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.

Choosing Stucco Colors

There is always quite a stir over colors in stucco. The designers, architects and owners want the colors that will make the project sell more quickly, add appeal, match existing schemes and make an aesthetically beautiful project. The contractor warns that heavily pigmented colors are expensive, troublesome and susceptible to problems. What is the answer? It is of course complicated and pros and cons must be weighed. Let’s start with the most asked questions about stucco and color:

1.       Pigments are expensive and when you get over a pound the price goes up? This is true. Typically manufacturers allow one pound of pigment in a sack of stucco with no extra charge. Blue and Green are the exception as they are more expensive colors. Pigment is by far the highest cost raw material in stucco by weight. When custom homes want that rich earth tone with four pounds of color it can be as much as twenty dollars extra per sack. Remember though, if we are talking about a high end custom home then the homeowner should get what they want for an exterior color. A very large custom home might use 100 sacks of stucco and even at 20 dollars this is only 2000 dollars more.

2.       The contractor says he has a hard time making stucco even and consistent with heavily pigmented colors? This also is true. However keep in mind what texture is wanted. A lace texture or sand finish is very unsightly with mottled color. In this case the wall would certainly have to be fogged to even out the color. In smooth finish applications color mottling is typically required. With darker colors we see movement and character in the stucco. It becomes a benefit and part of the artistic beauty of the finish.

 

Manhattan Beach, CA -  PP-5113

3.       Are some colors so dark that fog coat cannot be produced for that color? This is a common assumption and most stucco manufacturer s have specified limits to making fog coat with over 4lbs of pigment. The reason is that fog-coat comes in a 25lb bag. If there are 5 lbs of color in the bag that constitutes 20% of the bag by weight. We cannot take that much cement and other ingredients out of the bag to accommodate this much color. Similarly, we cannot produce heavily pigmented pre-mix stucco for the same reason. We never want to put so much color in the bag that it threatens the integrity of the product. We should be able to produce fogcoat that can even out color variances using dark pigments. The solution then is to make fog-coat in base and color and let the contractor mix it in the field.

4.       Are colors more “problematic” when they are dark? Yes, stucco is certainly not paint. It is not logical to expect stucco to react as paint does. Weather plays a huge part in how stucco looks and the more pigment involved the more the weather and other variables can affect color. Efflorescence is more noticeable in darker colors. It is not because there is a higher presence of salts,  it is that salts are white by nature and show much more on darker walls.

5.       My contractor has asked me not to use the dark color I want for my home. What should I do? It is your home and being the owner or builder you should have what you want. But… Go in with your eyes open! He doesn’t want to do it because he has experience that there are many things that can go wrong and he knows that he will be blamed for the problems. My advice is to:

a.      Always do a mock-up and agree on the color before starting the job.

b.      Discuss mottling, efflorescence, extra cost and find the tolerances and expectations of both parties and put it in writing!

c.       Discuss what to do in the event of freak storms, repairs resulting from damage by other trades and who will pay for these issues.

d.      Weigh the pros and cons very carefully when choosing color.

Remember, stucco is by nature a natural product. All the raw materials are from the earth and it is almost always hand applied. This is the beauty of the product. We don’t have to re-do it every few years like paint. Stucco has an extremely long life cycle. So like any natural product or handmade material certain allowances must be made for the very nature of the product. Life is a give and take so go for that dark color on a smooth wall! Enjoy the beauty of the staining and mottling the same way you would admire your handmade antiques with all of their beautiful imperfections!

The Tipping Point for New Homes Over Existing

Used to be homebuilders found buyers who wanted the new-car smell of a new home with community parks and the ability to customize features, like an inlaw suite or home office or granite countertops.  Today’s homebuilder has more advantages over existing housing stock than ever before, as I learned from a seminar I attended of the American Society of Building Designers.

We have reached the tipping point where existing homes should not be able to compete with a new home.  Think of all these features possible with new homes that existing homes can’t touch:

·         No gas and electric bills (Zero Net Energy)

·         Luxurious comfort from even heat distribution, elimination of harmful chemicals

·         Proper site orientation and shading to allow sunlight in where and when it’s needed

·         Open floor plans

·         No moisture problems from a new, well-designed building envelope

·         Community amenities made famous by The Irvine Company, such as parks, pools, and new schools

·         Pleasing planned communities with open spaces, designed to encourage social interaction

·         Home automation for the technophile buyers

Existing homes may have a few advantages of their own – locations closer in to jobs and fire-sale prices for the moment.  But as Sam Rashkin demonstrated in his passionate blueprint for the building industry, the ownership cost of a new home, after taking into account reduced utility bills and maintenance expenses, is surely lower than that of even a short-sold existing home.  Sam is head of the U.S. EPA’s energy efficiency program called Energy Star for Homes, and has contributed to USGBC, NAHB, and DoE programs with energy efficiency goals.  Sam made an impassioned case for the homebuilding industry to seize the moment, elevate their craft, and permanently leave existing housing stock in the dust.

