Replies

1. 
   Obie_Wan_Ryobi | Aug 07, 2000 02:01pm | #1

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   Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc.

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   Guest_ | Aug 07, 2000 06:23pm | #2

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   I'm working around a 1920 stucco job. Unfortunately some later work defeated the drainage plane and it is self-destructing. Oh well.

   I'm interested in this stuff myself. Working with lime, the base of traditional stucco, mortar and building materials goes back 6,000 years. Today we use mostly portland cement, which has different properties and is inappropriate for restoration work. Of course this comes up a lot more in Europe than youngster America, which with its plentiful wood didn't need to build with rocks except where someone wanted to imitate the old ways, probably to show the neighbors he was well off. (EIFS has recently pointed up the risks of solid coverings over wood.) For example, George Washington's house here in VA has a formed sand finish meant to make it look like it's built from stone blocks.

   I think it was originally the "poor man's stone," defined here as:

   Stucco
   >- originally an Italian plaster composed of gypsum, lime and some powdered marble. Slow setting and therefore easy to work, it sets very hard. During the 18th century, improvements were made to the mixture to allow it to be used on the exterior of buildings, latterly in imitation of stone.

   Browse http://www.trp.dundee.ac.uk/library/library.html and http://www.scotlime.org/ (they have a technical doc on thatching, too....)

1. 
   Guest_ | Aug 07, 2000 09:47pm | #3

   *i For example, George Washington's house here in VA has a formed sand finish meant to make it look like it's built from stone blocks. The 'stone' surrounds at Monticello (not Mount Vernon) are, I believe, beveled-cut wood with sand finish paint, not stucco. You cannot tell without touching them.Jeff

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   Guest_ | Aug 07, 2000 11:52pm | #4

   *b TVMDCJeff, I'm bidding an addition to a 1920's stucco house which, of course, has no weep screed. Small bedroom addition bumping out a 12' bedroom wall 4'. The question is do I add a weep screed to the addition (for ailtire reasons), or match existing?Regards, Bill

1. 
   Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 07:27am | #5

   *I grew up in a house in Philadelphia that was built in 1865. The exterior walls of the first two stories are brick and stone rubble with stucco over. (Third floor is slate mansard over frame, which was a "roof," and therefore not taxed as an additional story. But I digress.) It is now in poor condition, mostly from recurrent roof/gutter failures allowing water to seep behind it. It has never been painted. When new, lines were scribed on it to convey the impression of large stone blocks. The local sand, probably dredged from a waterway, is rich with mica, so all the old stucco glitters in the sunlight.Bill

1. 
   Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 02:35pm | #6

   *Bill - This makes some interesting relevant reading. Search that site for weep screeds and you'll have some input. According to this site weep screeds are a UBC code requirement. I don't have a strong opinion on the identified possible causes of moisture problems except that some (dripping staples?) don't make too much sense. This is a related link as well. Note that the discussion here isi notregarding synthetic stucco.Perhaps a question that should be asked is this: "Why are we doing stucco less well today than it has been done in the past?"Jeff

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   Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 05:42pm | #7

   *Yes, you are right -- I mentioned Mount Vernon as an example not of stucco, but of faux-stone. Wasn't sure whether the binder was paint or something else.Haven't seen Monticello yet.Also, lack of a weep screed is why I think the 1920 house i'm looking at is rotting at the mud sill and probably elsewhere. The upper 2 stories are stucco over wood lath and felt; someone later (the break is obvious) appplied stucco over the exposed 1-story CMU foundation (house is set in hillside, so foundation is exposed on 3 sides). The stucco is continuous across the transition, so there is no where for water to escape.I found a lot of Altavista hits for ("weep screed" and detail), for example: http://www.fryreglet.com/Plaster/PFWS.html

3. 
   Guest_ | Aug 09, 2000 04:49am | #8

   *b TVMDCJeff, Thanks not only for your rapid response, but the hot links. Some really interesting information. Since much of my work has involved retrofitting/waterproofing, I'm already a big booster of weep screeds, diatos for decks, and carefully done flashings. The question was more of an aesthetic one since a screed would look a little dumb on the new corner of the house.Again, thanks for the input, Bill.

3. 
   Guest_ | Aug 09, 2000 04:50am | #9

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   My wife told me a little story tonight about her grandfather. Seems her mother's father was the son of a son of a plasterer in Pennslyvania. Back in the teens of the last century he "invented" a new kind of stucco. Said it'd be good for 100 years, he did.

   Recently, my wife spent two weeks roaming around the east coast with her mom and sis. Gettysburg, the usual sites. They also went to the old family home and talked to the folks who have it now. Seems these folks had just completed some desired remodeling, which included exterior paint. The painter said it was the best stucco job he had ever seen. The house was built in 1921 and as there are no gaps in the history of the house the statement about the stucco seems amazing. The house is in Fallcroft, which I think is in Chester County.

   Is this something or what? Let's not bring up, say, adobe ruins or cave dwellings. I'm talking about the craftsmen operating in the traditional manner.