Why won't my new stucco won't adhere to exterior?
Q. We just bought an old home that was totally remodeled. One of the upgrades was a new color coat on the stucco walls around the house. The sellers and their agent assured us the new stucco finish would last for many years, but that's not what's happening. Since moving in, we've noticed the stucco is coming loose in places, revealing the old painted surface. We tried picking at the exposed edges and the new stucco coat just peeled right off. How can this happen to new stucco, and what can be done about it?
A. A new coat of stucco can give an old stucco house a much younger appearance, and it should last for many years when properly applied. That's the key - proper application. Unfortunately, whoever installed the new stucco on your home took a money-saving shortcut: they neglected to remove the old paint.
Cement-based materials such as stucco adhere best when applied directly over cement-based materials. When stucco is applied directly over paint, adhesion is compromised, resulting sooner or later in chipping and peeling. Before the new stucco coat was applied to your home, the walls should have been properly prepared. The paint could have been removed by sandblasting, or a special primer could have been applied to the paint. Failure to do either of these is a sign of substandard workmanship.
When stucco is applied to paint, the result is ongoing delamination in various places, requiring periodic patching to maintain a presentable appearance. The only permanent remedy is total removal of the new stucco. Unfortunately, total removal is difficult to achieve and too costly to be practical.
The sellers and agent should be notified that they provided faulty disclosure about the new stucco, and the person who applied the material should be aware of the resultant problems. When you eventually sell the home, full disclosure of this condition should be made to buyers.
Q. My home is new, so I shouldn't be having problems, but there are already drainage issues with the roof-deck above the garage. This deck is hot-mopped roofing that is covered with redwood slats. After the recent storms, I noticed about an inch of standing water below the wood decking. The builder says this is not a problem, that the deck was built to code and was approved by the inspector. This doesn't seem right to me. I think there should be enough slope to provide total drainage. Which of us is right, the builder or me?
A. If your deck is part of the garage roof, then your complaint is legitimate. According to code, a roof should be sloped at least one-quarter inch per foot for drainage purposes, a requirement that was apparently overlooked during construction. Standing water on a flat roof may not cause leaking this year or the next. But asphalt roofing does not remain waterproof forever. As aging and wear occur, eventual leakage is inevitable, regardless of the current condition of the roofing.
Furthermore, prolonged moisture contact with the wood decking can lead to fungus infection, leading to rot. To eliminate standing water on the roof, the framing should be modified to provide adequate slope for drainage, or a roof drain should be installed at the low point. The cost for these repairs may not be profitable for the builder, but the builder should accept this as the cost of doing it right the second time.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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