At first glance, the seamless coat of stucco on the East Boston house looked as bulletproof as a sidewalk, the perfect foil against the harsh wet weather of this coastal city. Plaster repair is a straightforward procedure that is capable of bringing many stucco surfaces back to good condition. But when the dust (and fiberglass) settles, you'll enjoy a fatter bank account and more comfortable indoor temps year-round. Texture the coat, if desired, to match the original finish. At the 2020 Idea House: The Farmhouse in Fairfield County, builder Jerry Effren was mindful of the home’s modern farmhouse aesthetic, while also wanting practical solutions in the home. Each piece should cover all exposed wood materials to create an effective moisture barrier. But when big cracks or blisters appear, the time to make repairs is right away, before the damage grows. Once water is added, the mix will stay usable for 30 to 90 minutes before it starts to harden. Cut a piece of galvanized metal mesh stucco lath, using metal snips. ASTM Standards www.astm.org Under a coat of heavy-bodied acrylic elastomer, the patch is invisible. These products are blended for exceptional strength and bonding and can be applied and colored just like standard stucco.
Moisture management is a top priority in a stucco installation because water is one of the major culprits in plaster deterioration. Whichever coating you use, make sure it's alkaline tolerant and permeable to water vapor. Position the lath over the building paper and fasten it with galvanized roofing nails. Install Metal Lath. Stucco Repair. Add the acrylic bonding agent, then stir in water, a little at a time, until the mix reaches the consistency of buttercream frosting. After three days, remove the plastic, mist the patch, and mix up a fresh batch of stucco, following the finish-coat recipe. Protect Your Home From Electrical Damage | This Old House: LIVE! Long known for its versatile appearance, ready availability, and durability, portland cement plaster remains a popular finish for many buildings, from commercial to residential. That could be a portland cement-based paint or a slurry of cement and pigments, sometimes call a fog coat. Scoop fist-size wads of wet stucco onto a brick trowel and toss them against the wire lath until it's completely covered. A wall that was poorly cured following installation may exhibit minor cracks on the surface. Moisture management is a top priority in a stucco installation because water is one of the major culprits in plaster deterioration.
If there is metal lath under the stucco, cut it out along the perimeter, using metal snips.
Curing may take only one to two hours, depending on the conditions and the stucco product. Cover The Exposed Lath. The stucco should be able to hold onto the mesh by itself. Stucco repair usually refers to re-sealing the stucco around windows, flashing and joints, or removing certain “chunks” of damaged stucco and installing new stucco in its place. Here’s how to select or build kitchen pantry shelving that works for you. The nails must be long enough to penetrate 1 inch into the wood framing members behind the original lath or, if the wall has plywood sheathing, nails should penetrate the full depth of the sheathing. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Let the patch cure for a week before painting it and the rest of the wall. Tape a plastic sheet over the patch to keep it from drying out. As with the building paper, the lath should match the repair area so there are no gaps between the lath and the edges of the original (well-adhered) stucco. Cut two pieces of grade D building paper to fit the patch area.
Staple the second piece of paper over the first. Carefully press and smooth the wet stucco along the edges of the patch to bond the new stucco with the old. Using a utility knife, trim a piece of grade-D builder's paper to fit tightly … While it's possible to mix your own stucco using traditional recipes, using a good-quality premixed stucco repair mix ensures you get the right mix for the application.
As long as cracks are not too wide so that water passes through them, a new finish treatment can be a quick fix. Mix a batch of quick-setting repair stucco, following the manufacturer's directions, using a drill and mixing paddle or, for large quantities, a mortar mixer. Between coats, keep the patch moist by covering it with a plastic sheet. Work in the shade so the stucco doesn't dry too fast. Compared to a stucco remediation job, in which the all the stucco siding is removed and replaced, stucco repair … InSinkErator’s sleek and efficient products are a perfect fit. video for Protect Your Home From Electrical Damage | This Old House: LIVE! However, it is very difficult to color-match a patch so that is blends with the surrounding stucco; hiding a patch completely often requires painting or coating the entire wall with a compatible paint or pigmented coating. Cut any metal mesh with snips. Wait seven days, then remove the plastic and mist the patch with water. When properly installed, stucco (a cement- or lime-based plaster) is about as carefree and long-lived a cladding as anyone could wish—100 years is not uncommon. At worst, the walls may be damaged due to moisture infiltration, building settlement, or other environmental factors. Snips with offset handles will make this job easier. Using a utility knife, trim a piece of grade-D builder's paper to fit tightly along the boundary where the old stucco meets the exposed wood lath. Areas of stucco that have come loose or completely fallen away must be repaired with a full restoration process of removing the loose material, installing new building paper and metal lath, and applying three coats of stucco repair mix. The alkalis in wet cement can cause burns. The patch at this house was covered with a thick, sprayed-on acrylic elastomer that bridges and seals hairline cracks. A quick-setting formula also dries much more quickly than traditional stucco, making the repair process considerably faster. Let the stucco cure as directed. Scarify the scratch coat with a trowel or scarifier, then let the coat cure as directed the mix manufacturer. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) generates consensus documents with the input of many people, including contractors, engineers, architects, and material producers/suppliers. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Get the latest This Old House news, trusted tips, tricks, and DIY Smarts projects from our experts–straight to your inbox.