 

 

There is much work to be done.  Many homebuilders are still focused largely on getting low bids and trying to sell directly against these distressed existing homes.  As a result, there is pressure on subcontractors not to innovate, but to focus mainly on keeping costs low.  And material manufacturers feel that pressure as tight margins, commoditization of our products, and more tough times ahead.

But there are good signs if you look hard enough.  Several major homebuilders in the Greater LA area (Meritage, Woodside, KB) are using continuous insulation stucco systems on all their projects, and highlighting that feature in selling their homes.  Of course, these “one coat stucco” systems have been in use in other markets for decades, but Title 24 and the demand for “greener” homes have driven their adoption in Southern California in recent years.  California’s Title 24 energy code ratchets up the energy efficiency mandate on homes in 2014, with additional code cycles set to take effect in 2017 and 2020.  By 2020, California’s Title 24 will likely mandate Zero Net Energy home performance.  Forward-thinking homebuilders will get there sooner and establish their brands as synonymous with energy-efficiency, much as Volvo has with car safety.

As stucco manufacturers and allied companies, the challenge for us is to provide products and technical assistance to encourage this metamorphosis of our industry.  As the homebuilders go, so go our businesses.  If we can help builders seize this opportunity now, when we’re at the tipping point, we can strengthen our industry, decommoditize our products, and gain some competitive advantage for our own companies. 

Sam Rashkin’s book is titled Retooling the U.S. Housing Industry, and is a great place to start this process for your company.

50 YEARS OF COLOR

 

 

When you think about stucco there are many ways to categorize it: functionality, installation, durability, patching etc. The reason for cement stucco is really how it looks on the outside of our structures. As a society we start with function and move to aesthetics. We started with packing mud over straw to keep the weather out and now we are using different size aggregates, materials and pigments to make our buildings more beautiful.

 

MerlexStucco, Inc. is introducing a brand new color chart this year and it coincides with their 50^th anniversary. Their extensive and capable merchandising department has been scouring the globe to access the newest trends and colors. In years past Merlex has used their clientele of capable color coordinators that worked for local building developers and home builders’. This year however, they took a more cosmopolitan approach and studied trends that were coming out of the largest fashion markets. It is very important to stay abreast of trends in design and color. The color chart like paint fan decks are used extensively in architectural offices and design centers to begin the process of choosing colors for our most popular buildings and homes. Here in the capital of “glitz and glamour” it is not uncommon for Merlex and Vero’s marketing departments to help choose color for well know stars and celebrities such as, Jennifer Anniston, Dennis Rodman, Sly Stallone, just to name a few.

 

We have discussed before how natural products make us feel more comfortable. It is logical that materials and colors that are found in nature would be the colors we choose to lower stress in our living and work spaces. Over time, with trends in fashion and advertising and the need to change, colors do tend to ebb and flow in terms of popularity. However, earth tones tend to stay at the forefront as we see them in nature every day. Just think about the last time you went to a park or out in the forest. How many different greens did you see? There is an infinite variety of hues and textures to look at. This is why we can stay with natural color tones and never run out of variation. As for manmade trends, we are ever looking for things that excite and deliver“newness” to our homes, neighborhoods, and work places. Through fashion these are ever evolving. Fashion is a big contributor to interior and exterior color design. Some colors may take on a more important role in certain climate locations, such as reds are more popular in colder climates and blues are more popular in warmer climates. Overall, neutral tones can compliment any design, and therefore, are used in any location. In the 1980’s pastels were very popular in stucco. The color charts were full of light yellows pinks and beiges. If you look at those charts now they are terribly dated! But just think about a picture of yourself from the 80’s, See the mullet and cloths it’s laughable! This is what makes it so much fun though. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s it was all about “Tuscan”, and “Mediterranean”. It was not uncommon to hear the owner ask that the house “look 200 years old “when it was completed. They did a lot with “distressed” wood timbers and exposed beams, ancient looking balustrades’ and porte-cocheres. Now the look is contemporary. Spaces are large and simple without clutter. Exteriors are going to a clean monolithic appearance with natural cement colors. In commercial interior spaces some have exposed HVAC systems and real or replicated poured in place walls. Merlex has had a huge resurgence in an old product called Super Shower Finish. This material was originally used in locker rooms, industrial kitchens and large areas that had moisture much of the time. This material was applied over a brown coat as exterior smooth Santa Barbara Finish and then painted. Now calls come in from all over the world looking for a natural cement product for showers in high end luxury lofts like in downtown New York, Los Angeles and other urban areas.

