Homeowner Wall Repair

              

When I bought my house, the previous owner had not waterproofed the walls behind the planter areas. I re-stuccoed the entire home using a Santa Barbara Finish. Within a year or so I began to notice efflorescence and a resultant spalling of the stucco surface just behind the planter areas.  I knew the best fix was to waterproof the positive side of the wall. That is, the side with the dirt and moisture in it. However, as with most jobs like this, I did not want to dig out the back in the wall.

  

So I did the next best thing:

1. Using a 3 lb. sledge hammer and a wall scraper. I removed any material that was punky, spalling, or sounded hollow. This is the concept of: “the next coat is only as sound as the surface you are going over.”

2. I mixed up and spread Merlex Super Blockade to stop the water or moisture from coming through. I made sure to put on at least 2 coats.

 

 

3. I then used LevelX to cover the Super Blockade and also to build up those areas that had been removed. I added some Acrylex to the Levelex to ensure a good bond. In some places it took two coats to build up the material level with the existing Santa Barbara Finish that was remaining.

    

4. There were some areas the Santa Barbara finish was still functionally good but pitted and ugly from the damage cost by efflorescence. We rolled SuperHold on the smooth surface before applying the LevelX. Again this is to insure bond of the subsequent coat.

At this point, the wall is ready for stucco.

 

Stucco should go on next week…. I will send the final pics and any comments following…

 

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New Faith in Stucco Industry

I spent a day with the Brady Company on the job in San Clemente last week, and their professionalism and attention to detail renewed my faith in the stucco industry.   They were applying the scratch coat to the first building of an outlet mall to beat all outlet malls.  This one is perched atop a hilltop in the most charming beach town in Southern California, and has Pacific Ocean views to go with the great shopping.  They are pumping our Sanded Insulex product as their scratch and brown coats, made with washed clean silica sand, factory blended so it's the same ratio every time. Insulex is blended with fibers for improved strength and sag resistance allowing for accelerated job scheduling due to reduced wait times between plaster base coats. Our flexible polymer-modified, crack-reduction system (Basex) is then being applied as the base coat, specifically designed for smooth coat finishes. One of the key advantages of using our base and mesh system (Basex) is the fact it withstands cracks in the base coat up to 0.04 inches without cracking through the finish coat. Lastly, Brady will apply our Merlex Santa Barbara Finish smooth-troweled stucco as the finish coat.





These guys from Brady are pros.  The mixers, Ernesto and Ismael, followed our mixing procedures to the letter and stopped the mixer after a few minutes to break the set.  Not many crews follow that instruction, although it’s on every one of our technical data sheets and gives the plaster better workability and open time.  I saw Ernesto checking the slump of the material before sending it to the Tommy Gun several times.   The hose crew was just as good.  Joe ran the nozzle this day to set the tone for his guys, who were hustling to move the hose, trowel out the scratch coat, and keep the trims clean.  They worked calmly and efficiently and together, communicating with each other to ensure they did the best job possible.  The nozzle and mixer talked frequently by walkie-talkie to ensure proper speed, coordinate breaks and lunch, and fine tune things.  Chuck Cannon, their plaster superintendent, did his part to ensure their success, adjusting the hose configuration, reminding the guys of standard operating procedures and safety issues, and getting the right people in the right places.


 


This is the first time I’ve blogged about a work crew.  But these guys made me believe that our products are in good hands out there, and that our industry can be successful in rising to any challenge that comes our way in the field.

Sunrise over the jobsite

                    

MERLEX STUCCO TO EXHIBIT AT PCBC 2015–THE HOMEBUILDING INDUSTRY’S LARGEST WEST COAST TRADE SHOW

                       
 

San Diego, CA (June 24-25, 2015)- MERLEX STUCCO, [manufacturing stucco, acrylic finishes, and waterproofing products since 1963 in Orange, CA], will showcase its newest products and solutions in San Diego, California at the homebuilding industry’s most anticipated west coast conference and exhibition, PCBC. As the only industry event that partners with the Leading Builders of America, PCBC 2015 will gather close to 10,000 high quality buyers representing every segment of the industry: homebuilders, developers, architects, building scientists, lenders, investors, marketers.

From June 24-25, prominent industry leaders will gather to present the latest product, trends and innovations both on the show floor and through the high-level education program.

Established in 1963, MERLEX STUCCO has since expanded opening two warehouse locations in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

Merlex Stucco will be exhibiting again this year in San Diego because “PCBC is the perfect opportunity for us to connect with top quality professionals in the residential building space,” explains Melissa Higgins, Director of Marketing, Merlex Stucco. “We’re showcasing our products to a highly qualified audience—including representation 21 of the largest publicly and privately held homebuilders in the nation. On top of that, we are building relationships to carry on throughout the year.”

Merlex will debut a newly designed display booth along with a few new products at BOOTH #130 and invites professionals in the industry to visit us. For more information on the educational conference and schedule, visit http://www.pcbc.com

    
 

About PCBC: Dedicated to advancing the art, science and business of housing, PCBC is the largest homebuilding tradeshow representing the west coast region. Launched in 1959 as a small educational conference at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in San Francisco, PCBC is now an annual two-day conference, product display and business exchange and is open to anyone professionally involved in the building industry, including builders, developers, architects, remodelers, designers, contractors, dealers/distributors and suppliers/manufacturers.