Can new stucco match the original texture on an older house in Van Nuys?

Often, with a few trial patches. Original finishes were frequently troweled by hand, so we read the pattern and try small areas until it fits. A color coat mixed close to the wall hides a repair best, and recoating the face is an option when large areas have failed.

What causes stucco cracks on older houses in Van Nuys?

Moisture behind the finish is a common cause, whether from a failed window flashing or a missing weep screed. Impact near the ground can crack a corner as well, and a framing shift can split plaster. Sorting out which one applies decides the repair.

Should old wood siding in Van Nuys be repaired or replaced?

A sound board should be kept and painted. Rotted ones are replaced with boards cut to the original shape, so the wall reads as a single piece. Boards near the ground and next to hose bibs are the ones we press first, since water collects there.

Stucco & Exterior in Van Nuys

Stucco repairs and finishes for older Van Nuys houses, built to take knocks from bins, hoses and bicycles and to hold their color.

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Picture the stretch of wall where bins are parked, a hose is coiled and a bicycle leans. On a Van Nuys house, that is the section of stucco that takes a knock every week. A repair there has to hold up to scrapes, wet ground and a sprinkler head that clips the corner, and still match the untouched wall beside it.

Built for the hit zone

The bottom of the wall gets the toughest treatment. A metal weep screed sits above the soil or paving so water leaves the wall and the plaster never stands in damp ground. Corners can take a metal bead to protect the edge from glancing blows. The finish coat is troweled slightly denser along that stretch, and sprinklers that wet the wall are re-aimed or moved before any patch goes on, because a soaked wall will crack again no matter how well the patch was made.

Blending it in

Color and texture come last. Trial patches go on the existing wall and the mix is adjusted until the dry result disappears. When a wall has failed in many places, a fresh finish across its whole face is tidier than a quilt of repairs. Door and window trim is kept where its wood is solid, and new boards are milled to the original section. A last pass of paint over the trim ties the repaired areas to the rest of the exterior, so the house reads as a whole.

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