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I have heard that elastomeric paint does not have an adequate rate of water vapour transmission and thus should not be used with stucco. However, nearly all paint manufacturers sell this kind of paint for use with stucco. Does anyone have any guidelines for painting stucco? Where can I find information about water vapour transmission through paint film? Are the new paints good to use?
(I live in very rainy Vancouver BC in an 80 yr old house with “real” stucco…not one of these leaky condos. It seems to be leaking through fine cracks.)
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I live in not so rainy Hollywood CA in a 75 year old stucco house. Mine seems to leak through the stucco itself, just due to the natural porosity of the material. Just last Sunday I applied Xypex to the worst part as a test, it's supposed to be finished curing on Wednesday, and rain is predicted for Friday. So far, the water I spray on it for curing seems to not get thru as much as it would have before the Xypex. What leakage remains I think is from windows. It's just in the bottom corners of the windows now, not all over the wall as it was before. Plans call for these windows to be demoed, so I'll just caulk them shut on Thursday. If the Xypex works here, I'll do the whole house. http://www.xypex.com is their web site, they're in Richmond, BC, probably not too far from you. Material cost is about U.S. $0.60/sq. ft., but if it works, it'll be well worth it.
-- J.S.
*b TVMDCXypex is a great product for waterproofing any cementicious product: stucco, block walls or poured CNC. While usually used on the negative side on Walls, i.e., the inside, it also works on the exterior. But there are 2 considerations for when using Xypex: 1) the stucco/CNC must be raw, unpainted. If painted you have to sandblast. 2) Two coats are usually applied and for an interior block wall, that is fine. But on exterior stucco, you will loose the original texture.Another option is to use Lifetime which is a clear silicone/rubber liquid which can be sprayed/rolled or brushed. It vulcanizes rather than dries and provides a waterproof membrane on the substrate which is guarenteed for 30 years. Again, you need raw stucco, block, concrete or even WOOD for the product to soak into. But after curing, it can be painted.Available from Mulford & Assoc, Anaheim, CA.
*Bill,Have any more info on Lifetime or Mulford. Web site maybe? I tried internet and yellow-page searches and came up empty. This could be just the product I'm looking for. Thanks.
*b TVMDCJim, Mulford & Assoc. Mfgrs of lifetime: 714-712-7387. Cost is about $50/gallon and coverage is about 150 SF on stucco.Good Luck, Bill
*It turns out that Friday's rain didn't really test the Xypex. 3/4" of rain, but it fell straight down, very little wind. The Xypex test area didn't leak at all, but neither did adjacent untreated areas that typically leaked in the past.-- J.S.
*After such a good lead on Mulford & Assoc, I was terribly disappointed in the results. Called them. Said their product would work for application. But they don't have a retailer within 2 hours of here and they have no way to send any product direct, so, too bad, there's nothing we can do for you.Sometimes ya just wanna scream.
*Jim --You might try Smalley & Co.:861 S. Jason St.Denver, CO, 80223Voice 303 777-3435Fax 303 777-3010They specialize in sealants, coatings, and adhesives. They have branches in Albuquerque, Anaheim, Denver, El Paso, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake, and Van Nuys. I got the Xypex from them. Hope this helps.-- J.S.
*Might try checking http://www.paintandsave.com for info on "Thermo-Shield" coatings. I've been building the Website for these guys, and the documentation they've supplied on its characteristics are pretty amazing.
*Well, we finally had enough rain to test the Xypex. Good news, bad news. The actual Xypex treated area works. The problem appears to be those old windows. Even though they're caulked shut, water comes in either between the Xypex and the wood, or possibly right through the wood, despite a coat of paint. By volume of water collected in the pans in the stud bays, I'd guess that the Xypex has solved about half the problem. There are perfectly dry areas on the inside of the stucco, between where the window leaks run down.Now the question is how to seal between Xypex treated stucco and new windows.-- J.S.
*My concrete finisher just recommended looking at Dry-Lock for sealing the mortar joints on the glass block. I've seen the in-store displays and he says it comes in clear. Anyone have good or bad experience with it? Thanks.
*I changed some windows once and the stucco patch around thewindows cracked after a while. I applied Dry-Lock and so farafter two years it's holding up-- facing south and gettin'lots of winds and rain and all. You can mix in your own paintwith it if you want to match your exterior according to theinstructions. Another friend who recommended this to me water proofed his atrium with it. It had been leaking for yearsin heavy rain. His is doing okay after a couple of years.I applied it over painted stucco ( no sheen on the paint) withoutdoing any prep whatsoever but I imagine it would have been bestif I prepp'ed the surface somehow for better adhesion. I don't seeit falling off the walls yet though.
*Jim --I looked for Dry-Lock using a Google search, and came up with a loctite product and a non-wood decking material. It looks like lots of companies thought of the same name for different products. Do you know where to find info on the one you mean?-- J.S.
*It's the loctite product.Billy
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I have heard that elastomeric paint does not have an adequate rate of water vapour transmission and thus should not be used with stucco. However, nearly all paint manufacturers sell this kind of paint for use with stucco. Does anyone have any guidelines for painting stucco? Where can I find information about water vapour transmission through paint film? Are the new paints good to use?
(I live in very rainy Vancouver BC in an 80 yr old house with "real" stucco...not one of these leaky condos. It seems to be leaking through fine cracks.)