Stucco on walls and soffits are pretty standard and everyone has seen them coated in some sort of a stucco system but I get a question that comes up a lot and that is whether or not a foundation can be stuccoed...
Good Question!
There is a short answer to this question but there are a couple of things that you will want to take into consideration when doing this. Let's dive in!
Can I Stucco My Foundation?
The short answer is yes, you can stucco a foundation if it is properly prepped first and if it is properly applied. You can stucco a foundation, no matter what finish you have on your house. Stucco will work on different materials too ranging from concrete, cinder blocks, bricks, wood and more.
Why Would You Need To Stucco The Foundation?
There are really only two reasons that you would need or want to stucco your foundations and these are usually to make them more appealing or to repair them due to cracking, chipping and/or leaking.
If you want to just make your foundations look nice or make them meet a specific design element that you are going after, then it is a simple and quick process (in most cases) to add a layer or two of stucco to the foundation walls.
If you are having problems due to cracking where leaking will eventually occur or other types of problems then adding stucco to the walls will also be a viable and more cost effective solution compared to replacing the foundation.
There will likely be other steps involved when it comes to more serious issues like a cracked foundation wall but a stucco coat over the walls after those issues have been remedied is going to make the foundation much more resistant to further damage.
What Is On Your Foundation?
Like I stated earlier, you can stucco over just about any type of surface, when it comes to foundations.
Most foundations are made from either concrete or cinder blocks and these are two of the more ideal materials to stucco over due to their high strength, resistance to deterioration and because they are made from similar materials that stucco is made from.
You can also stucco over other materials like foam and cement board. Almost every type of substrate that you find on your foundation walls will require a base coat and a finish coat, for the best possible results.
You can get away with a couple of finish coats applied directly to your foundation if it is prepped properly.
What Siding Is On Your Home?
The type of siding that you currently have on your home is not really a determining factor on whether or not you can stucco the foundation but rather a question from a design perspective instead.
Stucco Siding: If you have stucco siding, then you can have the same finish/texture on the foundation that you have on your walls or you can go with a completely different texture altogether.
For instance, if you have a lace texture on your walls, you could do a sand finish on your foundation in the same color and it would work in unison with each other.
Other Siding: I have seen lots of other siding used on homes like lap, hardie, T-111 combined with a stucco foundation and it looks great too! You will have to do a little research to see what texture and color will work best for you but from what I have seen a simple sand finish works well in most cases.
Here are a couple of examples of different stucco finishes that were applied to foundations that will give you an idea of what to expect.
Sand Finish Example On Foundation Wall In An Acrylic Stucco (stonevalleylandscaping.ca)
Lap Siding With A Heavier Lace Texture (calgaryparging.com)
An Example Of A Lighter Lace Texture On A Foundation Wall (dempskimasonry.com)
What Type Of Material Should I Use?
As far as the material that you can use on the foundation, it really won't matter all that much in terms of protection and longevity.
A traditional finish is probably a little bit better choice because it is cement based and has a little more strength to it but an acrylic will also work well, like the above picture (1st picture) illustrates.
