Are the columns at your entrance showing vertical cracks, rust stains or broken corners? Columns are the first thing visitors see and the first place a commercial building shows its age: cracks, rust, stucco that sounds hollow and corners that have broken off. This page covers how J. Perry & Sons handles column repair and rebuilds for owners, property managers, association boards and GCs, as part of our commercial stucco work. Each column is priced by method in the table below, and where yours lands depends on what is under the stucco.
What fails on a commercial stucco column
Rust at the core. Most columns here are concrete or block cells with rebar, wrapped in stucco. When salt, moisture and carbonation reach the steel, the steel swells and pushes the cover off. This is spalling, and it usually shows as a vertical crack with a rust stain, then a chunk of missing surface.
Open joints at the base and cap. Water enters where the column meets the slab, the planter, the canopy or the cap. Without a sealed joint or a flashing, water goes into the column instead of running off it.
Impact. Vehicles, carts, pallet jacks and delivery trucks break corners. Parking-lot and loading-dock columns take hits that wall stucco never sees.
Bad build. Columns wrapped in lath over foam or wood without a proper weather barrier fail from the inside, and repainting only hides it for a year.
Cracking from movement. Heat and settlement open hairline cracks at the same spot again and again. A crack that keeps reopening is a movement joint question, not a patching question.
Seeing rust stains or hearing a hollow sound when you tap a column? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll come sound every column and show you what we find.
Commercial column repair: methods and what each fixes
| Method | Used when | Price basis |
|---|---|---|
| Crack route and seal, then coat | Hairline cracks, no hollow sound, no rust | priced per job after a site visit |
| Cut-out patch, three-coat rebuild, texture match | Local hollow or damaged areas | $13–$21 per sq ft of patch |
| Chip to steel, rust treatment, repair mortar, restucco | Spalling with exposed or rusted rebar | $1,250–$2,500 per column at the base; $22–$34 per sq ft on larger areas |
| Full wrap: new lath, scratch, brown and finish around the column | Widespread failure on a single column | $2,500–$4,000 per column |
| Rebuild with new corner bead and cap detail | Impact-damaged corners, failed caps | priced per job after a site visit |
| Rebuild with shoring | Failed core or load-bearing column | $5,000–$8,500 per column, engineer extra if load-bearing |
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.
Columns are counted and priced each, with the repair method, access and any engineering stated on the line. Where steel section loss (rebar that has rusted thinner) is serious, the work is referred to a concrete restoration scope with an engineer's letter; see concrete restoration.
Send a photo of each column type and one wide shot of the building through our project form. We'll send a free range first, then a written bid after the walk.
How we repair a commercial stucco column
- Sound and photograph. We tap each column top to bottom, mark the hollow zone and photograph it, so the scope is a list you can approve column by column.
- Protect and shore if needed. Landscape, paving and adjacent glass are covered. If a column carries load and section loss is suspected, work stops until the engineer weighs in.
- Remove failed material. Stucco is saw-cut to a clean edge and taken back to sound surface. Rusted steel is exposed along its full length, not just at the visible spot.
- Treat the steel. Rust is cleaned to bright metal, a rust converter and bonding primer go on, and any bar that has lost section is referred to the engineer.
- Rebuild. Polymer-modified repair mortar restores the profile, then new lath where needed and the scratch and brown coats.
- Detail the ends. Cap flashing, base joint, control joint and sealant are corrected so water goes around the column, not into it.
- Finish and match. The finish coat is floated to match the neighboring columns and the building, then primed and coated with the elevation.
- Document. Before and after photos per column go in the closeout package.
Matching a column to the building
Worried the repaired column will stand out from the rest? It shouldn't, and a repair that does is worse than a failed column. We build a small sample on the column or on a board and hold it against the existing finish in daylight before floating the full surface. On a row of identical columns we repair all of them in the same visit and with the same lot of material, so they read as a set. Unpainted stucco shows color differences until the wall weathers, so we price the coating scope with the column and the finish ends up uniform.
Common column types we see on commercial work:
- Square stucco-wrapped block columns at entries and porte-cocheres
- Round columns formed with fiberglass or metal forms and stucco finish
- Tapered columns with a cap, base and reveal lines
- Storefront piers and canopy supports
- Parking-structure and loading-dock columns with bumper guards
- Decorative columns finished in a high-build coating or foam shapes with a synthetic coat, covered under EIFS and high-build stucco
Commercial column work in South Florida: salt, water and impact
Coastal exposure. Within a few miles of the ocean, rebar corrodes faster and finishes fade sooner. We specify galvanized or PVC accessories for new corner bead and cap flashing.
Rain. The failure point is nearly always the top. A column cap with no slope, or a sealant joint that has split, lets rain into the column daily during the wet season.
Hurricane season. Detached stucco on an entry column can fall onto people and cars in a high wind. We make loose areas safe first and schedule the full repair after.
Permits. Cosmetic column repair does not need a permit. Work that exposes or touches structural steel may, and we pull it. We do not do engineering; we build to the engineer's drawings and coordinate a licensed engineer when the work needs one.
Associations. Entry columns are visible, so condo and HOA boards usually want a sample and a color decision before work starts.
Storm season coming and loose stucco on your entry? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll make it safe first, then schedule the repair.
Workmanship warranty on every job; materials carry the manufacturer's warranty. Terms are in your written contract.
Related commercial stucco services
- Commercial stucco: the overview for GCs, property managers and boards.
- Full building stucco: when the whole envelope needs the work.
- New construction stucco: columns built new on ground-up work.
- Residential column repair: the homeowner version of this scope.
Column repair by city
Commercial stucco in Pompano Beach, Hollywood, Weston, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and West Palm Beach.
Prefer to send photos or plans? Send us your project
Commercial column repair FAQ
How much does it cost to repair a commercial stucco column? A cracked or spalled base runs $1,250–$2,500 per column, a full wrap $2,500–$4,000 and a rebuild with shoring $5,000–$8,500, plus engineering if the column is load-bearing. Cut-out patches on a column run $13–$21 per square foot. Each column gets its own line in the bid so you can approve them individually. Final pricing is confirmed after we review your project.
Is a cracked column a structural problem? Sometimes. A hairline crack in the stucco is cosmetic. A vertical crack with a rust stain, or a chunk that has fallen off, points to corroding steel. We open the area and look. If section loss is serious, an engineer evaluates it before we rebuild.
Can you repair columns while the entrance stays open? Yes. We work a column at a time, fence the work area, and keep ADA routes and doors usable. Curing happens overnight and over weekends.
Will the repaired column match the others? We match the texture on a sample first and finish the whole column face in one run. After the elevation is painted the repair is invisible. Before that, an unpainted patch shows slightly.
How do I get an exact price? Send photos of the columns and a wide shot of the building through our project form or call (561) 556-7509. We confirm the count, access and method and return the written bid in 48 hours.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.