Distinctive Qualities Of Stucco And Its Advantages

By Adriana Noton

Stucco is a plaster used for finishing. It is made of cement, lime, sand, water and some other materials. It is a building material specially designed to suit hot regions. It helps to regulate temperatures. It is nonflammable and very durable.

They are used all over the world for building, though they were first used in Greece, Rome and some Arab countries. The Americans have great love for it for a number of reasons. Their beauty and strength are just a few of those reasons.

There are basically two types of stuccoes, namely traditional and synthetic. The tradition type, also known as hard coat is made using cement, lime and water. It is long lasting and can weather harsh climate conditions. They are porous, which makes them able to dry up quickly and not prone to getting soaked. They have preservative properties because of the lime used.

Hard coats are installed with a scratch coat, followed by a brown coat and then lastly a finish coat. It all begins by installing a substrate to which a metal lath is added. A cement coat is added to it using a trowel. It is left to set after which a last finish coat is applied.

The synthetic kinds were first used in the 1950s. They are termed synthetic because in addition to the traditional cement mixture, synthetic fibers and acrylic materials are used in making them. These additional materials make the product much stronger and increase its flexibility. They also come out a lot lighter than the traditional type. This however, makes them more susceptible to dents. When applying synthetics, only one coat is required.

The maintenance of hard coats on walls or ceilings is rather easy. To maintain their beautiful appearance, they could be washed occasionally. They do not require painting. Instead, some pigments could be included while mixing them. This will make the finished product to appear tinted.

The product should be examined on a regular basis to see if there are any cracks. Both internal and external stress could result in cracks. Internal cracks are mostly caused by shrinkage. Since the product is made of cement, it shrivels when dried and tends to crack. Extreme weather conditions as well as poor construction jobs cause external cracks to occur.

To fix not too serious cracks, they should be whitewashed every year. Since whitewash contains lime, the hard coat will get hardened and prevent water from seeping out. Another way to repair minor cracks is to apply oil mastic. This will also prevent water from seeping through. Paraffin mask could be used when oil mastic is not available.

For more severe cracks, brushing on a bonding agent is the solution. A mixture of cement and acrylic should be brushed on after applying the bonding agent and left for some hours. Using a brush, a cement mixture should finally be applied.

Stucco installation charges are quite affordable. It costs about eight dollars for a square foot. The building where it will be used must first be inspected to ascertain the total quantity that would be required. Good quality types should be purchased so as to avoid damage issues in the nearest future.

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