What's Included
The stucco repair process for Longwood homes
Cutting out larger cracks for a proper patch
Cracks wider than a hairline have to be cut out before they can be repaired, Preservation Brief 22 says. The deteriorated, severely cracked and loose stucco comes off down to the lath or the masonry, and the area is cleaned of debris, loose paint, dirt, oil and plant growth so the new material can bond.
Our crew opens the damaged area on your Longwood chimney, brushes it clean and checks the backing before any new stucco goes on. What we find behind a larger crack, whether sound block or rusted lath, is explained to you on site and reflected in the price before the patch is built up.
Squared edges that keep a patch sound
A neat stucco repair is squared off with a butt joint, cut with a cold chisel, a diamond blade saw or a masonry bit, and the brief is specific that the new patch must not overlap the old stucco. A feathered edge spread over the existing finish is thin, weak at its margin and quick to crack.
On your Longwood chimney we cut clean edges around each repair and bring the new coats up flush with the surrounding surface. Where the stucco is scored, the patch is squared to follow the existing lines, which also helps the repair disappear into the pattern already there.
The water-resistive barrier on a framed chimney
On a framed chimney, stucco is only the outer layer. Florida's residential code (section R703.1) expects exterior walls to have a water-resistive barrier behind the cladding and a way to drain water that gets past it, and section R703.7.3 asks for a barrier equal to two layers of Grade D paper where plaster covers wood-based sheathing.
When damage on your Longwood chimney reaches the sheathing, the repair has to restore that barrier and lap it correctly with the paper around it. Our pros explain what they found behind the stucco, what can stay and what has to be replaced before the finish is rebuilt.
Dampening the surface before patching
Dry masonry pulls water out of fresh stucco too quickly, which weakens the bond. Preservation Brief 22 says wood lath or a masonry substrate, but not metal lath, must be thoroughly wetted before stucco patches are applied, so that it does not draw moisture out of the stucco too fast.
Our crew dampens the prepared masonry on your Longwood chimney before each coat and watches the surface as the work goes on, because a sunny chimney face can dry out between the first trowel and the last. It is a small step that shows up later as a patch that stays attached.