Ten years ago the market was flooded with real and knock off “Venetian Plasters”. Now the contemporary market is using lime and resin to achieve that natural “clean look”.  Vero Italian Finishes is an importer of real Dolomitic Lime from Trieste Italy. When the demand for aged buildings lessened it was difficult to make the design community aware of the fact that lime is perfectly suited for contemporary designs. The resin plasters are beautiful, shiny and really can add flavor and excitement to walls and ceilings. The industrial look has become very popular and many architectural firms have this beautiful “minimilized” interior space.

New York Fashion Week is held each spring showcasing its colors for the next year’s color palette. This influences everything from clothing styles and colors to paint fan decks and building facades. 

Merlex has always been the leader in choosing new and exciting colors on color charts and designers are used to working with a company that is as discriminating as they are.

So here is to 50 years of service and thousands of colors in the Merlex data base! Now we have Vero Italian Finishes that is building a repertoire of great color for lime and resin. Vero has even started carrying Modern Masters for metallic’s and pearlescent additives. Don’t forget to preview the new colors of the Merlex Web-site: www.merlex.com

Addendum to discussion about bonding agents

 

 

The more I learn about the uses of glues the more I am finding how tricky they can be. We discussed in the last installment of the proper uses of different types of glue. Some glues are strictly admixtures and some are particularly suited for the receiving surface. Problems typically arise with respect to weather and moisture retention. We discussed last time that acrylic admixtures should slow the set time down thereby making the cement material denser. This is not the case when it is hot. However, in temperatures over about 85 degrees F we find that the modified material spikes with the introduction of acrylic. That is, the material will set the mix more quickly when it is hot. With respect to PVA and EVA surface preparations we are finding some of the same inconsistencies. As plasterers and support personnel, we constantly look for new ways to improve the outcome of our products and finishes. I was recently on a job in Santa Barbara where the plasterer was re-scrubbing an existing Santa Barbara Finish (smooth) parameter wall. Since a smooth coat was already on the wall (unpainted) the plastering contractor felt it prudent to glue the wall before scratching in the first coat of smooth stucco. As it was a warm sunny day the glue appeared dry and the scratch coat was applied. As the crew doubled back over blisters began to appear. All the discussions that I have had about blisters are there is too much moisture in the material and the second coat breaks the set and bond of the first coat. What I have found since is that judging the readiness of the first coat when there is glue on the wall is tricky. It appears dry but in reality the glue is holding moisture on the inside of the first coat. Some plasterers always wait over night following the application of glue to make sure it is completely dry. These bonders all re-emulsify as the wet mud is introduced over the top. The difference is that a PVA will continue to re- emulsify for up to a week (or more depending on weather) and an EVA will only re-emulsify for 72 hours. The distinction is important and, at the same time, very tricky. The weight of the stucco can pull itself off the wall if the glue re-emulsifies following application. So we want the glue to “wet up” as we apply the stucco to insure a chemical bond, but we want it to cure before an appreciable amount of moisture is introduced. Another problem is when a bonding agent is put on the wall it will again hold moisture. This time it is after both coats of smooth (Santa Barbara Finish) is applied and the material has had its final “hard trowling”. The material looks great but since there is moisture present it continues to cure over night and the moisture naturally wicks out and hydrates. This leaves “checking” in these areas. This is also known as “spider web cracking,” “crazing,” or “shrinkage cracks.” Some of these are considered normal and part of the finish as it is virtually impossible to eliminate these small cracks.

 

Consider also that if there is suction (as with the aforementioned re-stucco of an existing smooth wall) should we use glue? In this case we are eliminating the suction bond in lieu of a chemical bond. I have always been partial to a suction bond whenever we can get it. As I interviewed more mechanics about this issue I noticed that some have found (receiving surface type) bonding agents to be tricky enough to quit using them. These guys have gone to using a polymer modified base coat similar to Basex to base out the wall. This is a way to introduce a polymer modified cement coating to bond to the existing wall and still have suction and key to bond the finish coat.  

 

When I discuss polymer modified cements, base coats and glues, I usually find myself voicing one of my favorite adages: “for every solution comes its own set of problems; we just hope the solution is better than the problems they bring!”  We are all “big boys” when it comes to plastering and construction and know that we picked a trade that is very difficult. We get blamed for every crack and imperfection in the finish coat and sometimes have no answers why. As we try to elevate the industry by using new products and techniques we have to remind ourselves that it is worth the effort. At least we are out there trying. Who knows? Maybe we will find a cementitious finish that someday will have all the functionality we want with none of the present problems. Until then, let’s just keep thinking!