Do you have questions or concerns about any aspect of the stucco system? In anticipation of these commonly asked questions, we have listed them and our answers here. If you cannot find the answer to you question here, we ask you to send it via email to our webmaster or to call us.
Index
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What brand of stucco products does Professional Plastering use?
What finish coat colors and textures are available, and where can I find information on them?
1. What are the benefits of stucco as a building exterior?
There are many benefits of using stucco as an exterior to your home or business.
Durability - Hard-coat stucco is a very durable and long-lasting medium, easily lasting in good condition 10-20 years with little to no maintenance costs. Stucco will not chip, peel, or fade substantially like painted siding.
Aesthetic Appearance - Stucco gives homes and buildings a very clean and pleasing look. Stucco also complements other exteriors well, such as stone, brick, or siding.
Fire-resistance - Stucco gives your home or business approximately one hour of fire resistance for extra peace of mind.
Weather-resistance - The finish coating of our system does not allow water to penetrate into the system. If water were somehow to get into the stucco, we cover all wood sheeting with 2 layers of waterproof tarpaper.
Noise-resistance - Stucco helps keep outside noise from getting in, acting as a sound insulator.
Economical - When compared with the high maintenance costs associated with repainting siding periodically, and the costs of stone and brick, stucco is an affordable option.
2. What is the hard-coat stucco system?
The hard-coat stucco system is the preferred stucco system today, due to its increased durability and decreased cost, compared to EIFS. The system contains several layers.
The typical layers are, starting at the wall and working outward:
Tarpaper: Used as a moisture barrier. To seal plywood from the elements, a layer of waterproof 2-ply tarpaper is attached to the wood with staples, covering all wood surfaces to be covered by stucco.
Metal Lath: The purpose of lath is to provide a way for the plaster to adhere to the wall. Lath is a metal mesh securely attached to the wall with staples.
(“FRP”) mixed to the consistency of cement and spread onto the lath to a thickness of 3/8 inch and worked to achieve a flat surface.
Finish (texture) coat: The finish coat is a substance that can be manipulated to form a variety of colors and textures. The finish coat is applied with a thickness of approximately 1/16 inch and is extremely durable when dry. An acrylic primer is applied before the finish coat to aid in bonding, durability, water resistance, and elasticity.
3. What is the synthetic (EIFS) stucco system?
Exterior Insulating Finish Systems, or EIFS, use polystyrene foam mechanically fastened to sheeting, then covered with a thin mesh, a thin brown coat, and finally a finish coat. The biggest benefit of EIFS is the increased insulation it provides to a building. Many early EIFS systems had moisture problems due to their sealing moisture behind the system. Professional Plastering uses a waterproof moisture barrier to prevent this problem.
4. What brand of stucco finish does Professional Plastering use?
We use high quality Sto and Dryvit products. For existing stucco repairs, we can match textures and colors exactly by using other brands as needed.
5. What finish coat colors and textures are available, and where can I find information on them?
Sto offers over 800 standard colors, and because all finish is dyed by the distributor, custom tinting is also available. A variety of textures are also available. Color charts and texture examples can be found on the Sto website.
Above are three common finish textures. Our most popular texture by far is Medium Sand.
Several more texture examples.
6. What materials can stucco go over?
Stucco is a very versatile product in that it can be applied to many surfaces, including standard sheeting (plywood), old siding, concrete walls and foundations, among others.
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