Hi Houzz community,

I am writing as a condo board member.

we have a 3 story, 27 unit CMU/brick walk-up, built in 1963. Two sides of the building are unpainted, unmaintained pebbledash stucco. We are looking to update the appearance of the building and mainly want to change the colour, although there are minor cracks and damage due to former attachment points and what have you. I've been hearing strongly contradictory opinions on how to approach this job; our building is a bit of a quagmire which often falls outside of "typical" conventions.

Here's the info -

We've received 2 quotes:

- The first is for $28k for a re-stucco - 2 coats and a coloured finish coat with desired texture.

- The second is $19k for 4 coats of elastomeric paint (claimed 18mm thickness)

- We will have a 3rd quote prepared, I expect they'll recommend restucco'ing.

The stucco contractor says the elastomeric paint will block in moisture and cause mold. The painting contractor (spray-net) says they have a proprietary product which is breathable. The stucco will take 2 weeks, whereas the paint will only take 4 days ...

The building does not have known wall moisture issues, although potentially has "high moisture" in below grade suites.

Additional details:

- The CMU's are not modern cinderblocks, rather they are old and lose composition.

- The walls are uninsulated and we live in a cold Canadian province (hot summer, very cold winters, dry climate)

- There is plaster on the inside walls.

- For the most part, the exterior pebbledash is in good condition and is well connected to the CMU's which underlay it. It is however, aesthetically displeasing.