how to cover graffiti on stucco?

Scott A
by Scott A
I've gotten some bright red paint on my white stucco. How do I paint over it? I've never painted stucco and want to know the best way to cover given the stucco is so textured.
Thanks
  23 answers
  • Jett L Jett L on Jun 02, 2012
    Try Killz. i would google it Killz first. To make sure it would be alright.
  • 3po3 3po3 on Jun 02, 2012
    Bummer. Most good exterior paints should work. A primer and a couple of coats of paint should cover the red. The textured surface will make painting a little more work, but it should work. I would get paint at a Sherwin-Williams store and ask them for rollers or other tools that work well for textured stucco.
  • LAUREN D LAUREN D on Jun 02, 2012
    I have used their textured rollers and they are terrific, they cover well and save you a lot of extra coats of paint, they are $ 7-9 per rolller
  • Becky H Becky H on Jun 02, 2012
    Man! That's enough to tick off the Pope isn't it. Looks like you're getting good advice.
  • Charlene K Charlene K on Jun 02, 2012
    roll it
  • Suzie S Suzie S on Jun 02, 2012
    OMG how horrible that this happened to you! I think the only thing to do is primer and paint like Steve G said. Good Luck ans hopefully it never happens again.
  • Joan A Joan A on Jun 02, 2012
    Try spraying a heavy coat of easy off oven cleaner on it. Let it sit at least a hr then use a water house on it. Easy off will remove paint. I've used it on concrete before. Worked great.
  • Tracee D Tracee D on Jun 02, 2012
    You can Use Dryvit or get a piece of your stucco and have the paint store guy match it-simple to paint just the one exterior wall! Of course -- primer first!
  • Brandon K Brandon K on Jun 02, 2012
    Oil based kills should do it. maybe 2 coats and a primer to play it safe. Red bleeds through especially in Sun drenched areas
  • Teresa F Teresa F on Jun 02, 2012
    I'm with Jett L; try Killz; believe its for this.
  • Kelly S Kelly S on Jun 02, 2012
    Catch the monsters that did it and make them paint it, just like the fence in Tom Sawyer, only you can say when they are done! Seriously prime and paint with an oil based exterior paint like eveybody is saying. You could try the oven cleaner down low to see if it works.
  • Lots of great advice here. I like the easy off idea. You cannot make it any worse at this point anyway. Tracee D suggested Dryvit, and perhaps they mean using their top coat over the wall. Dryvit, is a manufacture of stucco. In fact the oldest manufacture in the US of this product. but what you have is a traditional type stucco on this home and although they do sell traditional stucco systems now, this is not what their main product line is about. A good quality primer, as suggested followed by a good coat of paint on the entire wall should do the trick. Had you a EIFS system such as manufactured by Dryvit or Sto, etc. (this is the one with the foam boards behind the stucco) You would need to use a special primer that does not seal the wall. The paints used on these types of wall systems must allow for moisture vapor to move through the finished surface. A regular house paint on such a system will cause moisture build up behind the lamina causing rot and decay of the wall system. Looking closely at the wall system you have, it is also apparent that over the years repairs have been performed on it. You may be better off priming the red, then re-coating the entire wall with a new top coat of stucco. This will remove all the unevenness and seal off the red once and for all in the process.
  • Barb K Barb K on Jun 03, 2012
    To make a paint that is bright or bold or dark a medium paint it gray then your color, it tones color a makes it neutral to re do. good luck
  • Therese C Therese C on Jun 03, 2012
    I would cover the red with KILZ and then paint over with the original color using a roller head made for stucco and rough surfaces. A good hardware store will have both.
  • Susan S Susan S on Jun 03, 2012
    So Scott - just HOW did this happen anyway? It doesn't sound like it was valdalism since you took ownership by saying "I've gotten some red paint . . . " However, it does look suspiciously like it was kinda slung on there!!
  • Home Repair Tutor Home Repair Tutor on Jun 03, 2012
    Sorry to see this happen Scott, such a bummer. I've heard of using elastomeric paint with stucco to allow it to breathe like Woodbridge talked about above. It's interesting though, I went to a local paint store here in Pittsburgh and they had never heard of elastomeric paint before! But I've used a stucco paint from Home Depot after making a repair to one of our rentals and it worked out just fine. The brand I believe was Behr. You could always call Behr and ask their opinion as to what type of primer to use on your type of stucco, I'm sure they'd be helpful. By the way, here's a link to Behr's Stucco paint. Sorry for the lone link! http://www.behr.com/dsm-ext/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=883a536658689110VgnVCM1000006f1010acRCRD
  • A New Creation Painting (alexandria, va.) kilz oil based primer/sealer will cover it.(it looks like it will leave an imprint of the piant thickness.) If it is a latex paint you can use goof off to remove it, then kilz.
  • Home Repair, your right, Home Depot from what I understand does not have the elastomeric paint. But any good quality exterior paint will work, as long as its not on an EIFS lamina. As that is what needs to breath. Elastomeric paints offer breathability and will not crack as easy as its makeup is designed to move and stretch with the movement of the surface of the material it is applied to. This paint works well on vinyl siding as well.
  • Capernius Capernius on May 25, 2015
    I was told years ago by a professional painter that the only way to completely make red paint disappear, was to paint the offending area black, & then(in this case) paint it white....but to make it look like it was never there, pain the entire wall with a rough napped roller. a good exterior paint should work, or you can go with a marine paint....you can not get much more water resistant than marine paint....but it is very expensive.
  • JoElle JoElle on Jul 26, 2015
    I think this calls for "poppies".. make your graffiti.. into art.. get local art students or try yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xsceFJZe5E
  • Annie Doherty Annie Doherty on Jun 23, 2016
    Scott Zinsser do fantastic primers for all types of painting, I am certain that they will have one suitable for your needs. I've used Bullseye 1-2-3 for years on formica, wood metal tile. I have no connection with the Company just had fantastic results wherever I have used it and it's American, can be diluted with water with no loss of coverage, try it as it's more cost effective than many of the other solutions offered and it's a brilliant product. Good luck with your project.
  • Blu11356773 Blu11356773 on Sep 21, 2016
    Our 1924 stucco house has the deep, deep stucco and I used Bear paint with a 4 inch brush. It erased old paint the past owners had applied on the trim. That was 20 years ago and still looks great. Still can't see the ugly green paint hidden underneath the white.
  • MiaMichaels MiaMichaels on Dec 11, 2018

    Well I wouldn't call it a graffiti. It is just a paint stain. Simple act of vandalism. There is actually a big difference between the two. You can see a great essay about it http://artscolumbia.org/essays/graffiti-art-vandalism-43288/ When it's a real graffiti you wouldn't want to cover it.