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  • Stucco-ing

    I just talked to a contracter who came up in google as a stucco supply company. He made it sound like a DYI'er could not do the stucco themselves because of texture blah, clolor blah, blah, here's a phone number to a guy, run-around.

    I have never stuccoed before, do think I will have a problem?

    I am having a hard time finding places that sell stucco, should I just use cement and paint it?

    Any insight here would be appreciated!

  • #2
    Re: Stucco-ing

    If you're doing it after constructing the rest of the oven, it's pretty easy (i.e., once you've gained experience mixing and applying mortar, etc.). I was a complete stucco newbie but mine turned out good enough for me (with a few hairline cracks here and there). I used Quikwall surface bonding cement. The hardest part for me was keeping it wet while it cured (thus the cracks). You can paint the surface or (better yet) incorporate the color in the top layer. I left mine white.
    Picasa web album
    Oven-building thread

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    • #3
      Re: Stucco-ing

      i used STO products, and got great application advice from the local distributor... used a couple of hard plastic floats and it turned out great.

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      • #4
        Re: Stucco-ing

        Originally posted by horrocks007 View Post
        I just talked to a contracter who came up in google as a stucco supply company. He made it sound like a DYI'er could not do the stucco themselves because of texture blah, clolor blah, blah, here's a phone number to a guy, run-around.

        I have never stuccoed before, do think I will have a problem?

        I am having a hard time finding places that sell stucco, should I just use cement and paint it?

        Any insight here would be appreciated!
        You can get stucco at your local big-box hardware stores. Alternatively - Type S Mortar (also called Type S Mortar / Stucco) can be used - at least for the scratch and brown coats.

        Stucco is just sand/cement/lime, in different proportions depending on what type of finish you're looking for.

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        • #5
          Re: Stucco-ing

          You can do stucco yourself, but you need to educate yourself a little first.

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          • #6
            Re: Stucco-ing

            If I use the stucco from the hardware store, how to I color it? Or should I paint it?

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            • #7
              Re: Stucco-ing

              You can get stucco color - probably from that same hardware store:

              QUIKRETE? - Stucco & Mortar Color (Liquid)

              http://www.sakrete.com/products/deta...co-Color-Packs

              or paint it. I prefer to put the color in the stucco - that way the color is all the way through . . .

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              • #8
                Re: Stucco-ing

                How do you get the stucco to have a smooth finish (no texture)? I am planning on putting a stucco around the base and want to give it a simple smooth kind of modern look.

                Mike

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                • #9
                  Re: Stucco-ing

                  Hey, your pirating my thread!

                  But good question too. I am looking for a rough texture, like sand paper.

                  Those who are in the know- How do you get the different types of textures?

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                  • #10
                    Re: Stucco-ing

                    Stucco is simple. It is also very hard. Anyone can slap mud (cement/sand/water) onto a structure, but to do it right is not so simple. Done wrong, it will crack, it will fade, and will look like hammered dogchit. If you want to stucco an igloo shape, you will have to accept cracking and allow for a path for water to exit the wall and not soak your insulation.

                    Personally, I know how to design, detail, and apply stucco, and I would never do it for an igloo shape. I have not been able to noodle out suitable detailing to prevent water infiltration, although I have only been thinking about it for a year or so.

                    First, do not use emulsified colors. They are not colorfast. Use powdered iron oxides (or rare earth minerals if you want blue or green (not recommended for exterior use)).

                    Second, accept that it is going to crack and plan accordingly.

                    Finally, realize that asking something like, "how do I stucco" is akin to asking, "how do I fix a car". In either case, you need to educate yourself a lot more so that you will have the knowledge to ask specific questions on things you do not understand.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Stucco-ing

                      "You can get stucco at your local big-box hardware stores. Alternatively - Type S Mortar (also called Type S Mortar / Stucco) can be used - at least for the scratch and brown coats.

                      Stucco is just sand/cement/lime, in different proportions depending on what type of finish you're looking for."

                      This is true, but does not really help. "Type S" is a strength designation, and is used for mortar, not stucco. There is no "type" designation for stucco. The desired properties of mortar and stucco are not the same, any more than the properties for concrete and mortar are the same. They are almost opposite in fact.

                      What you want for stucco are:

                      Flexural strength.
                      Autogenous healing.
                      Waterproofing ability.

                      As a rule, the weaker the compressive strength, the higher will be those 3 characteristics and vice versa.

                      The best exterior stucco is a portland/lime base (to a Type N mortar specification) with a scratch coat of same, topped with a lime/sand/marble dust finish coat. It is not more expensive or more labor intensive, but it does require more knowledge.

                      Flashing details are just as important as the stucco itself, and all specifications for stucco require 2 layers of waterproof membrane under the stucco, as well as a method for water to escape the wall.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Stucco-ing

                        let me ask again. I have done a lot of reading about stuccoing. My stucco will go on the outside of the concrete block stand (not around the oven). From what I read a brown coat is only needed over concrete block (no scratch coat), then a finishing coat with color. What kind of float or trawl do you use to make a smooth finish? (would a pool float work?)

                        Mike

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                        • #13
                          Re: Stucco-ing

                          For stucco over the stand it is not critical, use pre-mix mortar of any type. 2 coats, on the final coat let it set to thumbprint hardness then rub with a sponge float for a sand texture. Green floats will give a heavy texture, white floats will give a finer texture, and red and black will give increasingly smoother textures.

                          Use a circular motion to finish with the floats, you will find the appropriate amount of pressure soon enough.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Stucco-ing

                            Hi Horrocks,

                            Look at my oven photos. I used mortar stucco in a bag. The fellow in the pics with me has some building experience and between the two of us we did two ovens. I used the same product to mortar bricks for part of my oven then mixed it up a little thinner for the stucco.

                            The green sponge should be wet when you use it and it will need rinsing because it will build-up with sand. Keep the stucco wet after it sets up for several days. I did get some cracks of a few inches in length and smeared mortar over them the next day and 90% covered up nicely and didn't reappear. For the few that did reappear I used an old toothbrush to scrub mortar into the crack then went over the area with a sponge. Honestly, you would never know there was a problem. The patches blended beautifully.

                            BTW, stucco isn't waterproof. It is water resistant. I painted my enclosure with two coats of elastomeric paint from Lowe's. Each enclosure has one gallon of paint. If you enclose your oven in a "house" then plan on installing ventilation. My ridge peaks are slightly open under the metal cap. I put round vents along the top of the side walls.

                            Best,
                            Bob

                            Here is the link to my oven number 1 construction photos!

                            Here is the link to my oven number 2 construction photos!

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                            • #15
                              Re: Stucco-ing

                              This is for the stand so it doesn't need to be super waterproof, but does it make sense to put something in the stucco (acrylic modifier?) to help it do a better job?
                              - I am in Berkeley Ca. so we don't get that much rain.

                              Mike

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