Painting - Reg exterior paint on block

Could I use a regular exterior latex paint to paint some small areas of concrete block?

Only a small portion of the block will be exposed and I'd like to try to match the color of the surrounding wall that has been stucco'd. I used this paint to cover some repairs/caulk/stains on the stucco on the house 2 yrs ago, and it seems to be holding up fine. Haven't used it on any of the block yet.

I realize a masonry paint might be a better choice, but we are in a really dry area here, only a few weeks a year of any rain, and this will be all in raised areas. Multiple coats aren't a problem, since she'll be doing the painting...lol. If it lasts 2 yrs on the house stucco, I'd be happy if it lasts that long on the exposed block.

Thx
Vic

Has the block been sealed? It's best to prime the block with blockfill [primes,seals and fills pores] and then paint. Regular paint over block that hasn't been blockfilled or stucco'd will usually suck right in and even after several coats of paint it still looks like it needs more. The lack of blockfill won't hurt how it wears but it will affect it's looks and it won't be waterproof.

The traditional masonary paints are just a cheap version of house paint and deteriate as it ages/weathers. There are some new masonary paints [like SWP's Loxon] that may be better than house paint although I've always gotten good results with latex house paint over properly prepped masonary.

Thanks mark...if we can't find a matching block..that sounds like the plan. I'll be learning about how to stucco soon enough, but no point for this small area.

I realized after the initial post, I had painted a small area that was exposed when we tore down an old shed, and just as you say, the larger pores in the block are upen, but the paint has held up well.

Unsealed block btw.