Should I try to stucco my house myself?

[ynotravid]

I have about a hundred feet of single story house that needs to be stucco'd as soon as possible. I got a quote from a couple of guy at around $3000-$4000, but I'm wondering if I can't get it done.

The reason it needs stucco in the first place is because I tore down all the walls on half the house and rebuilt them myself. Being a programmer, I got a bunch of books on framing, drywall, wiring, plumbing, etc. and just went to town. I have not however been able to find any in-depth literature on stucco. I've found some real cursory information in some books I bought, and a lot of sales material for stuff that needs to be professionally installed, but nothing I can really use.

My step-father-in-law seems to think we can do it but he's not exactly an expert in the area.


Thanks ahead of time.

 

[StageLeft]

My impressions of stucco were that a poorly applied stucco application will quickly result in rott and what not, so unless I'm wrong (very possible) the answer would be negatory!

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
My impressions of stucco were that a poorly applied stucco application will quickly result in rott and what not, so unless I'm wrong (very possible) the answer would be negatory!

Isn't stucco some sort of concrete? I could see it chipping but not rotting, I could be wrong(very possible too).

 

[ynotravid]

Yeah, stucco is concrete type of material.

It's applied by putting up some paper to keep moisture off the framing, then some chicken wire to give the first coat some strength and something to hold onto. Then three coats of basically conrete that vary slightly in their makeup.

 

[dman]

It didn't look to difficult to apply. (I saw them do it on many homes in our area as they were being built). I think the only tricky part is at the corners and such you need some kind of plastic meshing to stick on that the stucco adheres too. I guess to keep from chipping off/cracking. The flat parts it's just slathered on like 'knock-down' is to drywall. Then they run a comb type device through it to give it the texture.

Notes: 1) This is to concrete block construction, I haven't watched on wood 2) they applied at least one smooth layer of something over the concrete blocks prior to applying the stucco layer.

Assuming you figure out the proper mixture rate it's probably not all that difficult a job, but I'd say it's time consuming.

Maybe go to a home improvement store and contact a few manufacturers of the materials and see if they have any info. If you live in S.FL, drive around a few communities being built and see if you can find an english speaking crewmember at one of the housing sites, offer them cash+materials?

 

[ynotravid]

Originally posted by: dman
It didn't look to difficult to apply. (I saw them do it on many homes in our area as they were being built). I think the only tricky part is at the corners and such you need some kind of plastic meshing to stick on that the stucco adheres too. I guess to keep from chipping off/cracking. The flat parts it's just slathered on like 'knock-down' is to drywall. Then they run a comb type device through it to give it the texture.

Notes: 1) This is to concrete block construction, I haven't watched on wood 2) they applied at least one smooth layer of something over the concrete blocks prior to applying the stucco layer.

Assuming you figure out the proper mixture rate it's probably not all that difficult a job, but I'd say it's time consuming.

Maybe go to a home improvement store and contact a few manufacturers of the materials and see if they have any info. If you live in S.FL, drive around a few communities being built and see if you can find an english speaking crewmember at one of the housing sites, offer them cash+materials?

Thats funny, a friend of mine just went on a mission to Florida (Orlando area) and he was telling me that it's amazing how many houses use stucco in Florida.

 

[JulesMaximus]

My house is stucco. Most homes in SoCal are stucco also.

I have no idea how to install it though.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

No, you should not try it yourself. Stucco is considered an art, not a trade. The skills required are refined over time, but it's one of those things where you either have the touch or you don't. If you aren't skilled, you will never get an acceptable result.

 

[allisolm]

bhg.com (Better Homes and Gardens) has step by step instructions for applying stucco over concrete or wood walls. Good luck!

 

[Scarpozzi]

My house is stucco as well....

Stucco is sort of like plaster walls. You mix up a mortar/mud type stuff and basically just smooth it over a frame (like chicken-wire) to give it structure and hold it together. It's just like concrete slabs need rebar to keep them together.

The trick is to do research on the type of Stucco you get. My house is not the standard stucco you see on every other house. It was put up in 1958 and still looks VERY good. Do research and find out what is the strongest/longest lasting you can get and go with that. Keep in mind that climate changes make things expand and contract and that's going to be what makes or breaks it in the long run. Also put a good coat of paint on it after your done. That'll help protect your investment.

-Scar

 

[ynotravid]

One big problem I'm having is that I cannot find any books on this.

If anyone knows any good sources I'd be much obliged.

Thank you alisolm that is a good overview resource. What I need now is something detailed enough to help me with little things like codes (because it has to be inspected), details and problem solving with windows and doors, how best to seal the bottom edge to keep out wood eating insects, whether to weep screed if there is cement below the wall and how to seal it if you do. Stuff like that.

I have a 50+ year old house so the foundation isn't as high as it would have to be if it were built today. which again provides little wrinkles in my plan.

BTW I live in the east bay, SF.

 

[Armitage]

Damn lot of hard work, and will look like crap if you don't do a good job. Also, in my area (Colorado Springs), the underlayment (tar paper, chicken wire, etc.) had to be inspected before the browncoat. Not sure if the browncoat or color coat had to be inspected.

 

[DaTT]

I work in the trade....we do stucco from time to time and consider ourselves very good at it. You should never have to paint stucco as you can get it mixed to any color you like. You will need 2 base coats and a finish coat. Also, you must be sure that you use a "stucco compatible" material underneath....such as styrofoam or cement board.

Cement Board:

Tape the joints with fiber tape. Apply this with your first base coat....apply base coat, stick mesh to wet base coat, trowel it in. After it dries (24 hours at least), apply your second base coat. Doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. Again, once dried, apply your finish coat. Becarful, this is not a 1 man job here. If there are no stopping points on your wall (ie. control joints), you must start and finish with absolutely no stopping, (only applies to finish coat). You should have 3 people helping you. A trowler (applying stucco), a Floater (works right behind the trowler), and a mixer.

Styrofoam:

Apply stryofoam with either windlocks or a speacial glue(entirely up to you). Do not just tape the joints....cover the wall with fiber mesh applied the same way as noted above. Everything else should be the same. Any questions...ask'em. But I reccomend you pay someone to do it.......stucco is NOT easy to learn from written instructions.