Joey contacted me from Palm Beach, Florida regarding the stucco on her home that was showing rust type stains. We spoke for about 20 minutes on the phone and then she emailed some photos for me to look at since I currently am 2,500 miles away with snow on my front yard, while she is basking in 71 degree sunny weather. The big question is whether or not rust stains on stucco finish poses any major “Red Flags” ragarding stucco failure or water entry into the walls of the home. The answer is easy, “It Depends!”

INVESTIGATIONS: I was told that a local stucco applicator came out to the home and said that it was something in the stucco and not a water entry issue related.

MAJOR CONCERN: The home is for sale and the prospective buyer is very gun-shy over the rust spots and all involved parties are trying to find out what is really going on so that the buyer can make the purchase with full confidence. This is why they went outside the local circle of professionals and contacted me by phone and email via this website.

MY THOUGHTS: Florida stucco is installed to unique guidelines than it is in other regions of the country. Why? Due to the regular threat of hurricanes, Florida has its own building code and things are just done differently in the extreme southeast portion of the country. I turned to a long-time trusted friend, fellow Indagator, and  inspection professional Mark Cramer from Tampa Bay, Florida.

My initial suspicions were confirmed that the rust particles are simply iron particles left in the sand used in the stucco mix. Typically they will drag a magnet over the sand before mixing to remove these small pieces, but sometimes this step is overlooked and the result is what is seen in the pictures.

NEXT RECOMMENDED STEP: The next logical step is to chip out a rusted area and ensure that it is an isolated area and not related to a solid piece of metal in the form of some type of clip, tie, or lath (NOTE: This step is just me being extra gun shy because of my lack of experience with Florida stucco). If you chip it out and it starts within the stucco, then you know it is a particle and not related to anything behind the stucco.

SIMPLE DO-IT-YOURSELF TEST: Go to an out of the way area and find a rust spot that is not noticeable every time you come into the home. Take a pocket knife and scrape out the rust area. It is not very hard to do this. You will know you have it when the stucco turns to its natural color underneath. The stucco is usually between 3/8” to 3/4” thick and the particle will probably be either on the surface, or within the first 1/4”. Deeper particles typically don’t leech to the surface unless the location is really getting a lot of water. It is important to remember that the majority of hardcoat stucco is deisgned to get wet and dry out naturally. Most installations do not have a waterproof coating because hardcoat stucco is meant to get wet and naturally dry.

AND THEN WHAT: If it is just iron in the stucco, the next major decision is whether or not the stains bother you or whether it makes no visual difference. If you don’t care about the look, then just live life and ignore the staining. However, if it is a concern, then chip out the rust spots and patch. The patching will result in a color differential that will probably be more obvious, so you apply a new final color coat right over the top of the current stucco in whatever color of the rainbow that you desire.

NOTE: Painting stucco verses re-color coating. The more expensive of the two, yet longer lasting is to re-color coat the stucco. They literally apply a new finish coat of stucco right over the current stucco finish. Mark Cramer indicates that many people paint their stucco in Florida, but this presents an ongoing exterior painting maintenance project. Not having to paint is a major benefit of using stucco in the first place. In Utah I NEVER recommend painting over stucco, but your region may vary.

DISCLAIMER & LIMITATIONS: The information shared on this page is for educational purposes only. Any site reader/vistor should understand that neither myself or Mark Cramer visited the property and/or were able to view the stucco installation firsthand. Neither of us received any renumeration for our comments, although both of us are always available for hire, including payment for time invested and all travel related expenses. When you need a great inspector in Florida and the southeast, then contact Mark Cramer, and when you need a great inspector out west, then contact Michael Leavitt.

• Mark Cramer - MCramer1@TampaBay.rr.com - Tampa Home Inspector
• Michael Leavitt - Michael@TheHomeInspector.com

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