Stucco-ing

[david s]

Re: Stucco-ing

As the outside of the oven tends to get dirty with bits of soot falling on it etc. I believe it is easier to repaint the thing every year. It is not that big that it is an arduous task. Mixing colour into the stucco/render has some problems in that you won't get good intensity of colour because the greyness of the cement interferes with the resulting colour and is very hard to rematch. With paint over the top, you just pull out the same tin or change it if you're sick of the original colour. Don't paint the outside until you have done about 10 decent cooking fires to ensure that there is no moisture still trapped inside.

[horrocks007]

Re: Stucco-ing

Thanks Tscarborough! You are really helping my think this through.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Stucco-ing

28 days and it needs to be dry. Just remember that painted once means repainting forever. Better to use integral color and be done with it forever.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Stucco-ing

However....If you add 2 cups of Type S lime to each bag, then you DO have a superb stucco material. That is, in fact, what I used to stucco my house.

[horrocks007]

Re: Stucco-ing

I think I am going to paint my stucco. I have been told by a few builders that stucco isn't the best material to use in the area anyway, so I am sure I will benifit from a coat of paint as a moisture barrier.

That being said, should I cure my oven before I paint? I am guessing so, but if not, how long do I let the stucco cure before I paint it?

Thanks for your help!

[Cheesesteak]

Re: Stucco-ing

That still does not make it the best material for the job.

Fair enough.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Stucco-ing

Yeah, I sell a couple T/Ls of that exact material a month. That still does not make it the best material for the job.

[Cheesesteak]

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.

Sorry - but here it is. Here in California - everything is stuccoed - and Type S mortar is commonly used as a scratch / brown coat.

[Mike D]

Re: Stucco-ing

I don't want to use paint over the stucco, I would like to see the texture of the stucco, and let it age naturally like it would in Italy. If I was worried about the cost of this oven I would of stopped a long time ago. I was just wondering if that is what people did to make their stucco waterproof.

Mike

[azpizzanut]

Re: Stucco-ing

Hello,

Acrylic modifier is expensive. I suggest using the one coat product then two coats of acrylic paint. HD and Lowe's both sell "Stucco paint" at roughly $16 per gallon.

Cheers,

[Mike D]

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

[azpizzanut]

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,

[Tscarborough]

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.

[Mike D]

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

[Tscarborough]

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.