problem behind the stucco and the breakage is the first signal.

The fact is you thought your stucco would last forever and now there' a blemish. Not only that, if left open for too long a hole in a stucco wall becomes a portal for water seepage and insect infestation.

Smaller patch jobs can usually be handled by a handy homeowner. But no matter how good you are expect that the repair might differ in color and texture from the rest of the home. Still, with careful mixing of the pigments you can either get the color right or get it so close that only you will know the difference.

Stucco First Aid

1. Stucco: Depending on the size of the hole you might be able to use a premixed stucco repair mortar. When you calculate how much you need always get more in case you make a mistake. Also you'll want extra to feather in the repair with the rest of the surface. This is a good time to bring a chip of your stucco in to get a color match. Your masonry supply store will have pigments with which you can compare.

1. Hammer, Chisel and Wire Brush: You may need a hammer and chisel to get stubborn pieces off the mesh. The with a wire brush you clean the loose stucco out from the hole. You can also use it to clean the surrounding area and sides of the hole so that the new stucco will attach to it. This is a good time to check the inner surface. If it is wood check to see if there is rot or insects. This would mean that there is either a leak further up or a place where insects are getting in. This may be the root cause of the piece coming away. If there is “chicken wire” for support make sure that it is not corroded. If it is you can put in a new piece or a fiberglass patch.

2. Patch: Using a putty knife set the new stucco in by apply a thin first coat to cover the mesh and the edges of the hole. Take a paint brush to put on fine impressions to hold the next layer. Let the layers dry completely. To do a good job the first two stucco layers should be allowed to cure for 3-4 days occasionally spraying lightly with water to avoid speeding up the process and possibly having it crack.

3. Finish: The third layer should come to the surface of the hole. Now you can texture and feather it to blend with the old stucco by using a trowel, small brush or putty knife. This could be tricky if the texture is customized like knockdown

4. Painting: If you are planning to paint your stucco then all you'll have to worry about is getting the texture right.

Large Repairs

If you find that there is rot behind the stucco this would be a good time to call a mason or stucco specialist. There might be problems that, if not fixed soon, could grow into a large renovation. Water getting behind the stucco layer could signal a leak in the roof or window casing. In colder areas this will freeze and cause the stucco to break apart