Agreeing with your logic, so, do you recommend repairing and painting or
replacing all the stucco with new that could/should perform equal to the
original? My gut instinct is re-stucco 100% and not paint.
You?
Eric Hammarberg
Associate Director of Preservation
Associate
LZA Technology
641 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011-2014
Telephone: 917.661.8176
Mobile: 917.439.3537
Fax: 917.661.8290
email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Edison [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 3:04 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Painting Stucco Exterior of Chimney
Stucco is remarkably similar to masonry mortar in its composition, though
some recipes I have seen struck me as being fairly "rich" in cement/lime. I
do believe the process of carbonation is pretty much the same in stucco and
mortar.
The problems with partial replacement of the failed areas of stucco are:
1. The remaining sound stucco has sufficient numbers of cracks which are
sufficient in width to allow bulk moisture into the wall system, which is
what caused the failed areas to fail in the first place. While only 5% of
the total area had already failed, it may be fair to say that the other 95%
was somewhere along the same path to failure, but with an opportunity to
prolong service life if stabilized against further moisture entry.
2. Clients with mid 7-figure "summer cottages" are unlikely to understand
why after spending six figures on repairs the house looks like a patchwork
instead of "like new".
As for painted surfaces and retention of historic fabric, I followed a
similar argument between contractor and landmarks official regarding a
proposed use of a clear water repellent on an historic brick structure. It
had undergone substantial rebuilding due to moisture seepage. The landmarks
official was concerned about retaining the original historic fabric in an
unaltered state. The Contractor asked how that reasoning applied to the
approximately 35% of the original historic fabric which had been deposited
in the city dump in the course of repairing water damages.
Granted, plenty of owners would opt for EIFS on the basis of taste and
expense, or perhaps the lack of both.
Last year, while working on the restoration of some 1st century Roman
artifacts, I was presented with a small fragment of the original Roman
cement, which had been stabilized some 50 years ago with a modern concrete
mix backing. Am I wrong to think that the altered original material is more
historic and more valuable than if they had simply chipped away all the
Roman cement and replaced it with a new pozzolanic mortar?
Mike Edison
----- Original Message -----
From: Hammarberg, Eric
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 12:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Painting Stucco Exterior of Chimney
Well, not so obvious to me.
Isn't stucco, similar to mortar, basically a sacrificial layer meant to be
replaced periodically?
I would consider repairing the failed stucco and leaving the sound material
but not painting. This retains some of the original material. The repairs
could blend in well with the original but still could be seen. Is there a
problem with this approach?
Painting over "original historic fabric" really does not "retain" it - you
can't see it anymore.
Eric Hammarberg
Associate Director of Preservation
Associate
LZA Technology
641 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011-2014
Telephone: 917.661.8176
Mobile: 917.439.3537
Fax: 917.661.8290
email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Ralph Walter [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 9:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Painting Stucco Exterior of Chimney
In a message dated 11/21/2001 6:47:21 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
As for applying anything to stucco (or not), I offer the following scenario
for commentary:
Historic Stucco mansion, Stockbridge, MA, ca. 1910, cement/lime based
stucco. Stucco is generally well bonded to back-up material, with some
limited areas delaminated due to moisture infiltration through some of the
many thousands of lineal feet of fine cracks in the stucco surface.
Option 1: Remove all historic fabric and replace with new stucco.
Option 2: Remove only the already failed areas of stucco, treat all surfaces
with breathable elastomeric finish matched to the original materials,
retaining 95% of original fabric and stabilizing it against further
water-related damage, while restoring appearance similar to original
whitewashed finish.
Option 3: Cut out thousands of feet of cracks and patch with _____?
Mike,
A particularly well-framed (especially for a mason-type, as opposed to a
carpenter-type, but then it is a masonry question) scenario, to which the
answer is obvious. Ask the right question, and one has a much better chance
of getting the right answer.
Ralph
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