San Diego Stucco Contractors San Diego, CA

La Mesa contractor offers alternative to texture coat

"My 2,200-square-foot house has a horrible texture coat all over it. I'm thinking about having the texture coat removed, and then painting the house. But I can't find anyone to remove the texture coat. One contractor said it couldn't be sandblasted because that would damage the underlying wood. Help!"
- Susan Riess

Henry Einhorn, owner of highly rated Henry's Professional Painting in La Mesa, says this is a tricky situation because removing the texture coat is very labor intensive.

"The removal process can cost several times more than the actual painting because it takes so much time," Einhorn says. He estimates texture coat removal could add $3,000 to $4,000 to a typical $2,000 painting job. "New lead paint regulations compound the problem and makes it more expensive," Einhorn says.

Einhorn says customers who inquire about texture coat removal usually do so because of damage, such as peeling.

"When texture coat starts peeling, it can get out of control pretty quickly," Einhorn says. He says small repairs are easier to make, but any type of repair requires someone with a good eye at matching the color and texture of the original material. "Even the method of application can make a difference in blending in a patched area of texture coat," Einhorn says.

The best option in this case is to stucco over the existing surface, Einhorn says. He also suggests you talk with your stucco contractor to make sure the home is structurally sound enough to bear the weight of the stucco.

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