STUCCO NEWS.NET

Dear Reggie,

Thank you so much for considering my stucco/house issues previously. I'm hoping you will respond again. What you said about patches never really blending in proved to be absolutely true. I had one corner done -- removal of wood trim and replacement with stucco. It looks very obvious. I am still determined to get the old, rotting wood trim off the house and not replace with wood. I've come to the conclusion that the only way is to continue replacing the wood in the same way as that first corner. But then having it followed up with a bonding agent then a total resurfacing as shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPvm5BUm5-8

I really don't like the heavily-textured, lacy texture currently there. I'd rather have a plainer texture, so that would give me the opportunity to change the texture and get the whole exterior uniform and refreshed with a cement color coat that won't need painting in the future.

And, as you have probably already guessed, I have questions for you about that! I watched the one corner being done. A brown coat / patch layer went over Pro-Wrap and wire. The patch material came pre-mixed with fibers embedded in it. Then the cement mix (with color added into that) was mixed on site, applied and textured. Was that the best way of doing that? It was feathered out onto the acrylic-painted stucco, and I worry that without bonding agent, the feathered parts will just interfere with the re-dash.

But my biggest concern is applying a bonding agent to a lacy finish. Should I be concerned? I know it has to be thin to avoid issues with the final finish (per the video linked to above). But a thin layer of bonding might not work with a highly-textured finish? Please let me know your opinion on all of this. Also, what would be the easiest finish to patch in the future without it sticking out like a sore thumb? Not everything that needs to be done on the house exterior is going to line up to avoid future patching.

I don't use weld crete or the one coat wonder method any more.

What we do is far superior. I have published my chipping and bonding method so much I feel redundant. It was in Stucco News last month, Stucco over painted stucco

First of all, I had weld crete fail on a painted surface. 35 years ago, we stuccoed a full 3/4" over painted block on a commercial building. Less than a year later, the mortar was coming loose in sheets. You could wiggle the wall with your hands. Large cracks had appeared, and someone will fill them in which held the wall together. A few years ago, someone had patched in large areas that had come loose. There were lawsuits in Florida because weld crete failed on painted surfaces.

We use an acrylic bonding admixture in a thin basecoat, and in the cement finish coat. More about bonding admixtures here.......

Acrylic doubles the strength of mortar and avoids dry outs. Dry outs is when mortar dries before it sets, turning into a chalky weak material that you can write your name in with your finger.

Having a basecoat makes all the difference in the world.The wall can be evened up over the patches, and putting mortar over weld crete is like putting mortar on an ice cube. It is slippery and isn't easy to get into good shape before it sets.

There is also no doubt chipping the wall with deep chips adds a very permanent bond to the wall. Also, bonding admixtures add adhesion. If you put one coat of stucco finish right over weld crete, you can write your name in the wall with a nail, maybe a pencil.

No more one coat wonder for me.