If the exterior siding on your home or business is stucco or some other type of masonry, you may have experienced problems related to cracking. These cracks are not just eyesores - they allow water from wind-driven rain to enter your walls, potentially causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

A special type of paint, known as elastomeric wall coatings, has been developed to address this problem.  

Originally developed in Europe in the 1940s, Elastomeric Wall Coverings were introduced to North America during the mid-1980s. Since then, they have really caught on for both commercial and residential applications.

This premium quality coating protects your home or business like a flexible blanket keeping your masonry and stucco safe and beautiful for years. The coating can be used on properly prepared exterior masonry surfaces including cement, cinder block, stucco, concrete and brick.

The water-resistant qualities of these "elastic" coatings help prevent moisture from penetrating cracked or porous masonry.  At the same time, they're able to breathe, allowing moisture from within the home (or from within the masonry itself) to escape to the outdoors as vapor.

Stucco and masonry structures expand and contract in response to the weather and structural stresses. Unlike typical exterior paints, this coating fills and bridges hairline cracks, helping to prevent damaging water penetration. They also prevent additional cracks from developing, enhancing the beauty of your home or business for years to come.

Elastomeric wall coatings made with 100 percent acrylic binders are applied at a dry film thickness four to five times that of a latex exterior paint (usually 12-15 mils). When temperatures drop, these flexible coatings "stretch" to span cracks in your masonry. When temperatures return to normal, these cracks diminish in size and the coatings contracts, returning to the original shape without warping or wrinkling.

Elastomeric Coatings will not cure the ills of every building — and don’t expect them to bridge cracks due to serious settling, earthquakes and other structural problems. However, properly applied, they offer very durable and long-lasting moisture protection.