Why does nobody talk about how bad stucco color matching is in the desert

I spent 2 weeks patching a wall on my Phoenix house and thought I nailed the color match until the sun hit it at 3 PM. The whole patch looked like a neon sign against the faded old stucco. Anyone else have this issue with the afternoon light making colors look completely different?

3 comments

3 Comments

bailey.jennifer5d ago

Try watering or power washing the old stucco first so it darkens up closer to the fresh patch before you mix. Also mix a little darker than you think you need since desert sun washes everything out eventually.

theas285d ago

Wetting the old stucco down with a hose before mixing made a big difference for me. I did a patch job on my south facing wall last summer and the first try came out too light because the dry old stuff was way lighter than the damp new mix. After I sprayed it down and added a bit extra pigment to the batch it blended in almost perfectly. The sun did fade it a little over the year but it's still way better than the first attempt.

wright.leo5d ago

Wait, water makes old stucco darker? That actually works?