Ever wonder why so many Boca Raton walls look the way they do? Mediterranean Revival architecture has shaped the city from the 1920s onward, and stucco has carried that look ever since: troweled walls, arches, raised bands and barrel-tile rooflines. J. Perry & Sons applies, repairs and refinishes that stucco as part of our stucco services. If the wall belongs to your house, go to residential stucco in Boca Raton. If you are a general contractor, property manager or board, use commercial stucco in Boca Raton. This page explains which stucco systems and textures you will find on Boca walls, and why each one fails the way it does.
Four systems, and where each one turns up in Boca
| System | Where it shows up in Boca Raton | What that means for a repair |
|---|---|---|
| Three-coat Portland cement on block | Most single-family CBS homes across the city, low-rise plazas and office buildings | Dense and hard; failed areas are cut out and rebuilt coat by coat |
| Cement stucco on lath over framing | Frame second floors on some two-story homes, additions, newer infill rebuilds | Cracks track the line where block meets frame; lath and weep screed get checked first |
| EIFS (foam board with acrylic finish) | Some office and retail facades, cornices, bands and decorative trim | Dents on impact and holds water behind it; repaired with EIFS materials, never hard-coat |
| Synthetic acrylic finish | Smooth modern rebuilds and integral-color facades | A patch shows unless the full plane is refinished |
From the driveway these can look identical, so telling them apart is the first job on any Boca wall. A hard-coat patch set into a flexible EIFS wall becomes a stiff spot that cracks at its edges within a season. An acrylic topcoat over cement that is still wet underneath will blister. So we tap the surface, look at a hidden edge or a penetration, and name the system in writing before we put a number on it. When your wall turns out to be EIFS, the scope moves to our EIFS and high-build stucco methods.
Can't tell which system is on your walls? Send a close-up photo through our project form and we'll give you our first read before we visit.
Mediterranean detail and the textures that go with it
That Mediterranean Revival influence still drives what Boca owners and architects ask for, from stucco installation on new additions to historic plaster repair inside the oldest houses (see plaster). Barrel tile, arched windows, quoins at the corners, keystones over openings and round entry columns all sit on top of the stucco, and each one is a place where the coating changes shape. Those changes of shape are where cracks start: at the shoulders of an arch, at the ends of a raised band, and under a column cap where water sits.
Textures across the city fall into a few groups:
- Skip trowel and sand float on Mediterranean-style houses and clubhouse buildings. Both look hand-made, and skip trowel takes a practiced hand to match.
- Knockdown and sand on many of the 1980s and 1990s gated communities in the western part of the city.
- Sand or dash on the original 1950s through 1970s ranches in east Boca.
- Smooth on teardown rebuilds and on older houses being converted, where owners want a cleaner line under modern impact glass. Smooth shows every wave, so the base has to be straight before the finish coat goes on. Our smooth stucco finish page covers the method.
Replacing arched windows with square impact units? Squaring arched openings is a Boca specialty in its own right. We fill the arch, lath it and rebuild it so the new opening looks original. See squaring off arched openings.
East Boca and west Boca are different stucco jobs
East Boca. Closer to the Intracoastal, the older streets are mostly CBS (concrete block) ranches from the 1950s through the 1970s, mixed with new construction where the original house came down. Salt exposure climbs block by block toward the water. Spalling at tie beams and window lintels is common on these houses: the steel inside rusts, swells and pushes the stucco off. A crack with a rust stain under it is a concrete repair first and a stucco repair second. Near the coast we use galvanized or PVC bead and coated fasteners.
The barrier island. Condo buildings along the beach take direct salt spray. Stucco there is often tied to the balcony and concrete repairs listed in a building's milestone inspection, and the stucco follows the engineer's repair list.
West Boca. The large gated and country-club communities in the western part of the city went up mostly in the 1980s through the 2000s. Two-story CBS is typical, sometimes with a frame second floor. Cracking at the block-to-frame line, at balcony edges and around sliding doors is the call we get again and again. Architectural review in these communities is detailed, and a texture or color change goes through the committee before work begins.
