Stucco and EIFS, answered plainly

Exterior Insulation and Finish System: insulation board on the outside of the wall, a reinforced base coat with mesh, and a finish coat in the colour and texture you choose. It insulates the building from the outside and never needs painting.

Traditional stucco is a cement plaster over lath with no insulation. EIFS adds insulation board and uses thin, flexible polymer coatings. They look similar; EIFS insulates and resists cracking better.

It adds insulation to the outside of the wall, which cuts heating and cooling costs, and the finish coat comes in many colours and textures. Done properly it lasts the life of the building.

Done properly, with the windows and joints sealed, it lasts as long as the building. Most failures come from rushed work, the wrong products or missing sealant, not from the system.

Water getting in behind the system through missing or failed caulking and flashing, and then having no way out. Stucco run below grade is the other common cause.

No. Below the ground it traps water and invites pests. The system stops above grade, whatever the previous installer did.

Yes. Insulated stucco was made for cold climates. The limits are during installation: finish coats need temperatures above the manufacturer's minimum, so most finish work happens from spring to fall.

Yes, when the cause is settling. We repair cracks and blisters in a way that allows for more movement, so they do not reappear.

Water is behind the finish. The area is removed, dried and rebuilt, and the leak that caused it is closed.

At once. An open wall takes in water, and water behind stucco does the real damage.

On most finishes it blends. On weathered or unusual textures we tell you at the visit and may suggest resurfacing to a corner so the wall reads as one.

We advise against it. Finish coats are made differently from paint, and paint on them peels and traps moisture. We trowel on a new finish in the colour you want instead.

Yes. We remove the existing cladding, inspect and repair the wall behind it, then install the new system properly.

Yes. Much of our repair work is on walls other contractors left unfinished or poorly done.

A repair fixes one damaged area. Resurfacing adds a new mesh-reinforced base coat and finish over the whole wall. A recoat is a new finish coat only, on a sound wall. Our guide on resurfacing versus repair versus replacing explains how to choose.

Send a photo of the wall through the form or call (416) 676-6908. Lars books a free site visit, usually within a few days, and you get one price in writing.

Yes, anywhere in the GTA, with no obligation.

No. Stucco & Co works only with its own crews, on every job, whatever the size. Michael is on site and Lars handles your quote.

Lars, from the first call to the final walk-through. Michael runs the crew on site.

Since 2010. Both founders are still on the job every day.

Yes. Stucco & Co carries $5 million liability insurance and WSIB coverage, and every job comes with a one-year warranty on our work.

Our workmanship for one year from completion, in writing. The manufacturers' product warranties apply alongside it.

Complete systems from recognised manufacturers such as Durabond, Sto, Dryvit, Adex and Senergy, never mixed products.

No. Every wall is different and we quote after seeing it. The service pages explain what moves the price on each kind of job.

Replacing a finish like for like usually does not. Adding insulation changes the wall assembly and some municipalities want a permit, and heritage districts need approval for exterior changes. We tell you what applies at the visit.

Spring and fall fill first. Call early and Lars will give you a realistic slot. Our guide on stucco work by season explains what can be done when.

Across the Greater Toronto Area from our Mississauga warehouse. See the service areas page for the 14 cities with their own pages.

Yes, for a budget price. The firm quote follows a visit once the walls are framed and the windows are in.

Elevations and sections, the window and door schedule, where stucco meets other materials, and the look you want. Our guide lists it in full.

Yes. Most of our commercial work is on occupied buildings. We phase the work, keep entrances usable and agree the schedule with you first.

Yes. Many managed buildings are done elevation by elevation across seasons, worst first.

Yes. Give us the standard and we match the colours, profiles and finishes.