Hiring a Painter for Florida Stucco and Exteriors

Exterior paint in Southwest Florida works harder than paint up north. Strong sun fades color, summer storms soak walls almost every afternoon, humidity feeds mildew, and salt air near the coast wears down coatings and metal. Most homes here are concrete block finished with stucco, which brings its own prep and repair needs. A good exterior paint job is mostly about what happens before the first coat goes on. This guide covers what to look for when you hire a painter, what to ask, and how seasonal owners can manage the job from a distance.

Why stucco needs careful prep

Stucco is porous and it moves a little as the building heats and cools, so small cracks are common. Paint alone won't hide or stop most of them, and cracks left open let water get behind the coating, where it can cause peeling, bubbling and stains. A careful painter will typically:

Clean the walls first. Dirt, chalky old paint, mildew and algae all keep new paint from bonding. Many painters pressure wash or soft wash and then treat mildew before painting. If you'd rather hire this out separately, see our pressure washing companies.
Let the walls dry. Stucco holds water after washing or rain. Ask how long they wait before painting and how they check that the surface is dry enough.
Repair cracks properly. Hairline cracks are usually filled with a flexible patch or caulk made for stucco. Wider or recurring cracks should be opened up and patched so the repair matches the surrounding texture. Ask how they'll blend the texture so patches don't show through the new paint.
Caulk joints and penetrations. Gaps around windows, doors, light fixtures, hose bibs and pipes are common leak points. Replacing failed caulk is part of good prep.
Prime where needed. Bare patches, new stucco and chalky surfaces usually need a primer or sealer made for masonry. Ask the painter what the paint maker recommends for your walls.

Some cracks are a sign of something more than surface wear. Long diagonal cracks, cracks that keep coming back wider, stucco that sounds hollow when tapped, or damage around windows can point to water intrusion or structural movement. A painter can point these out, but they may need a stucco or general contractor, and sometimes a permit, to fix properly. Ask your painter to tell you, in writing, about anything they find that's beyond painting.

Elastomeric vs. acrylic coatings

Two kinds of exterior coating come up most often on Florida stucco:

100% acrylic exterior paint. The everyday choice for most stucco homes. It breathes, which lets moisture in the wall escape, comes in a wide range of colors and sheens, and is easy to touch up and repaint later.
Elastomeric coating. A much thicker, flexible coating that can stretch over hairline cracks and shed wind-driven rain. It's often suggested for walls with lots of small cracks. The trade-offs: it costs more, it goes on thick, it can trap moisture if the wall is wet or the coating is applied where water can get behind it, and future repaints may need specific primers.

Neither is right for every house. Ask each painter why they recommend one over the other for your walls, which exact product line they plan to use, and what the manufacturer says about surface prep, number of coats and coverage. Then compare quotes product to product. A cheaper bid may simply be a thinner coating or fewer coats.

Mildew, moisture and salt air

Shaded north walls, areas near irrigation heads, and walls behind landscaping tend to grow mildew first. Before your painter starts:

Have sprinkler heads adjusted so they don't spray the walls. An irrigation company can do this if needed.
Trim shrubs and palms back from the house so walls can dry out.
Check gutters and downspouts. Water pouring down a wall stains paint and stucco. See our gutter companies.
Ask whether the paint includes a mildewcide and whether the painter treats mildew before priming.

On the coast and on the islands, salt air is hard on railings, metal doors and fasteners as well as paint. Ask the painter how they'll prep and coat metal surfaces, and whether they'll use products rated for coastal exposure.

Pick your timing around the weather

Paint needs dry surfaces and reasonable temperatures to cure. In Southwest Florida the rainy season roughly runs from late spring through early fall, with frequent afternoon storms, and hurricane season officially runs June 1 to November 30. Many homeowners schedule exterior painting for the drier months, but good painters work year-round and plan around weather. Ask:

What they do if rain is forecast on a painting day, and how they protect fresh paint.
How long each coat needs before it can handle rain, according to the product label.
How long the whole job will take and what happens to the schedule if weather delays it.

