All stucco will have some cracks eventually. A very easy way to help reduce cracking in your new stucco is to apply an even coat of water to the newly stucco’d walls for 2-3 days after it has been installed. It is recommended to use a fan-style hose attachment. Or you can use your thumb over the nozzle to gently and evenly coat the newly stucco’d walls. Once they have reached a congruent wet look your work is done for the day. This technique helps the color coat to cure evenly which helps relieve stress on the wall: thus, decreasing the chances of small cracks.

Another way to help reduce cracking in your new stucco is to make sure not to slam any doors or windows during the first few weeks of your new stucco. Vibrations from doors or windows being shut with excessive force can cause the stucco to crack. Properly installed stucco requires very minimum maintenance year round.

It is recommended to keep dirt from splashing onto new stucco for the first 30 days, or so. This may lead to dirt getting trapped in the texture and making it a very difficult task to clean off of the stucco’d wall. This typically happens in areas where rain or sprinkler water is causing dirt, or mud, to splash into the wall. An easy way to prevent this is to lay down some cover plastic on these splash zones, or redirect your sprinklers. Once your stucco contractor has finished their work, ask him for some extra plastic to use during rains.