Examples of Egyptian, Minoan, and Etruscan stucco reliefs remain extant. Stucco relief was used in the architectural decoration schemes of many ancient cultures. Stucco has also been used as a sculptural and artistic material. īaroque stucco decorations of the main nave of the Jasna Góra Monastery basilica, 1693–1695 Stucco exterior (with wood frame interior) became a popular alternative in the southwestern United States during the 1970s, as the masonry labor costs for adobe rose. In some parts of the United States with a warmer climate (like California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida), stucco is the predominant exterior for both residential and commercial construction. At the beginning of the 21st century, this "traditional" method of wire mesh lath and three coats of exterior plaster was still widely used. Galvanizing the wire made it corrosion resistant and suitable for exterior wall applications. In exterior wall applications, the lath is installed over a weather-resistant asphalt- impregnated felt or paper sheet that protects the framing from the moisture that can pass through the porous stucco.įollowing World War II, the introduction of metal wire mesh, or netting, replaced the use of wood lath. This lath and plaster technique became widely used. Originally, the lath material was strips of wood installed horizontally on the wall, with spaces between, that would support the wet plaster until it cured. The finish coat can be troweled smooth, hand-textured, floated to a sand finish or sprayed. The two base coats of plaster are either hand-applied or machine sprayed. The traditional application of stucco and lath occurs in three coats-the scratch coat, the brown coat and the finish coat. The lath added support for the wet plaster and tensile strength to the brittle, cured stucco while the increased thickness and number of layers helped control cracking. Then with the introduction and development of heavy timber and light wood-framed construction methods, stucco was adapted for this new use by adding a reinforcement lattice, or lath, attached to and spanning between the structural supports and by increasing the thickness and number of layers of the total system. The finish coat usually contained an integral color and was typically textured for appearance. It was traditionally used as both an interior and exterior finish applied in one or two thin layers directly over a solid masonry, brick, or stone surface. Other materials such as stone and glass chips are sometimes "dashed" onto the finish coat before drying, with the finished product commonly known as "rock dash", "pebble dash", or also as roughcast if the stones are incorporated directly into the stucco, used mainly from the early 20th through the early 21st centuries.Īs a building material, stucco is a durable, attractive, and weather-resistant wall covering. Today's stucco manufacturers offer a very wide range of colors that can be mixed integrally in the finish coat. Typically its color was gray, from the innate color of most Portland cement, but white Portland cement is also used. Portland cement stucco is very hard and brittle and can easily crack if the base on which it is applied is not stable. Lime stucco has the property of being self-healing to a limited degree because of the slight water solubility of lime (which in solution can be deposited in cracks, where it solidifies). The lime itself is usually white color comes from the aggregate or any added pigments. Lime stucco is a relatively hard material that can be broken or chipped by hand without too much difficulty. This is usually done with what is considered a one-coat stucco system, as opposed to the traditional three-coat method. Sometimes additives such as acrylics and glass fibers are added to improve the structural properties of the stucco. Lime is added to increase the permeability and workability of modern stucco. Modern stucco is made of Portland cement, sand, and water. Traditional stucco is made of lime, sand, and water. At the same time, traditional lime plasters were being replaced by gypsum plaster. In the latter nineteenth century, Portland cement was added with increasing frequency in an attempt to improve the durability of stucco. Animal or plant fibers were often added for additional strength. Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, it was common that plaster, which was used inside a building, and stucco, which was used outside, would consist of the same primary materials: lime and sand (which are also used in mortar). The difference in nomenclature between stucco, plaster, and mortar is based more on use than composition. The basic composition of stucco is cement, water, and sand. The chips of quartz, stone, and colored glass measure approx. Rock dash stucco used as an exterior coating on a house on Canada's west coast.
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