Stucco Repair Questions

sequoia_2007

16 years ago

We discovered damage to the sheathing under the exterior stucco of our townhouse when we removed our fireplace to remodel. The damage was due to water infiltration through defective stucco that rotted the building paper and eventually the sheathing behind it. We want to repair the damage by removing all the stucco on the face of the chimney chase that encompasses a 5x20 foot area extending from the base of the chimney chase to the top. We do not plan to remove any stucco beyond the inside and outside corners unless we find the damage has extended beyond the face. The interior studs all appear to be in good shape.

I have the following questions:

How many days must the stucco dry before rain may soak it without degrading it? We are heading into the rainy season and we donÃ¢ÂÂt want an inferior job due to rain.

How long must the stucco dry before it can be painted?

Are there construction methods or materials I should ask for to guarantee a good long lasting repair?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and consider my questions.

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Comments (6)

macv
16 years ago
You need a professional stucco installer; don't do it yourself. Let him deal with the timing of the work.

It is unwise to paint cement based stucco finishes unless you live in the desert. Paint might work for synthetic final coats but it is best to put the color into the final coat of stucco.

The underlayment behind cement-based should be double layered.
worthy
16 years ago
Kick-out flashings should be used at the roof to wall intersections.

Source: Building Science Corp. Primer 020=2>

A chimney cricket flashing may also be appropriate.

This appears to be a hard coat stucco installation with no drainage provisions so it will inevitably fail at other points too.
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sequoia_2007
Original Author
16 years ago
Just checking back and I see I have a few responses. Looks like the notification feature on the Garden Web is not working.

Macv,

We are not doing the stucco repair ourselves. We just wanted to educate ourselves to make sure we use the best techniques and materials to get a good repair when we hire a contractor. I have watched many so-called professionals come into our complex and their gross incompetence is staggering.

Regarding painting the stucco. Since we live in an attached townhouse our HOA requires that all exterior surfaces are painted and match other units. After doing extensive searching I find we should wait anywhere from 60 days to one year to paint the stucco depending on the paint we will apply.

Worthy,

We do have existing kick out flashing and our chimney was properly flashed when we did a remodel 12 years ago. See picture below of kick out flashing. The water was actually entering behind the old 2x3 downspout (we replaced them with 3Ã¢ÂÂ round recently) through an original defect in the stucco.

Check out the summons dated June 15, 1989 against the builder:

18.2 DEFECTIVE EXTERIOR WALL WATERPROOFING SYSTEMS:
The exterior wall waterproofing system is defective and has caused or contributed to conditions of leakage and failure in that, without limit: the paper waterproofing membrane behind the exterior stucco directs or permits water entry into building framing at doors, windows trim, corners, angles, and elsewhere; stucco weepscreed was variously not installed, improperly installed or installed at elevations too close to roofing surfaces; the stucco contains areas in which the final stucco coat or layer is missing. Contains areas in which the scratch coat or layer is missing, was installed prior to installation of flashings or proper flashings at and around door openings and window openings, contains voids or openings, otherwise fails to prevent water penetration at the building exteriors and was not installed in accord with project plans.

The lawsuit was settled 14 years ago and there is no way to go after the builder and our HOA said stucco is now the responsibility of the individual homeowners.
bobby
7 years ago
any stucco new or repair. starts with the vapor barrier. all penetrations are to be addressed prior to stucco installation... properly done the home should not leak. before any exterior product is applied. you have sheathing damage . possibly some studs needing to be replaced. there is a lot going on in this area. if i was on site . i would tell you lets remove the stucco above the roof . and fix this. everything below has to come off. . get some plastic to cover the hole. i would recommend a rolled on liquid vapor barrier. .the stucco supplier/distributor will provide a brochure about this product. this tied in with roof lines kick outs and everything else going on around your chimney. solve the leak first. then put the stucco back on.

paint. i have been doing stucco/paint since 1974. give it 3 days of sun and paint it. .

. . .
millworkman
7 years ago
Being 10 years ago I am sure they have figured out a repair or have replaced the siding by now.............................
PRO
Allstar Stucco Repair
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Repairing a small to medium size hole or damage to a stucco wall is very easy. First, you have to determine how much damage there is. If the stucco is on the wall of a building/house, you need to see if the building paper is damaged, if it is you need to install some new paper. Also, if the chicken wire is damaged, you can buy a small amount at the local home improvement store to tie it to the existing wire.