How to Tell When You Need Stucco Repair in Flower Mound, TX

Many homes and commercial buildings in Flower Mound, TX, feature a stucco exterior. It's an excellent choice for an exterior siding material because it has so much going for it as a versatile, attractive, durable, fire-resistant, customizable, and budget-friendly option. But, just like absolutely every other part of your property, it won't last forever without adequate care and the occasional Flower Mound stucco repair service.

When it comes to damaged material that is in desperate need of Flower Mound stucco repair, there are several possible factors that may have caused the problem—but water incursion is the number one issue by far. Stucco is actually quite moisture-resistant, but once the water starts seeping in behind it, it doesn't stand a chance unless it gets timely intervention from an experienced handyman professional.

If you've noticed some of the warning signs that indicate your residential or commercial property needs stucco repair, rely on your expert, local Flower Mound handyman to get the job done right. The team of service professionals at Mr. Handyman of Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Denton is highly skilled and has decades of combined experience with repair and improvement trades, so we know how to take care of any Flower Mound stucco repair problem you throw our way. We also take great pride in our customer service and go the extra mile to ensure our customers are satisfied with the results of our work.

What is Stucco?

You've seen stucco many times on buildings in North Texas, including your own property, and could easily identify it by sight—but what is it, exactly? Essentially, it's a cement-based exterior siding that is applied wet and hardens to a dense, textured finish. It is made from a mixture of cement, sand, lime, and water.

Traditional stucco is applied in three coats over top of a layer of asphalt-infused paper and a layer of metal mesh that looks like chicken wire but is sturdier and comes in larger rolls. First, a scratch coat or base coat of stucco is applied over the wire mesh. That's followed by a brown coat (which is called that regardless of what color it is), applied with a long trowel to make sure it's evened out. Lastly, a finish coat is applied. The final layer goes on with a trowel as well and comes in a wide variety of textures and colors to suit your personal taste and boost curb appeal.

7 Signs You Need Flower Mound Stucco Repair Services

Most homeowners don't circle their house regularly, examining every last bit of siding for the smallest sign of damage—which is perfectly understandable. But when it comes to cement-based siding like stucco, the damage is often the result of moisture incursion. That can cause major problems for your house that have nothing to do with the siding if it's left to fester for too long.

If you are aware of the signs that your property needs Flower Mound stucco repair, you can call an experienced professional to take care of it before it worsens and your building suffers deeper problems that can affect structural stability or even pose a threat to the health of your household. Here are some of the major signs of damage homeowners should keep an eye out for.

1. Cracks

It's pretty normal to have a few tiny, hairline stucco cracks, and it's not much of a cause for concern. Property owners should check up on areas with hairline cracks every now and then to make sure they haven't worsened, but they are pretty much just a cosmetic issue. Widened cracks, or extensive hairline cracking, on the other hand, is a strong indication that you need stucco repair. Flower Mound, TX, homeowners should be alarmed by large cracks that are more than a quarter of an inch wide because they can indicate a serious structural problem.

Large cracks can be caused by a house shifting and settling over time, or they could be related to severe issues like a sinking foundation or too much weight on the roof. It's also possible that large cracks are caused by water damage, and if that's the case, there will likely be water stains around the edges of the cracks.

2. Crumbling

If you have sections of stucco that are badly cracked and chipped or even have loose pieces falling right off the wall, that's clearly a big problem that needs to be addressed. Crumbling and loose stucco can happen for a variety of reasons, including pest infestations, ground vibrations, settling, old age, and of course, water damage. However, once it gets started on crumbling, the problem is going to get much worse quickly because the damaged siding is letting in moisture that will cause even more severe damage if it's not halted by a Flower Mound stucco repair professional.

3. Stains

When you notice unsightly stains on your exterior walls, you may be tempted to just cover them up with a few dabs of paint—but there's no point in correcting the appearance of your walls if you don't address the underlying cause of the problem first because the damage will just occur all over again in a short period of time. If your stucco has developed some staining, it could be a sign of old age that indicates you need siding replacement. But if the stains are vertical black or rust-colored stripes, you likely don't have to look any further than your broken or overflowing rain gutters to find the culprit.

Whatever the cause of the staining, it needs to be stopped before we can carry out stucco repair. Flower Mound, TX professionals on our team can complete repairs for stains with a layer of cement-based paint or even a new finish coat of stucco if the stains are widespread.

4. Dents or Softened Patches

Is there a stucco patch on your building that looks indented? We're not talking about chipping here—this would be a situation where the stucco appears to be intact but is concave in certain places. If you touch the indented areas, they may feel soft to the touch, or you may notice a few soft spots that are not indented. This is a very serious problem that needs Flower Mound stucco repair as soon as possible because it indicates that there is water pooling underneath the layers of stucco where the asphalt-infused paper and metal mesh layers are. There should be a moisture barrier such as house wrap under the paper and mesh, but it can only hold water out for so long before the moisture starts seeping into the interior of your walls.

