Causes of Poor Stucco

Many lawsuits have been documented due to wrong or poor application of stucco. Stucco is a porous material that is designed to absorb water. It is usually applied in three coatings known as the scratch, brown and finish coat. Stucco is a very effective material to resist water leakage and preserve your house from any wall cavities but with its poor application it will surely damaged the whole thing.

Most home inspector now is ignorant on the occurring problem of stucco. So the result, buyers are deceived to buy the high priced subdivisions with very poor value material used.

Recently, foam sheathing or OSB (Oriented Strand Board) has been more applied rather than the traditional plywood sheathing. OSB has poor moisture resistant and it easily tends to delaminate when wet. Thus, foam sheathing rots faster than plywood’s do.

Another poor change on stucco application is the use of house wraps such as Tyveck rather than having the felt building paper as water resistive barrier. It is proven that when stucco is applied directly to a house wrap it lessens its resistive capability due to some chemical bond. Thus, it invites water leakage and mold growths

Therefore, if you are planning to buy house stucco make sure to hire a home stucco inspector that knows how to investigate properly on the stucco structure. For additional information, the effective way to diagnose leaks behind stucco is through infrared camera. It sees clearly the wall’s situation.

Bear in mind that a simple crack may mean a big problem or a big cash to spend. So, make sure that you buy a stucco house that is worth its value.

Kinds of Stucco Application

Stucco is a material used for the interior and exterior of the house. This is a type of coating which is proven to have a great durability and can withstand any physical abuses in the structure.

Stucco was used long years ago. Traditional stucco also known as masonry stucco is a combination of lime, sand and water while modern stucco or synthetic stucco composes of Portland cement, sand, water and some additives.

There are many types of stucco application and the two most popular are the hand and spray-on methods.

1. Spray on Application

Spray on is the best method for indoor stucco application. It uses a slightly lighter mixture compare in hand application.

The main techniques in stucco spraying are:

> Watch the structure you are spraying, wall or ceiling, and not the gun (stucco spray). This will help you see if you applied the stucco properly.

> Do not stay too long in one spot too avoid building up too much stucco on it.

2. Hand Application

This kind of application requires a more heavy mixture since hand application is usually done in the exterior of the house which are more expose to physical abuses.


The method of application really depends on where you will be applying the stucco. Stucco application can be done by yourself or you can hire a stucco expert to do this for you, since this is a level kind of work. Just remember, in stucco the quality of the material and the right application are the two essential things to avoid future stucco problems.

Great Stucco Fireplace

Stucco is a material that is popular in the modern time. It composes of Portland cement and some additives. It is usually used as an exterior outdoor plaster. It is well known as a material with great durability. Stucco is proven to handle physical abuses well and it can preserve your structure as long as a lifetime.

Now a days, stucco is not only used as an exterior coating of the structure hence, it is already used as an interior design material.

One of the defining parts in one's home is the fireplace. Fireplaces usually become the centerpiece of any gathering since it is a place where the comfort and warmth is.



One of the famous materials in building and designing fireplaces is stucco. Stucco fireplace occurs many years ago it is the usual elegant American fireplace style. Designers have attest that having a stucco material in a fireplace gives more aura of comfort plus it is a fire resistant material. Thus, stucco is highly recommended. Aside from the stucco material, furniture also plays an important role in designing fireplaces. Yes, furniture is an essential material to complete the overall look and feel of the place.

If you have a stone or brick fireplace now, you don't have to go again and build a new stucco fireplace. You just have to do some remodeling and refinishing on your present fireplace and viola! You'll have that new stylish and elegant fireplace.

To learn how to maintain your stucco fireplace read Helping Tips to Maintain Dryvit Stucco.

Stucco for Interior Design

Synthetic or Dryvit Stucco is a material that is known to its extreme durability. It is a great material that can stand on any physical abuse thus; it is a great material to preserve a structure. Also, stucco is an excellent material that can restore or cover up any premature damages in the walls or ceilings.

Stucco is best known applied material in the exterior of a structure but modern days have changed it- Stucco can now be applied not only to the exterior of the house but also to its interior. It is now a very popular interior design material that can give that dramatic finishing.

There are many kinds of application that you can do to make different style of stucco- it really depends on what suits your taste. Take note, that interior stucco is applied in thinner layer than the exterior.

To add up a little spice on your interior design you can mix the stucco with latex paint to add up color or you can paint it as soon as it dried up properly with elastomeric paint. Color varies on the atmosphere you want to show up your house. Light shade colors can give the warmth ambiance while dark shade colors can give the intense look.

The great advantage of this kind of material is that any premature damages or cracks that may occur as time goes it can be easily fix up. Stucco repair can be very much easier compare to other interior design material. But damages or cracks can be preventable by two important things, with the quality of material and expert's application.

