Elastomeric Stucco Coatings

What Elastomeric Actually Is

Elastomeric is not thick paint — it's a different class of coating. Applied at several times the film thickness of conventional exterior paint, it cures into a flexible membrane that stays elastic on the wall. When the stucco underneath moves — and in Henderson, with our thermal swings, it always moves — the coating stretches with it instead of cracking over it. That's the whole point: hairline cracks get bridged and stay bridged.

The second benefit matters just as much here: a properly applied elastomeric system sheds water. Henderson gets most of its rain in short, violent monsoon bursts driven sideways by wind, exactly the conditions that push water into open hairline cracks. Sealed walls keep that water out of the stucco and away from the framing behind it.

When We Recommend It — and When We Don't

Elastomeric earns its cost on homes that show the classic Henderson pattern:

• Widespread hairline cracking across sun-facing elevations — the fine web pattern, not isolated structural cracks
• 1990s–2000s stucco that has been through two or three decades of expansion-contraction cycles, common across Green Valley, Whitney Ranch, Seven Hills, and Anthem
• Previously patched walls where old repairs keep telegraphing through ordinary repaints
• Walls that have been repainted several times and keep cracking again within a couple of years

It's not the answer for everything. Larger structural cracks need to be routed and repaired before any coating goes on — a membrane over a moving joint just hides the problem. And elastomeric must be applied correctly: stucco needs to be clean and dry, and the coating needs to go on at the full specified thickness. A thin, sprayed-and-walked-away elastomeric job is the most common way the product gets a bad name in the valley.

How We Apply It

Our elastomeric jobs follow the sequence the manufacturers actually specify: pressure wash and let the wall dry fully, rout and fill cracks beyond hairline size, re-caulk joints and penetrations, spot-prime repairs with masonry primer, then apply the coating at the high build rate the product data sheet calls for — back-rolled into the stucco texture so it bonds into the surface instead of sitting on top of it. On heavily textured Henderson stucco that back-rolling step is non-negotiable; skipping it leaves pinholes at every high point of the texture.

Because elastomeric holds its film thickness, it also evens out the look of older stucco — patched areas, hairline scarring, and surface wear read far more uniform under a high-build coat than under paint. Homeowners usually notice that before anything else.

If your walls run hot as well as cracked, elastomeric pairs well with our heat-reflective finishes — we'll tell you during the assessment which system, or combination, your elevations actually need.