Stucco is one of the most popular building finishes used in recent times. This is because stucco comes with various advantages and benefits when you use it for cladding your home. Apart from the obvious aesthetics, stucco provides an unmatchable level of durability and resilience to weather conditions.
Stucco also has the advantage of making the cooling and heating process of the building energy efficient. It is insulating against noise and fire and can remain intact for years (close to 100 years) as long as you maintain it as required.
One of the required maintenance strategies is to repair the stucco as soon as you notice any defect on it. This is because, despite its durability and weather-resistant nature, a small crack or damage to the stucco can result in fast dilapidation of the exterior finishing. Cracks on stuccos spread fast and this is the reason where any form of damage should be nipped in the bud as soon as it is noticed.
This article will discuss the different ways and methods through for repairing exterior stucco in your home.
Steps Involved in Repairing Exterior Stucco in your Home
Before listing and explaining the steps involved in the repair house process, it is important to state that you would need a stucco recipe in repairing the defect or crack on the stucco. These recipes are mixture coats that you would use to repairing exterior stucco, and there are three different coats known as the first, second, and finish coats.
Here are the ingredients needed for both coats and the procedures involved in making them;
- A half bag of Portland cement
- One shovel of hydrated lime
- Half cup of acrylic bonding agent
- Six shovels of slightly damp brick or mason’s sand
The materials listed above are used for the first coat of the stucco recipe. However, the second and finish coat of the recipe also uses the same materials except for the brick or mason’s sand. Instead of using six shovels of mason’s sand used in the first cost, the second and last coat uses eight shovels of aggregate sand for concrete.
The steps involved in making the coats are similar and they include;
- Put all the dry ingredients together in a container, preferably a wheelbarrow, and mix them using a mortar hoe
- After ensuring that the ingredients are well mixed, you can then add the acrylic bonding agent. Add water and stir consistently, which adding more water a little at a time, till you get a buttercream frosting consistency
- You should ensure that only the needed amount of water is added as too much water will only make the mixture too loose and ineffective
- You should also use the mixture as soon as possible because the mixture will start to harden within 30 to 90 minutes of its preparation
When using the stucco recipe, you need to be mindful of certain conditions and requirements if you intend to make
the best out of the mixture. Some of these conditions include;
Weather Conditions
As a rule, cold and freezing weather spells doom for stucco mixtures and recipes. The same thing goes for dry, hot, and winding temperatures. These temperatures suck out the water content and moisture needed by the mixture to properly cure.
Thus, you should look out for nighttime temperatures or ensure that the thermometer reads 40 degrees and above before you make and use the mixture. You can also opt for working under the shade as this reduces the drying rate of the mixture. You can also get the mixture moist by covering it with a plastic sheet during use.
Personal Safety
Another important factor that you need to consider is your safety while working with the mixture.
There are alkalis in wet cement and these compounds can burn the human skin. This makes it very important that you use gloves to protect your hands while working. You should also use tools to mix the coats and not your hands. Finally, it is a very good safety measure to have a bucket of water close by for washing splashes of cement off your skin.
Use the Right Finishing
Regardless of how well you texture the mixture, the color of the coat may not match that of the old stucco. This means that you will need a colored coating that matches that of the old stucco to cover the new stucco mixture. There are many options when it comes to pigmented coatings. They include acrylic elastomer, mineral paints, concrete paints and stains, and fog coats. Regardless of the coating option used, you must ensure that it is permeable to water vapor and tolerates alkali. The failure to meet these requirements will result in the peeling of the colored coatings in no time.
Steps Involved In Repairing Stucco
- Break off the old and damaged stucco. This is the first step as you want to get rid of the old and damaged claddings. You should use a chisel and/or a hammer for this process. However, you must protect your eyes during this process and also remain careful so as not to destroy the underlying supports or structure beneath the stucco.
- You should keep at this process until you get to the portion of the stucco that is still firmly attached to the wall or its underlying support.
- You need to cover the exposed area where the old stucco meets the wood lath. You can use a grade-D builder’s paper for this purpose. You can use two layers of paper and fasten the first layer with nails before adding the second layer.
- You then need to add a galvanized metal mesh over the papers covering the wood lath.
- Prepare the stucco mixture as explained above and apply the first coat. After applying the first coat, you should wait for the patch to lose its sheen and scratch its surface in preparation for the second coat.
- Cover the patch with plastic sheets and wait for seven days. After seven days, remove the plastic sheet, wet the patch surface with water, and apply the second coat of the stucco mixture.
- Again, wait for the sheen to disappear and scratch the surface for the last coat. Cover with a plastic sheet and wait for three days.
- After three days, remove the plastic sheet and wet the patch with water before applying the last coat of the stucco mixture.
All you need to do is let it cure for a week and paint (if you want to).
