Stucco

[macrules]

I am posting a few things i have learned and more questions that were in a couple PM's so that everyone can learn together, suggest by Dr. Dave.

I have talked with RilesJ, Stevereno and Dr. Dave. all have been very helpful. I am now done with my build and have been for a couple weeks, the only thing left is the stucco. I thought i was ready and was going to use the Parex brand that Riles and Steve both used, seems perfect. One issue is the distributor here in Omaha, NE says they don't carry it, even though it's on their website, etc. So now my issue is what "one coat" stucco do i use. Dr. Dave has said just a normal dry mix stucco will work as one coat, i think that's right isn't it Dr? The reason i need it to be the one coat, is i put down tile counter thinking in would only put a 1/4" layer of stucco, if i go with a quick crete brand, it wants you to do a scratch coat too, this will make my stucco too thick.

So my main question is this. If not Parex, because i can't find it around here, what brand can i use and apply one coat? I would really like to mix in the color so i don't have to paint as well. Do you use a dry mix or is there another brand other than parex that's the acrylic type base?

Riles, Steve and Dr you have all been very helpful. And everyone that has seen my new kitchen is envious. I have wanted one for about 10 years, just never got around to doing it. Very glad i did, and the Twin Eagles grill i put in is the best grill ever, i can now cook steaks anyway you want rather than my trade mark of well done! Any suggetions are welcome. I'd like to stucco tomorrow and be done for a football party in a couple weeks.

 

[macrules]

I just came across a couple of posts from another forum, one from Dr. Dave and another poster. I think these are very helpful. Sorry if it seems i'm being ignorant, it's just you put all this work into something and the last thing you want to do is screw up that last 5%.... the stucco. So i am being very patient, not my nature either. I think the following sums it up pretty well.

Dr. Dave post:
I went to a block and brick supplier and asked for a bag stucco mix, then I selected a bag of tint. I didn't worry about brand names or whether or not it had a sealer in it. Stucco, when applied to a home, it does a fine job of keeping out the rain. I have lived in stuccoed homes for 60 years.

I made my Island in 1999 and the stucco color still looks the same, I never sealed anything and it still looks great. No chips or peeling.

Don't worry about what brand. Roll or brush on the concrete adhesive, let it get tacky and apply a single coat of stucco and you are done. If you added tint, you will never have to paint it. Practice on a scrap piece of HB to get the pattern you want, then do it yourself. 2 people will have 2 distinct patterns so one applier is best.

Another Poster in the same thread:
I put my stucco on yesterday. I talked to a couple people and read a lot of different things. the more I read, the more confused I got. I figures stucco would be quick and easy on my cabinets, but I wasn't sure how it would work. I also wanted to do just one coat--I couldn't figure out why you need the "scratch-and-brown" coat before the outer coat. I also wanted it pigmented so I wouldn't need to bother with paint. Some said to put adhesive, some said not to bother. Some said two coats, some said one worked fine. I never did find anyone with pre-mixed stucco in buckets, so I got bags of mix.

One shop sold me a can of "weld-crete" as the adhesive, and I also had a bottle of Concrete Bonder & Fortifier from HD. The weld-crete says to let it dry fully before putting on the stucco, while the Bonder says to wait until it gets tacky.

Anyway, I ended up using 90 pound bags of BMI exterior coat of stucco with Light Adobe color. The reason I wanted stucco in a bucket was the difficulty of mixing 90 pounds of the stuff at once! My drill was smoking before it was mixed. And with so much stucco, it got really thick two-thirds of the way through applying it, making it more difficult.

But anyway, it did work as I had hoped and looks pretty good. I put it over hardibacker, dampened the boards, painted on the bonder and went to it. I used some corner mesh (see pic) on the corners and it worked great. Especially over the one 45 degree corner I had. I probably should have put my coats on a bit thicker, but it is hard to figure how thick it is and adjust. I used almost all of two bags on my counters, which is somewhere around 50 square feet I think. When I get everything in place, however, I wonder how I will patch the two seams I will have, and any cracks that show up? I hate to mix another bag just for patching. Maybe that is the downside of staining and not painting the stucco. (The cabinets are going up against the deck railing, so I couldn't stucco them in place)

Question: can you put stone veneer over stucco should I decide to do that later? I imagine that mortar would stick fine.

Now to get the sink plumbing hooked up and pick tile for the counter tops!

 

[minimonster17]

I know for a fact that Quikrete makes a one coat stucco product... I work for a Lowe's in FL and sell it everyday. Whether or not its available anywhere near you is another story. If you have the time to wait a bit on it, any Lowe's has the ability to order the mix directly from Quikrete for you, even if you need only a bag or two. They'll need 1-2 weeks to get it to the store.

Ideally, on the stone veneer. You want to use S Type Mortar Mix (NOT THE N TYPE!). If it is available readily, Quikrete makes a special veneer stone mortar mix as well. The special mix is the one I usually recommend to my customers. If your local Lowe's doesn't stock the veneer stone mortar mix, they can order it for you. Otherwise, as I said, the S TYPE mortar mix is ok too.

I wouldn't recommend putting the stone veneer direclty on the stucco. It probably won't bond well. If you decide to attempt it anyway, at least get some Quikrete acrylic fortifier (comes in a 1qt bottle,) and paint it on before applying the veneer stone mortar. This will help it bond better.

FWIW, veneer stone adheres best to rough concrete surfaces with the proper mortar, as I talked about above. I am not a professional mason, but I sell concrete products to customers and contractors everyday, and know what I am talking about (8yrs experience.)

For your seams/patching, Lowe's sells a special premixed stucco patch in a 1qt bucket. It works great. I have no idea on what the Depot offers comparable to it.