Exterior plaster is a facade covering with many advantages. You can use exterior plaster on new buildings for a sleek result or to renovate an existing, rural home in a stylish way. Moreover, exterior plaster is water-repellent, long-lasting, and provides your home with an extra layer of insulation.
But even exterior plaster can deteriorate over time. Green growth may form or cracks may appear in the plaster. Can you repair exterior plaster or should you consider replacement? We’ll tell you about it below.
What Exactly is Exterior Plaster?
Exterior plaster is a natural building material. It’s a mixture of lime, cement, and sand. It’s sturdy and has a typical granular structure. Exterior plaster is also called outdoor plaster. Thanks to its water-repellent qualities, it’s particularly popular today for both new construction and renovation projects. Most people choose a typical white exterior plaster, but the building material is available in more than 400 colors.
In addition to mineral plaster, you can also choose synthetic resin plaster (synthetic exterior plaster). With this plaster, a silicone has been added to the mixture. As a result, synthetic exterior plaster is extra water-repellent and will also show fewer cracks. Synthetic resin plaster can only be applied in a thin layer (usually in new construction), while mineral plaster can be a thicker layer, ideal for smoothing out irregularities in old facades.
Can Exterior Plaster be Repaired?
Exterior plaster can certainly be repaired. It is important to act quickly though. Only small cracks in exterior plaster can be repaired.
Have you discovered a small crack in your exterior plaster facade and has no moisture damage occurred yet? Then you can fill that crack with limewash or with a specially developed filler material. Both materials have moisture-resistant properties. This way, the crack is filled and no rainwater can penetrate.
What about Large Cracks in Exterior Plaster?
If the exterior plaster is severely damaged, the entire plaster will need to be replaced. Larger cracks through which moisture has already seeped cannot simply be filled with a filler material. The damage is too great and the risk of moisture problems indoors is too high.
If exterior plaster needs to be replaced, we carefully remove the old plaster and check if there is moisture damage to the underlying building materials. We repair these if necessary. After that, the new layer of exterior plaster can be applied.
Tip: do you need to renovate the facade? Always consider facade insulation. Insulating your facade drastically reduces your energy bill and significantly increases the value of your home. Facade insulation is easy to cover with new exterior plaster.
Moreover, by combining exterior plaster with facade insulation, you can apply for the Mijn VerbouwPremie (My Renovation Premium). This way, you can get up to half of the invoice refunded.
You Can also Paint Exterior Plaster
Has the exterior plaster only become a bit dull? Then you can also choose to paint your exterior plaster facade. You do this with moisture-resistant paint. This can of course be done in white, but you can also choose another color.
This way, your exterior plaster can last for a few more years before you might need to think about a more thorough renovation.
Can You Remove Green Growth on Exterior Plaster?
Have mosses or algae settled on your exterior plaster over time? Then you can simply clean them. Repairing the exterior plaster is not necessary in this case.
However, it is important to clean exterior plaster in the right way. For mineral plaster, a high-pressure cleaner is absolutely out of the question. You will damage the plaster. For synthetic resin plaster, you may use a high-pressure cleaner, but only at low pressure. It’s better to rely on an expert to clean exterior plaster. Steam cleaning is the most efficient and safest way to clean exterior plaster.
Tip: Protect your Exterior Plaster against Future Moisture Damage with a Water-Repellent Treatment
Crepi is naturally strong and moisture-resistant. However, over time, moss and algae can still attach to the granules in the crepi. You can easily remove these by cleaning your crepi, but you can also protect crepi against this. We can impregnate the facade with a moisture-repellent agent that prevents green deposits.
Solusio Repairs Crepi in your Area
Has your crepi seen better days? Then the experts at Solusio are happy to help you out. We first investigate whether there is a moisture problem and then repair the damaged crepi. We do this in the most efficient way. Contact us today for an appointment or more information.