City of Boca Raton or Palm Beach County: who issues the permit
Does a Boca Raton mailing address mean the City of Boca Raton issues your permit? Not always. Inside city limits, permits go through the city's Development Services Department. Much of west Boca is unincorporated Palm Beach County, where the county's building division handles it. We check your parcel before we file.
Like-for-like patching on the same footprint generally needs no permit. Re-stucco over new lath, stucco on an addition, and any change to a window or door opening do. J. Perry & Sons pulls those permits itself and follows every city and county requirement on the job. Palm Beach County sits outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone that covers Broward and Miami-Dade, but the Florida Building Code's wind and product-approval rules still govern lath, fasteners and openings. We do not do engineering; we build to the engineer's drawings and coordinate a licensed engineer when the work needs one.
What stucco costs in Boca Raton
A few numbers cover most calls. Stucco repair, where cracked or hollow areas are cut out and rebuilt with the texture matched, typically starts around $13–$21 per sq ft of patch. Spalling repair, chipped to the steel with the rebar treated and rebuilt, typically starts around $22–$34 per sq ft. Re-stucco of a full wall in scratch, brown and finish coats typically starts around $14–$23 per sq ft. We confirm each after seeing your walls. Columns, arch conversions, smooth conversions and EIFS work on houses are priced per job after a site visit. Full-building, new-construction and commercial EIFS scopes are priced from drawings.
About these prices. These ranges are starting points based on typical South Florida projects. Your final price depends on the condition of the property, access, the materials or system specified and the full scope of work. We confirm every number after we review your project in person or from the drawings, and the price in your signed proposal is the one that applies.
Workmanship warranty on every job; materials carry the manufacturer's warranty. Terms are in your written contract.
Want a written price for your Boca wall instead of a range? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll schedule a free site visit.
Weather, salt and timing in Boca
From about mid-May to mid-October it is rainy season, and afternoon storms are the rule. We put coats on in the morning, cover fresh work, and let cement stucco cure before anyone primes it. Just replaced windows before hurricane season? The broken returns around each opening need closing and sealing within days. Our stucco repair page covers how each return is rebuilt.
Where to go next
For your own house, read residential stucco in Boca Raton. For a plaza, office, condo or community bid, read commercial stucco in Boca Raton. Every other trade we handle here is on our Boca Raton renovation contractor page.
Nearby: stucco in Delray Beach · stucco in Boynton Beach · stucco in Pompano Beach
ZIP codes we serve in Boca Raton
33428, 33431, 33432, 33433, 33434, 33486, 33487, 33496, 33498.
Prefer to send photos or plans? Send us your project
Boca Raton stucco FAQ
How do I know if my Boca house has stucco or EIFS? Press firmly or tap with a knuckle. Cement stucco is hard and rings solid on block. EIFS feels slightly soft and sounds hollow and dull. We confirm at a hidden edge before pricing, because the two are repaired with different materials.
Why does stucco crack around arches and bands so often in Boca Raton? Those details change the thickness and shape of the coating, and water collects on their top edges. Movement concentrates there, and once water gets in, it widens the crack. We seal the top edge and rebuild the detail instead of caulking the line.
Do I pull a permit with the City of Boca Raton or with Palm Beach County? It depends on the parcel, not the mailing address. Inside city limits it is the city; much of west Boca is unincorporated county. We check and file the right one when your scope needs a permit.
What does stucco work run per square foot in Boca? Patch repair typically starts around $13–$21 per sq ft, spalling repair around $22–$34 per sq ft and a full re-stucco around $14–$23 per sq ft. Columns, arches and finish conversions on homes are priced per job after a site visit, and commercial scopes are priced from drawings. Final pricing is confirmed after we review your project.
Which stucco finish is best for a Boca home being updated? Sand float is the safest all-round choice. Smooth suits modern rebuilds and impact glass but needs a straight base. Skip trowel suits Mediterranean houses with barrel tile. Check with your HOA before you change texture.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.