5. Interior Moisture Damage

Speaking of moisture getting inside the walls, it's not uncommon for damage to go unnoticed long enough for interior water damage to start showing up inside your house. Of course, there are other potential causes of water damage, such as a leaking roof, attic rain, or a hidden plumbing leak—but damaged siding is also a strong contender. Interior moisture damage can appear in a number of different ways, including:

• Wall and ceiling damage such as brown water stains and softened patches of drywall
• Rotting hardwood floorboards or wooden interior trim elements such as window frames, door jambs, crown molding, and baseboards
• Soggy patches of carpet or mysterious puddles on the floor
• Energy costs on your monthly utility bill have increased, even though your active energy usage hasn't changed

Clearly, these are not good things to be happening inside your house. Flower Mound stucco repair may be necessary to stop them, but you'll likely also need additional work done such as drywall replacement, flooring replacement or repair, wood rot repair, and possibly insulation replacement.

6. Plant Growth

When stucco develops a layer of organic growth such as algae or moss, it's an unattractive issue that can strike a blow to your property's curb appeal. However, that vegetation can also cause additional wear and tear damage that accelerates the deterioration of your siding. This usually occurs near the bottom of exterior walls because when rainwater hits the ground hard during a storm, it bounces up and splashes on the bottom couple feet of the building exterior, creating the moisture-rich conditions that plants such as moss and algae require. It can also happen if you've got bushes and trees brushing their water-laden leaves up against your siding.

Plant growth can typically be removed by the simple Flower Mound stucco repair technique of giving it a gentle scrubbing with a solution of water, bleach, borax, and soap, but it makes sense to also consider measures that will reduce the amount of water getting on your siding, such as relocating bushes or trimming back tree branches.

7. Impact Damage

Stucco is pretty sturdy and durable, but it does have its limits. If someone kicks a soccer ball hard against your exterior wall, it gets scraped by a vehicle during a 20-point parking maneuver, it's hit by a falling tree branch, or dozens of other potential scenarios, it will suffer impact damage and need Flower Mound stucco repair.

But anyone who has suffered property damage from hail before knows that a strong hail storm can create the worst possible type of impact damage. While each hail strike is relatively small (as long as we're not talking about that golf-ball-sized hail), the damage is often widespread across the entire structure. In most cases of impact damage that requires stucco repair, Flower Mound, TX professionals can get it taken care of relatively easily, but hail damage may call for more drastic measures like replacement.

The Reason You Need Flower Mound Stucco Repair

After finding out more about the warning signs that indicate a building needs stucco repair, Flower Mound, TX residents often start to wonder what caused their stucco damage in the first place. Sometimes it's just normal wear and tear that slowly accumulates over the years, or you may already know what caused an issue such as impact damage because you watched it happen. But other times, it can be a lot more difficult to pinpoint the actual cause of the issue that is prompting you to call for Flower Mound stucco repair.

We mentioned above that moisture seepage is right up there among the most common and most damaging problems your siding can encounter. If your stucco was installed not long ago and you're already noticing signs of trouble, the problem is likely related to an installation that was not carried out correctly.

Water Incursion

As you may have gathered, based on the signs, you need Flower Mound stucco repair. Water damage is a big problem that causes extensive damage not only to the outside of your house but to the inside as well. But where is all that water coming from? In some instances of trouble, such as moss and algae growth, it's splashing up from the ground or dripping off nearby plants. For overall damage such as water stains, softened, indented patches, cracks, loosened chunks, and more, one of the first places we'll look to determine the cause is your rain gutters.

Your gutters collect all the rainwater that falls on your roof and channel it safely into downspouts where it can be disposed of away from your house. If they're clogged with debris, broken or missing altogether, or if you have a clogged gutter downspout, all that rainwater drips down the exterior of your house instead and causes serious problems on its way down that can range from a leaky roof to a cracked foundation and affect everything else in between. Your Flower Mound handyman can help stop moisture damage problems and protect your house from further harm with gutter cleaning and repair services. We can also handle a replacement or brand-new gutter installation.

Get Expert Flower Mound Stucco Repair Service From Your Local Handyman

Whether you are in Flower Mound, TX, or a nearby part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area such as Argyle, Ponder, or Highland Village, you can rely on the team of highly-rated local pros at Mr. Handyman of Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Denton to deliver the highest standards of workmanship and customer care. Pick up the phone and contact our friendly customer service staff to find out more or schedule an appointment.