Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to hear anyone’s opinions on how to repair some dry-rot. Gutted a bathroom over the weekend and two of the three tub walls had significant amounts of dry-rotted framing. This was a tile surround over mortar bed on drywall, but unfortunetely no paper between drywall and studs. These are exterior stucco walls, with no sheathing. Structure was built in 1961. Some of the framing can be repaired and sistered, but some of it will need to be replaced.
Obviously when taking out the bad framing, I was thinking of using liquid nails or a similar product to ensure proper adhesion between the new stud and the stucco wall. Is this the best way to go or is there a better way?
Thanks,
Tark
Replies
if you are replacing framing members that go up against an exterior stucco wall you should place some sort of barrier between the wood and the stucco. i would suggest an asphalt impregnated building paper, such as 15 pound felt, maybe even multiple layers just to make sure.
if you have a moisture barrier like that then what good would it do to use glue? you would be gluing the framing to the paper. unless you are just talking about gluing the framing members together instead of toe-nailing or screwing.
the thing that holds the stucco to the framing also reinforces the stucco, thats the wire mesh "lath" that is attached to the framing with "firring nails" that hold the mesh out from the framing so it can be enveloped by the stucco.
you may try to put framing clips with wood screws into framing and short masonry screws into stucco. thats the best idea i have so far, sorry i could not be of more help other than just to point out that the glue probably won't work, and to give you a bump.
skids,
Thanks. The top and bottom plates are fine, so nailing into them is not a problem, I am most concerned about reattaching the stucco to the new framing. I'm hoping glueing the framing to the stucco paper will be enough. For the amount of framing damage, thankfully the stucco wall has no cracks in it.
Any other thoughts anyone?
Tark
Don't forget that the stucco lath is nailed to the framing. Glueing the paper to the new studs will only hold the paper in place...unless your builder used that new TOH structural paper...
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Hi Ed,
Sounds like glueing is not the way to go. Do I have to break into the stucco until I reach lath and nail accordingly?
Tark
I have never done the type of repair you are facing...but I think you may have to open the wall from the outside. Hopefully a better expert will give an insight into a better fix.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
The stucco is attached to the studs by nails that hold the chicken wire embedded in the stucco. If the old studs are still strong enough to hold those nails and be sistered to, that'll hold the stucco to the new studs.
If you're not that lucky, and the old stud is completely gone, one option would be to drill small holes outward thru the stucco along the center line of where the new stud will go. After it's in, put in screws and washers from the outside, like using plaster washers for interior work. This is no fun, because now you're into some exterior patch work and matching the color.
In either case, you need a moisture barrier. Any new barrier you put in must be overlapped to the inside of the existing barrier on the top, and to the outside of it on the bottom. Stucco is kinda like a very hard sponge, water just pours through it when you get wind driven rain.
-- J.S.
John,
Thank you. Your instructions are very clear. Thankfully the wall is on the ground floor and is such that painting it corner to corner is not that big of a deal.
Any particular washer size and "screwing" schedule you would recommend?
Thanks again,
Tark
Look around for a masonry and plaster supply company. They'll have plaster washers and screws made for this purpose. You'll need to countersink the washer and screw heads, and patch over them. They'll have the right stuff for that, too. If you're anywhere near Hollywood, CA, I can recommend a great supply company for all that kind of stuff, plus seismic retrofit stuff, too.
As for spacing, I'd go about 9" apart. I don't have any solid experience for that, just a gut feeling that that's about as many fasteners as I could put in without too much danger of cutting the stucco on the dotted line.
-- J.S.
Thanks John!