How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Stucco House?

Average Cost to Paint a Stucco House

*for a 2,000-square-foot home

Stucco Painting Cost per Square Foot

Consider your home’s size to get an estimate of your stucco painting price. Note that one 2,000-square-foot home could have more square footage of exterior walls than another home of the same size. The actual square footage of the walls you need to paint will depend on the shape and architecture of your home.

Stucco Painting Costs by Type

Once your new stucco exterior sets, you’ll need to wait about six weeks before you can start painting, and we recommend you hire a local painter. When your house is ready to paint, you have several styles and options to choose from. The type of paint you choose is one of the biggest factors that will determine the cost to paint your house's exterior.

Elastomeric 

A 5-gallon bucket of elastomeric paint costs $90 to $185. You’ll need 10 to 15 gallons to cover a 2,000-square-foot-home. Expect to pay $3,180 to $8,555 for both labor and materials.

This type of paint can be tricky to work with, but it has several benefits. Once it dries, elastomeric paint becomes a layer of rubber. This makes for a thick, durable exterior that can last up to 10 years or longer, hides cracks, and protects the wall from water damage.

The disadvantages of elastomeric paint are that it’s more expensive than acrylic paints and it requires an experienced painter. It won’t adhere well to stucco if it already has multiple coats of paint.

Color Coat

The cost of applying a color coat to stucco is $1.50 to $8 per square foot, which is around $3,000 to $16,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home. Many color options are available, and some brands offer custom matches.

Fog Coat

Using a fog coat costs $1.30 to $6 per square foot. On a 2,000-square-foot house, you’ll probably pay around $2,600 to $12,000.

A fog coat is a combination of pigment, cement, and lime. It works best for repainting or recoloring stucco walls. It’s less expensive than other coats and lasts longer, but there are fewer color choices.

Acrylic

Acrylic paint costs $1 to $5.50 per square foot. For a 2,000-square-foot home, you can expect the total cost to be between $2,000 to $11,000.

Acrylic is very breathable and flexible, but it doesn’t last as long as elastomeric paint. It’s affordable with many color options.

Masonry Paint

Masonry paint costs $1.25 to $7 per square foot. For a 2,000-square-foot home, the total will be around $2,500 to $14,000.

This type of paint bonds well to stucco, is highly durable, and is resistant to mildew. One disadvantage is that there are fewer color options available.

Stucco Painting Cost Factors

There are many cost factors to consider when planning your stucco painting project.

“I grew up in a stucco house, which looked great until it needed to be re-stuccoed and painted,” says Bob Tschudi, Angi Expert Review Board member and general contractor in Raleigh, NC. “I learned that refinishing stucco was a more complicated process than running a paint roller over the surface.”

Repairs

The average price to repair stucco is $1,220. For a few cracks, you might only pay $250; for more extensive damage you could pay up to $2,000 or more. All repairs should be completed before you begin painting. Paint is more prone to peeling if applied to a cracked or dirty stucco.

After you complete repairs, expect to wait anywhere from one to six weeks before painters can begin working. While some repairs might only need seven to 10 days of wait time before painting, fresh stucco applied over repairs needs six weeks to set.

Sheen

The sheen of the paint you choose affects how glossy it is. You typically shouldn’t paint stucco with satin or high gloss sheens because they can amplify your stucco’s imperfections. Rather, paint pros often recommend either semi-gloss or matte sheens for stucco.

Here are the average costs of common sheen options:

• Flat sheen paint costs $15–$40 per gallon

• Eggshell sheen is $30–$50 per gallon

• Satin sheen is $30–$50 per gallon

• Semi-gloss sheen is $40–$60 per gallon

Labor

The labor cost for painters is typically $25 to $100 per hour. On average, this is about $1.50 to $4 per square foot. You can expect a painting job for a 2,000-square-foot house to take three to five days.

Number of Stories

The cost of painting your stucco exterior will also depend on the number of stories of your home. Besides the additional square footage that multiple stories add to the job, painting second or third stories is more labor-intensive. Painters may need to install scaffolding, use ladders, and clear away tree branches or brush to get the job done.

Each additional story can add $0.10 to $0.25 more per square foot. While a single-story home may cost $2,000 to $4,000 to paint, a two-story home can cost $3,000 to $5,000 while a three-story home can cost $4,500 to $8,000.

Texture

The rougher the texture, the more paint you’ll need. For example, a smooth finish stucco exterior won’t require as much paint as the classic lace and skip texture. 

DIY vs. Hiring a Stucco Painting Professional

Painting a house exterior is tricky on its own, but stucco has a unique texture and requires equally unique paints and materials. If you don’t have experience painting stucco, we strongly recommend hiring a professional to ensure a proper paint job. 

“Hiring a stucco pro is a good investment,” Tschudi says. “They will know not only how to repair the cracked stucco, but how to apply a new surface to make it look new.”

Pros can not only do all of the required repair work before painting, but they may also include power washing services in the service package.

If you decide to DIY the stucco painting job, you may need to rent power washing tools. Make sure that you use the correct materials for the prep work, priming, and painting. If your house has multiple stories, you should hire experienced pros to do the work for you. Navigating tall ladders and installing scaffolding should only be done by professionals.

Missing small details like failing to fix cracks or using the wrong type of paint can potentially spell expensive repairs or even foundational problems. Avoid any issues by hiring a pro.

FAQs

What is stucco?

Stucco is a durable, long-lasting plaster siding option that’s popular in hot, dry climates. It’s made with cement, lime, sand, and water.

On average, installing new stucco costs $4,380. If you were to re-stucco a house, add $1 per square foot for removing the pre-existing stucco.

How do you paint a stucco house?

Before you begin, you should prep your stucco walls by cleaning the dirt and dust off. Typically, this will require you to power wash your home’s exterior. If you need to hire power washers, it costs $50 to $150 per hour. Next, walk around the house and identify any small cracks. Fix them with masonry caulk or patches.

After the prep work, you can prime the walls with an acrylic primer. Then, use water-based paints like acrylic, elastomeric, or masonry paint using rollers, brushes, or an airless sprayer.

What are the pros and cons of painting stucco?

There are many advantages of painting stucco:

• Makes walls look more attractive

• Adds U.V. protection and seals the stucco

• Hides cracks and imperfections

• Increases the home’s resale value

Some of the disadvantages of painting stucco include:

• Higher cost than painting other surfaces

• Long wait time after stucco installation before painting

• A labor-intensive process

How much stucco paint do I need?

Because stucco is highly textured, you’ll need twice as much paint as you would for a wall with little to no texture. For example, a one-gallon can of paint covers 400 square feet of a regular flat wall, but for stucco, you can expect that to cover about 200 square feet.

How often does stucco need to be painted?

To maintain the beautiful appearance of your stucco walls, it’s a good idea to paint your house every five to 10 years. And if you’re planning on repainting the walls, it’s also worthwhile to consider the cost of painting your interior or exterior trim and combining multiple paint projects into one.