Replies

1. 
   FastEddie | Jan 30, 2007 01:42am | #1

   You're not going to get an answer you like ... too many variables.  It would help if you told us where you are.  And I have no clue what a tabby finish is.

    

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

1. 
   seeyou | Jan 30, 2007 01:52am | #2

   >>>>>>And I have no clue what a tabby finish is.Like she said, tabby is basically stucco with ground sea shells used as the aggregate. It's used on the east coast (I've seen it around the South Carolina/Georgia coast area. It's pretty specialized, so I'm guessing what was once labor intensive stucco made with slave labor would be pretty pricey today.http://logancustomcopper.com

   http://grantlogan.net/

    

   It's like the whole world's walking pretty and you can't find no room to move. - the Boss

   I married my cousin in Arkansas - I married two more when I got to Utah. - the Gourds

    

    

1. 
   FastEddie | Jan 30, 2007 03:15am | #3

   I didn't catch the stucco part.  Makes sense, just never heard the term. 

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

2. 
   Lansdown | Jan 30, 2007 03:15am | #4

   I priced tabby finish for a project in Georgia a few years back at about $20/sf. There was a vendor in the Savannah, GA area IIRC who did it. I would search for plaster and/or stucco contractors in your area and ask them about it.

3. 
   florida | Jan 30, 2007 03:33am | #5

   Real tabby was concrete made with oyster shells as the aggregate rather than gravel. It was used in the coastal areas of the south where gravel was hard to come by but oyster shells were plentiful. The walls were usually very thick since oyster shells don't have the strength of gravel. I've seen faux tabby where it was applied as stucco but it didn't really look like the real deal, more like oyster shells stuck on to stucco. My guess would be that real tabby would be very expensive since it is not common and would need to be engineered to meet code.

4. 
   MGMaxwell | Jan 30, 2007 03:55am | #6

   I had "shelldash" on an interior wall in my house. It has coquina instead of oyster shell and is quite common in the St. Augustine, Fl area. Your profile doesn't say where you are. I found some shark teeth in mine. Coquina is a Spanish word for small shells. I think it really means "small shells that stick to your butt for three days that you only find the next time you take a shower."

   I think it is more attractive than using oyster shells. Real tabby is softer because it uses lime instead of modern cementous stucco.

   If you live in the coastal south it shouldn't be too hard to find an older stucco man who can get you what you want.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

1. 
   docgresh | Jan 30, 2007 05:53pm | #7

   Thank you for your responses. I am building in the Florida panhandle but I am from Georgia and this is basically cement with oyster shells in it..the estimate of 20 per square foot was very helpful..do you recall the name of the company in Georgia that gave you the estimate? By the way, it is a great looking finish, at least to me.. Thank you for your responses..Mary G

5. 
   aimless | Jan 30, 2007 08:33pm | #8

   My parents live in FL and have a shelldash finish on their home. It still looks as nice now as it did when they bought it 23 years ago. Zero maintenance. If tabby is similar then it might be worth the upcharge.