Stucco is environmentally safe and clean. Stucco allows
for air infiltration, keeping your home fresh and
comfortable. Stucco will outlast the life of your home.
Stucco is a barrier to termites and woodpeckers. Stucco
does not burn, thus giving you increased fire protection.
Stucco can be easily repaired. Stucco provides a solid
hard wall that offers security and protects against the
weather. There are two types of stucco systems:
Three Coat Stucco System
Stucco starts with the lath (rhymes with bath). Lathing
begins with a metal weep screed that is installed around
the bottom of your home. Next, the exterior walls of
your home are wrapped with a weather resistant black
paper similar to roofing paper. The purpose of the black
paper (or similar product) is to create a back-up
weather resistant membrane just in case any water gets
past the stucco. If any water does get past the stucco,
the water will run down the face of the black paper and
exit through the metal weep screed at the bottom of your
home. Next, a metal woven wire (looks like chicken wire)
is installed over the black paper. The purpose of the
woven wire is to support the newly applied wet stucco
until it can dry.
After the lath has been completed the stucco is applied
in three layers referred to as scratch, brown and
texture coats. Color can be added to the texture coat.
One advantage of stucco is that there is a never ending
variety of textures ranging from a smooth, “egg
shell” type texture all the way to a heavy lace texture.
Stucco is compatible with most paints, coatings and
special finishes. If your stucco has had color applied
to the texture coat, there is no requirement for any
additional finish such as paints or coatings. Many
stucco homes have a paint, coating or special finish
applied at the time of construction. It is normal for
stucco to take on certain color variations as time
passes, especially in high rainfall areas. As time
passes, some homeowners find the color
variations are acceptable while others prefer a “new”
look, which can be achieved by applying appropriate paints,
coatings or special finishes.
One Coat Stucco Systems
One popular variation of the Three Coat Stucco
System is referred to as the “One Coat Stucco System”.
The name “one coat” is misleading. The One Coat Stucco
System substitutes the scratch coat of stucco with a
one-inch thick foam board (or other board product). The
requirements for the brown and texture coats are the
same for both stucco systems. All finish options are the
same for both stucco systems.
Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS)
EIFS is an exterior wall system that is sometimes
confused with stucco systems. EIFS is not a member of
the concrete or stucco family. The only similarity
between an EIFS system and a Stucco system is that the
two systems may look the same when completed. EIFS
systems consist mainly of a foam board covered with a
special finish. EIFS is normally found on large
commercial projects like the Las Vegas Casinos. Your
home has a stucco system installed as discussed above.
Your home does not have an EIFS system installed.