Stucco Painting

Paint gives an essential role in having a great finishing output in your stucco house. It can give that elegance and express the style of the house's owner. But not all paint gives that perfect finishing. Stucco is a material that needs to be studied well in order to have that great output. There are many available paints in the market now but only few works well to this kind of material.

There are two ways to color up stucco the mixing up and the painted one. Mixing up color is ideal if you are in a hurry and want to save time and energy but this isn't recommended at all. It is still best if you paint your stucco. Painting stucco can give you the chance to easily touch up your stucco paint in the future than mixing it readily. Painting can easily give you the exact matching color rather than mixing the color all at ones.

As earlier stated there are many paints available in the market now but only few works well in stucco. Wrong paints can give your finishing stucco with hairline cracks or known as premature damages or cracks. This can harm your structure in a way that it can penetrate water and growth molds that can further cause stucco problems. So, to be able to avoid these cracks we need to choose the right paint for this material.

The best known paint product that works well with stucco is the Elastomeric Paint. This kind of paint has a great property of flexibility because of its rubbery property thus; it can stretch with your walls and can cover up the hairline cracks.

This kind of material can be expensive in a way but it is best suited in stucco material thus, this is highly recommended. Anyways, it is worth every dime because this can last a longer time compare to conventional paints.

Stucco for Sidings

If you are looking for unique and stylish sidings for your house, you can choose to use stucco. Within the world of siding, stucco is known as the best and most elegant material for sidings available in the market now. Aside from its eye-catching exterior it is proven to be durable.

In the market there are two types of stucco available, the real/masonry stucco and the synthetic/EIFS stucco. (Read more about the two types of Stucco)

There are advantages and disadvantages in using stucco. The most important advantages and disadvantages of stucco are:

Advantages

• Easy Maintenance

Stucco is known to its easy maintenance compare to other siding materials. For stucco, washing it with a low pressure water is enough to make it clean.

• Long-lasting

Stucco is best known to its durability. In earlier time there are houses still present up to this time because they use stucco. It really can preserve any structure. Stucco can handle any physical abuse such as weather plus it is fire resistant. Therefore, stucco is not only best known to its great strength but also to its safe properties it brings to any structure.

Disadvantages

• Expensive

In the world of sidings, stucco cost a lot compare to other siding materials such as wood. But stucco ensure sure quality thus, its price just compensate its strength. It is recommended to have a bigger budget if you want to acquire stucco.

• Longer Installation

Stucco is material that is difficult to install thus, it needs to take some time in order to be installed properly. So, if you are building your house make sure that you are prepared to spend few more days for the construction.


Stucco is long proven to have that great durability. Therefore, stucco is worth every dime you spend.

Stucco as a Design

Stucco is a material used for coating the wall and the ceiling of the house. There are some materials that are used to combine with the stucco to improve its property such are lime, acrylic and glass fibers. Lime is added in the mixture of stucco to increase its workability property. Acrylics and glass fibers is added to be able to improve its structural property.

Aside from its main benefits that it can resist any physical abused cause by changing weather. Stucco is also used for designing walls and ceilings. This is due to the appearance of stucco that consists of primary color and textured finishing that makes it more stylish and attractive.

If you are deciding to build a new stucco home, you can always ask the help of Stucco Specialist or Professional. There are now many designs available in the market that you may choose from. From classic design to the modern one so, you just have to seek and find a good Stucco Contractors to do this for you.

Though house stucco can last for a longer time it is still required to have a periodic maintenance. This process ensures homeowners to protect their houses from any premature damages. Always remember that the maintenance is much cheaper than having it repaired when it is totally damaged. For stucco inspection you can still hire Stucco Contractors to be able to investigate on the situation. They will be able to tell you what causes the damage and the right fixes for your house.

Stucco Problems

Aside from it is too destructive to see. Stucco cracks can be a serious structural problem that needs to fix immediately to avoid further damage. It is usually caused by structural weaknesses due to certain weather condition or any kind of external abused. Cracks can be sometimes too difficult and costly to repair. Thus, we need to conduct a periodic maintenance to avoid such things. Remember it is always cheaper to maintain your structure than fixing it all over again. For a great damaged on our stucco we need some stucco contractors that offers us reasonable budget to help us out.

The following are the different kinds of stucco cracks that need your attention to be able to fix:

1. Stucco crack in horizontal form. Cracks on this kind are usually in small size thus, you can fix it on your own. You just have to have a caulk and pressed it into the crack using your fingers. After it is done you can damp the caulk with wet cloth to have a clean and smooth finishing.

2. Wider cracks should be first clean up using a screw driver and should be soaked thoroughly. In this way, it avoids any leaching when stuffed by stucco material.

3. Stucco crack in vertical form. If the cracks are on this form this may be a serious damaged on your foundation. Thus, you cannot fix this by yourself alone. You need to contact a Stucco Specialist to do this for you. Since foundation problem needs some expertise to be able to fix properly.