Synthetic Stucco, Foam Trim And Pre-Loss Condition

Much of the time, the fancy decorative trim that we see around the doors and windows on stucco homes is actually made of a polyurethane product most people would recognize as Styrofoam. Caps for stucco fencing, columns and exterior crown molding are also commonly made completely from this Styrofoam type product.
The foam trim is typically adhered to the walls of the home by Polybond or some other cementitious product in combination with fiberglass mesh that runs over the surface of the foam and down onto and over a portion of the adjacent wall surface.
In most damages estimates that I see from insurance companies that have paid to repair or replace this foam trim, I rarely see any allowance for the cost to repair the surfaces of the walls around the foam trim.
Many insurance adjusters assume that you can merely cut the foam trim off of the wall, glue some new trim back and then merely paint the trim. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is important for adjusters to understand how the foam trim is adhered to the wall. As you can see in this video, the contractor overlaps the foam trim onto the adjacent walls and then spreads the polybond over the surface of both the foam trim and a portion of the existing stucco wall surface. A finish coat is then applied.
If you are just trying to get away with a cheap repair, then you might be tempted to just paint the remaining surface of that wall of the home. However, if you are attempting to bring the home back to a pre-loss condition, the floating of the remaining walls and the application of a coat of new stucco may be necessary.
It is also worth mentioning that synthetic stucco has the paint color already mixed in when it is applied. Also inside the mix are tiny granules of sand or other tiny aggregates that give the finished product it’s very defined appearance. While it is certainly possible to paint over an existing stucco finish, it will never again have the defined appearance of the original textured finish. The reason for this is that the additional layer of paint plugs the gaps between the granules of sand in the original finish - leaving it with a much flatter look.
If you are interested in maintaining the pre-loss appearance of your stucco home, you may consider floating the surface of your existing stucco smooth with a non-cementitious base coat and then re-applying the original stucco with the color, premixed.
In closing, it is worth noting that with the recommended care, the pre-mixed paint in your stucco system can last for many decades. Adding a topical coat of paint to the surface of the existing product may cause the need to repaint every 7 to ten years. This is certainly not pre-loss condition.