What happens when stucco gets wet?

edgarburke2512 — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:41:25 +0000

Stucco is a cement-based mixture used as a cover for both interior and supporting walls. It is sometimes used for Mission or Spanish-style houses. To create stucco, cement is mixed with water and inert materials like sand and lime. Stucco is presently the predominant exterior finish for both home and commercial structures in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida. When stucco is going to be used as the exterior finish of a place, wooden walls, or some other material, are covered with tar paper. This acts as a kind of frame work for the stucco which makes the complete structure stronger. Once the framework is in place , the 1st of stucco’s 3 layers can be applied. Once applied, stucco can be troweled smooth, hand-textured, floated to a sand finish, or sprayed. Stucco, as a building material or ornamental finish, has been used since the ancient Greeks and Romans first used it for wall frescoes. During the Renaissance, the Italians used a marble dust compound. This compound, when used for ornamental purposes, could be formed into ornamental shapes and then either polished to a glaze or painted. Beginning in the 1950s, a large number of builders started using a number of manmade materials to resemble stucco. These materials are often consisting of foam insulation board or cement panels. While these synthetics look like real stucco, there are some significant differences. To start, authentic stucco is heavier than these synthetic materials. In addition, real stucco sounds solid when it is tapped. It’s also less sure to be damaged by a blow of some sort to the wall. Also, real stucco holds up well in wet conditions. It absorbs moisture and is porous but it also dries simply and without damage to the structure and won’t cost so much in stucco repairs. When purchasing a home that has a stucco exterior, it’s critical to check to make certain the material used is not EIFS ( Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems ). This man-made material frequently has moisture issues. These moisture issues permit the underlying wood to decay which is a costly fix to make. If you are considering stucco for the exterior finish for your home, please visit http://stuccoprice.com to find additional information on stucco and custom houses. Their pro team will be very pleased to reply to any questions you may have concerning stucco, stucco repair and the home-building process.