Seasonal owners often want the work done before they arrive or right after they leave. The drier months are also the busiest, so book early.

Get HOA approval before you choose a color

Many Southwest Florida HOAs and condo associations control exterior colors, and some keep an approved palette or require a written application before any exterior painting, even repainting the same color. Some also set work hours, rules for ladders and equipment, and which areas the association paints itself. Before you sign with a painter:

Read your association's rules or call the management company.
Submit the color application if one is required, and wait for written approval.
Give the painter a copy of the approval and the exact color names or codes.

Repainting without approval can lead to fines or an order to repaint, so this step is worth doing first.

What a written quote should include

Get at least two or three written quotes, and compare what each one covers rather than just the total. A clear quote should list:

Exactly what's being painted: walls, trim, fascia, soffits, doors, garage door, lanai, columns, railings. Note anything that's excluded.
Prep steps: washing and mildew treatment, drying time, crack and stucco repair (and how larger repairs will be priced if found), caulking, scraping and priming.
Products: brand, product line, primer, and whether it's acrylic or elastomeric.
Number of coats and how they'll be applied (spray, roll or both).
Protection: covering windows, plants, pool, pool cage, pavers, cars and fixtures, and cleanup at the end.
Schedule and weather plan.
Payment terms. Be careful with large up-front deposits, and hold the final payment until you've done a walkthrough.
Warranty: what the painter's own workmanship warranty covers, for how long, and what voids it. Paint makers' warranties are separate.

Licensing, insurance and lead paint

Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) does not license painters. Its construction industry FAQ lists paint among the kinds of work that don't need a state license. State law also limits local licensing: under section 489.117(4), Florida Statutes, cities and counties may not require a license for painting, plastering, stuccoing, caulking or pressure washing. Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties have all dropped their old local painting licenses.

That doesn't mean anything goes:

Work beyond painting can need a licensed contractor. If the job includes structural repairs, replacing windows or doors, fixing rotted fascia or framing, or roof work, that part may need a state-licensed contractor and a permit. Ask your local building department what applies at your address, and check any contractor's license on the DBPR license search.
A business tax receipt isn't a license. Many cities and counties require businesses to hold a local business tax receipt. As Charlotte County's consumer guide points out, that's a tax receipt, not proof that someone is qualified.
Ask for insurance certificates. Ask for proof of general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage (or a valid exemption). Ladders and scaffolding are risky, and you don't want an injury or damage on your property to become your problem.
Older homes and lead paint. If your home was built before 1978, the U.S. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule generally requires paid contractors who disturb painted surfaces to be EPA-certified firms and to follow lead-safe work practices. Ask whether the painter is certified.
Ask for references from recent exterior jobs in your area, ideally on stucco homes, and look at the work if you can.

For more on checking contractors from a distance, see our guide to hiring a licensed contractor in Florida.

Tips for seasonal owners

Decide who lets the crew in and who checks the work. A home watch provider or property manager can confirm the crew showed up, check that windows, doors and the lanai were protected, and send photos.
Ask for photos of the walls after cleaning and crack repair, before paint goes on. That's the step you can't see once the job is done.
Shut off or adjust irrigation on painting days so sprinklers don't hit fresh paint.
Keep a record of the colors, product names, painter and date. You'll need the color codes for touch-ups and HOA paperwork later. The free My Florida Home app is a handy place to keep these notes.
Do the final walkthrough yourself or through someone you trust before you make the last payment.

Browse local painters and pressure washing companies in our directory, and ask each one for a written quote and proof of insurance before you decide.

We list local companies by area: Fort Myers · Cape Coral · Naples · Bonita Springs · Estero · Punta Gorda · Sanibel & Marco Island.

General information only. It is not legal, insurance or engineering advice. Check with your insurer, HOA and licensed professionals.