What Is Stucco, and Is It Right for Your Home?
Stucco is an exterior home finishing plaster coat found on homes nationwide, due to its durability and versatility.
House exteriors are composed of many layers that work together.
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The outermost layer is the most important to the home’s lifespan: the siding or cladding.
Unlike otherforms of siding, stucco applies equally well to masonry and wood-sheathed homes.
Stucco can be applied to wood-sheathed walls.
What Is Stucco?
Stucco is a cement-pop in mixture of Portland cement, lime, sand, and water.
Its ingredients are mixed and applied wet and then dried to form a durable, hard finish.
It is not necessary to mix stucco with raw ingredients.
you might buy pre-mixed stucco finishes at most home centers, which require only the addition of water.
One-coat methods apply faster.
Three-coat methods are the most durable.
You eliminate the scratch or brown coat in one- or two-coat installations.
On concrete masonry, little more than a scratch coat is needed below the stucco finish.
A scratch coat is a base layer of cementitious material scratched horizontally with a comb-like tool.
Scratch Coat Thickness
The recommended scratch coat thickness for either masonry or wood-sheathed buildings is 3/8-inch minimum.
Stucco on Wood Siding
Wood-sheathed buildings require more preparation for a stucco finish than masonry buildings.
Wood sheathing itself will not provide a good base for a stucco finish.
You must layer it with a house wrap or other waterproof building paper and then with self-furring metal lath.
This lath provides the grip for the scratch coat to hang onto.
After the scratch coat, apply a brown coat to provide a smooth surface for the subsequent stucco finish.
Weathering may cause micro-cracks that can grow over time, and direct impacts may make holes.
Stucco is easy to patch.
Use paintable acrylic caulk to seal any fissures.
Large holes or significant damage are best left to a stucco repair professional.
Point sprinklers and gutter downspouts away from stucco surfaces.
Although stucco resists water, it’s not impervious if cracks occur.
How to Clean Stucco
After repairing cracks, clean the stucco once or twice a year.
To remove stains, mix a bleach and water solution.
To stubborn stains, mix Borax and dish soap into warm water.
Stucco, concrete, and cement have similar compositions.
Stucco has lime in it, making it more breathable.
Stucco can be troweled on and adhered to vertical surfaces.
Concrete can only be poured or molded.
Stucco is cheaper than concrete.
It is a cheaper building material, easier to install, and requires less maintenance than stucco.
Most other siding materials are stronger than stucco, which is fragile and prone to damage upon impact.
Fiber-cement, wood, and vinyl are stronger than stucco.
