Stucco

[mrgweeto]

We are getting close to the stucco stage on our oven. We would love to use a synthetic stucco that has more of an elastic quality to it. I think it would do better in New England. Have any of you that have stuccoed have any advice and or product suggestions. We have Durorock and would love to get away without having to go 3 coats. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
G

[Les]

Re: Stucco

Go with an acrylic stucco. The manufacture I used was Dryvit. You can get any color you want with a few different textures.

Les...

[jmhepworth]

Re: Stucco

I used a synthetic stucco on an outdoor kitchen in Arizona. My only regret in making the kitchen was that I didn't include a WFO. The stucco was quite a bit easier to use than portland stucco because the glue in it makes it stick a lot better. If I were using stucco on a WFO I would use the synthetic. I probably wouldn't use it on a home because of some mold issues a few years ago. It's tough to sell a home with synthetic stucco, especially if the buyer is using a relocation service.

[mrgweeto]

Re: Stucco

Just got back from Phoenix last week. Love
Arizona. Did you use the Dryvit directly over the Durock or did you use the diamond lath or the light weight white foam boards? I would love to be able to just use 2 coats.
Thank you for the info,
G

[jmhepworth]

Re: Stucco

We used two coats directly on the hardibacker. I don't recall the brand. The contractor bought it. I do recall that it came in 5 gallon buckets. One coat had finer sand than the other. The contractor said the fine sand was the first coat and the courser sand was the second, but I think he got it backwards. In any event, it worked well.

[mrgweeto]

Re: Stucco

JM,
I am trying to find a supplier in CT that is close to us.
Dryvit has a bunch of types and I can't find anyone around here to tell me which on to use (the name). If you can remember please send me a quick reply when you get a chance. I like 2 coats vs the 3 the conventional way. Plus the Dryvit has elastisity that regular stucco doesn't.
Thanks for the quick response,
G

[Neil2]

Re: Stucco

I used three coats of acrylic stucco directly onto the vermicrete insulation.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Stucco

I used Quickrete Surface Bonding Cement,(stucco) Two coats, I added color and acrylic fortifier for water proofing.. Very easy to use, finish with a trowel for smooth or a sponge for a little texture..

[cuda]

Re: Stucco

I have used surface bonding cement, as well, on many projects and it has always turned out very well. Very easy to use and finishes like stucco. It has fibers in the mix for reinforcement and appears to prevent any cracking. It is white and takes concrete stain very well. I have used it both with an acrylic modifier and without. The acrylic seems to make it work a little nicer and cure a little slower (good thing), but I have no idea whether it has improved the long-term strength or crack resistance because all the projects I have done with it have no cracking or any other issues, irrespective of the acrylic addition.

It is a tad pricey at about $13/ 40lb bag, though. I used a single, thick coat on most things because I believed the fibers in it would make the difference, and so far that appears to be the case.

I have also mixed my own cementitious stucco and parged with it. It also turned out very nicely, but was not as workable as the surface bonding cement. The surface bonding cement also had a smoother, finer textured finish. In addition, it adds another level of strength to the project that stucco may not. After all, it is made to create a mortar shell, if you will, around dry-stacked block.

[mrgweeto]

Re: Stucco

Thank you all for the input. Do you or should you use a fiber mesh over the seams first before you do you first coat. OH...... Where did you get the Quickrete products?
G

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Stucco

I got mine at Lowe's $16.26 @ 50 lb. bag. I think I used 6 bags, But I put 2 coats on the entire oven and block walls as I liked the way it looked. I dont think you need a fiber mesh as this is made full of ceramic fibers. Go to QUIKRETE? - Cement and Concrete Products and search for Surface Bonding Cement. or you can call thier Help Line at 1-800-282-5828, I did and they were very nice and Helpful as well....

Good luck
Mark

[mrgweeto]

Re: Stucco

Mark,
That is the route we are going to take. Sounds easy and when you think about it, we really don't have a large area to stucco.
We are going to do the top stucco and the bottom over the block in thin stone. I really appreciate the information.
Guy

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Stucco

Hi Guy,
One thing i forgot to mention,, they recommend using a mixer for this product, I have one I bought from Harbor Freight on sale at 119.99 i think. If you dont have one just call them and check to make sure its ok to mix by hand.

And as far as applying it, If you can put icing on a cake,,, You can do this, If you were close by I would be happy to lend you my mixer,,
Mark

[mrgweeto]

Re: Stucco

Mark,
I appreciate the offer about the mixer. Worse comes to worse we can rent one from the rental house for $40.00 a day. I know it is a 2 step process but so be it. I will see about the hand mixing. I have to believe that if you measure out your water and are pretty consistant there should be no problem mixing by hand. Mixed all our HeatStop and mortar by hand and got consistant mixtures. Fired up the oven to 400 degress today. We have let it sit for several weeks now. In part because we were away for a week on business. We starte dwith several paper fires and got it up to 100 degrees and each day have increased it by 100 degrees. We are getting a great draft and boy that floor stays hot for a long time. We checked the top of the dome on the outside eith the IR thermometer and the hottest it has gotten with 400 degrees on the inside was 108 degrees. Tomorrow we are going to run some electric, close up the walls and put the roof on. If the weather stays good we plan on having our first pizza this Sunday. Will post some pictures tomorrow.
Thanks again Mark,
Guy

[cuda]

Re: Stucco

I personally did not use a mixer for the surface bond. Just hand mixed. It seemed to me that if I mixed up a batch large enough to merit a mixer, I wouldn't have been able to parge it all quickly enough without having to refresh the mix with water. It didn't seem to have a very long board time before setting up and becoming hard to work with as compared to mortars. I found that a half bag at a time worked nicely and wasn't too much work to mix.