STUCCO NEWS.NET

We have a split face CMU house we recently moved into. It's in Hawaii and in an area that rains a lot.

I'm already concerned about moisture penetration through the existing hollow tile (CMU). I would like to improve the houses ability to keep moisture out.

My questions are:

1.

Can stucco be applied on to split face CMU without problem ? (any tricks for making it bond well ?)

2.

Will adding stucco help or hurt moisture penetration into house ?

3.

Are there stuccos with components or brands that make it more water impermeable- synthetic components ?

4.

How long will stucco last in wet area.

5.

What would be the maintenance (paint every 2 years, etc?)

Thanks for any advice you have.

Stucco mortar should bond fine to split face brick or block.

We applied stucco directly to rough concrete brick and it bonded fine WITHOUT a bonding admixture.

I did a test patch on the back of the garage here:

http://www.rtbullard.com/stucco/progress/progress8.htm

When I went out to estimate the job, I put a blob of mortar on the wall, about 2 feet square, and about 3/4" thick. I went back 2 days later and had to beat the hell out it to chip it. I was then satisfied mortar would bond fine.

However, a chemical bonding admixture is cheap insurance against failure.

If you look at the teeny picture, you can see the split face bricks on the bottom floor. If I had to do it again, I would use our half and half admixture in the scratch coat, for insurance it would never fail.

Stucco has been used for years to reduce or stop water infiltration on old bricks, stones or whatever. A chemical bonder makes the mortar less porous and stops, or at least slows down water infiltration.

We use a chemical bonding admixture, Flexcon, but there are other brands available. The most widely known brand is Acryl-60. Please check out what I said about Chemical bonding agents here:   CHAPTER 7: BONDING MORTAR-PLASTER AND CEMENT.