What's Included
How stucco chimney repair is done in Sanford
Scratch coat, second coat and finish
Preservation Brief 22 walks through the sequence. The first, or scratch, coat is scratched or cross-hatched to give the next coat a key. The second coat is roughened for the finish. Each coat usually needs 24 to 72 hours to dry before the next goes on, and the finish coat is worked to match the original texture.
That means a proper stucco repair on your Sanford chimney takes more than one visit. We plan the schedule with you, cover the open work at the end of each day and return for each coat, and the written estimate states how many trips the repair involves.
Bonding agents and when they help
A properly cleaned and prepared area usually does not need a bonding agent, the brief says. One may be useful for hairline cracks or on surfaces that bond poorly, such as dense stone or brick or previously painted masonry, but it should not be used on a wall that is likely to stay damp or where large amounts of salts are present.
Our specialists rely on good preparation and a mechanical key first on your Sanford chimney. If the surface calls for a bonding agent, we tell you why, name the product on the estimate and make sure the chimney is not one of the damp walls where the brief advises against it.
Cleaning stucco without damaging it
Stucco can be cleaned, gently. Preservation Brief 22 describes cleaning with a low-pressure water wash, supplemented by scrubbing with soft natural bristle brushes, and notes that algae, mold and metallic stains can be removed with poultices and appropriate solvents.
The brief also warns that dirt on heavily textured stucco can be hard to remove without taking some of the texture with it, so our team works slowly on your Sanford chimney. Cleaning also shows the true condition of the finish, and any crack hidden under the growth is added to the repair plan.
Stucco where the chimney meets the roof
Preservation Brief 22 lists flashing repairs among the work that should come before any stucco repair, and the junction where a chimney meets the roof is where flashing matters most. Water that gets past it runs down behind the stucco, out of sight.
On your Sanford chimney our team checks the step and counter flashing along the roofline, the stucco edge above it and any sealant used to bridge the two. Loose flashing is fixed or replaced before the stucco around it is patched, and both repairs appear on the estimate.
