Stucco is a historically popular building material that’s often seen in the Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester County areas. It’s a durable option for homes, but does it have what it takes to stack up to insulated vinyl siding? While there are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both, we admittedly recommend that you have damaged stucco replaced with vinyl siding instead of having it repaired.
Seeing stucco damage? Contact us today to avoid long-term damage to your home.
What is Stucco?
Stucco is a traditional exterior finish made from a mixture of cement, sand, and water. It has a long history of use in various architectural styles. One coat stucco (which requires only one coat) can also have glass or acrylic binders to strengthen the material. It’s applied manually over a base material in a single or multiple coats. Once stucco hardens, it becomes a durable, textured surface. Stucco is often seen on Mediterranean, Spanish, and Southwestern-style homes, although it is used throughout the country, including in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Pros of Stucco
Stucco has been used for centuries due to its strength and durability. When properly installed, it can withstand harsh weather conditions and, with proper maintenance, it can last for decades. It’s also a good insulator, helping to regulate indoor temperatures. Stucco is also naturally fire resistant, which may be important to some homeowners.
Stucco is a plaster-type material, making it an excellent product for creating artistic patterns, textures, and finishes.
Cons of Stucco
The installation and repair cost of stucco can be dramatically higher than siding. It takes a true artisan to execute the various patterns, textures, and finishes, which makes it an expensive alternative.
While stucco is a good insulator, it’s not as effective as insulated vinyl siding, which is specifically designed to have superior insulating properties.
The biggest con of stucco, though, is that it can be difficult to install. Many stucco installations cut corners, have flaws in the material mix, or are just improperly applied.
Even properly installed stucco can still be susceptible to stucco failure and water damage, meaning that it needs regular maintenance and repairs to prevent the home from requiring stucco remediation.
When it’s poorly installed, stucco can become a huge headache. Crumbling and cracking stucco can open the structure of your home to moisture and water damage.
Is Stucco Expensive?
Stucco is not for the cost-conscious. It’s an expensive, time-consuming process. It’s manually applied, often in several coats. Unlike siding, which is manufactured at a factory and then brought to the job site, stucco must be mixed on-site and applied over a wire mesh coating. The application needs to dry between coats. There are normally 3 coats – a scratch coat, brown coat, and finish coat.
While any type of exterior cladding on your home is a significant investment, siding is a much more cost-effective option. Despite the increased cost of stucco, there’s a good chance you may not get a premium for your home when you sell it. Many homeowners view stucco as a headache, since it requires frequent maintenance.
What is Siding?
Siding, sometimes called cladding, is a protective material attached to the exterior of a home in long strips that are several inches wide and layered to create a water-tight seal. Siding types include vinyl, wood, fiber cement, and composite materials. Some older homes have asbestos or aluminum siding. Siding can be installed vertically or horizontally.
Pros of Siding
Siding is an affordable option to cover your home. Siding companies offer a wide range of colors, textures, and styles, and has the ability to mimic other exterior finishing types from cedar shingles to stucco-like sheets, which have all the benefits of stucco without the headaches of installation and repair.
Siding is far more cost-effective than stucco to install. Even though stucco as a material is less expensive, the mixing and forming of stucco is a time consuming process.
Siding is known for its easy maintenance. Insulated vinyl siding, for example, only requires the occasional power washing. Older homes with wood siding require painting, however, most homeowners are replacing their wood siding with insulated vinyl or durable fiber cement siding.
Because it can be designed to be energy efficient, some sidings such as insulated vinyl siding provide better insulation than stucco.
Cons of Siding
Some types of siding may not last as long as stucco and can be susceptible to damage from weather, such as wind. Older asbestos siding can be difficult to remove due to its toxic nature. Aluminum siding is susceptible to denting and bending. However, using a high-quality vinyl or fiber cement siding that’s properly installed can mitigate problems from harsh weather conditions.
Siding doesn’t provide the same architectural flexibility as stucco, which can be used to create elaborate designs. For most homeowners, though, the style, color, and texture options for siding are aesthetically pleasing.
Siding vs Stucco: Factors to Consider
We feel strongly about our siding products and their ability to stand up to stucco. Stucco requires more maintenance, has less insulation, and is less durable in most scenarios than siding products. The budget and installation cost favor siding over stucco as well. Skilled stucco installers can be hard to find, which is the reason that we see so many homes with failing stucco.
However, before choosing, you may want to consider the climate. In Southeastern PA, we don’t see a lot of hurricanes or high winds that might be damaging to certain siding products. Stucco has an arguably higher wind tolerance than siding. However, before installing stucco on your beach house, remember that its susceptibility to water damage still makes it an imperfect choice for those areas.
Bonus: Stucco Vs James Hardie Fiber Cement Board
James Hardie fiber cement siding products have many of the same aspects as stucco. However, the James Hardie manufacturing and installation process creates a stronger, more consistent product that offers all the pros of stucco.
In fact, when it comes to long-term protection and curb appeal, James Hardie fiber cement siding offers a major upgrade over traditional stucco. Unlike stucco, which can crack and trap moisture, James Hardie products are engineered to resist weather, pests, and rot—all with minimal maintenance. Plus, Hardie siding is designed to mimic the look of wood or masonry without the constant upkeep, giving you the rich, timeless style you want with the durability your home needs.
See if James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding is right for your home.
Is Stucco Better Than Siding?
In the stucco vs. siding debate, siding wins by a small margin. Siding’s increased durability, lack of maintenance, and variety of styles make it a stronger candidate for your home. Opting for fiber cement siding can tip the scales even further. James Hardie fiber cement siding has many of the advantages of stucco, without the downside.
Both siding and stucco require quality installation to be an effective weather barrier for your home. Whether you prefer the look of stucco or the maintenance-free aspects of siding, it’s important to choose a quality contractor with a good reputation.
Is It Time to Replace Your Stucco?
- Is your stucco over 20 years old?
- Do you see cracks, stains, or bubbling?
- Have you had moisture issues in your walls?
- Want a modern, low-maintenance exterior?
If you answered “yes” to any of these… it’s time to talk siding.
Are you choosing between siding and stucco for your home? We can help! Based in North Wales, PA, Volpe Enterprises specializes in stucco remediation and siding installation throughout Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery County, PA. Let us come out and give you a free evaluation to see if it makes sense to replace your home’s stucco with new, energy-efficient siding.
