Repairing Stucco Cracks, Why New Stucco Walls Crack
Hello everyone, here’s a bit more information to my most asked question, hairline cracking and repairing stucco cracks,
Mainly it’s due to settling foundations, high winds and especially rain which causes the ground to expand and then shrink with months or just days of rain, installing new roofs,
opening and closing doors, especially the big beautiful solid oak or similar ones (vibrations) traffic driving to and from again ground movement which can’t be seen or felt, even furniture being moved around inside the home.
Glass, concrete and stucco usually don’t flex much, they instead shatter or crack with all movement and or vibrations.
A seismic engineer can determine by researching an existing foundation that an existing wood home can handle the extra weight of new stucco, however no amount of competent engineers or other top specialist can say for certain that a home where new stucco was applied won’t harmlessly hairline.
Also note the concrete was beat up in some areas that we had to watch where we walked again, above normal ground movement.
These reasons are just the main ones, they just touch the surface of why stucco cracks.
Lastly this home was built in California and on the hayward fault line, I didn’t wish to say this in the video as some ignorant person may think it’s an excuse instead of a simple fact.
There you have it folks you can go by the book and even beyond as we did and still get some hairline cracking in a new stucco job.
Kirk Giordano Plastering Inc.
http://www.StuccoPlastering.com
Repairing Stucco Cracks, Why New Stucco Walls Crack
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how to repair stucco, Fixing Hairline Stucco Cracks, Repairing Stucco Cracks, Why New Stucco Walls Crack, Common Reasons Some Stucco Homes Hairline or Crack
Plastic expansion joints On the four corners of the window. from the top corners to the soffit and to the ground for the lower window corners.
My take. If you think the whole of the east bay is built on unstable strata – take precautions. Control for the inevitable cracking near the Windows.
Love this channel.
Good Afternoon Paul dude, had I know this home was built on the fault line and had two layers of different substrates, I would have placed an expansion joint on this long wall.
It may have helped, however I have seen many jobs with lots of expansion joints with many cracks anyhow, you just never know how the ground will move.
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My civil engineering professor in college said that there is only two kinds of concrete. 1) cracked concrete and 2) concrete that is going to crack. Same should apply to all cement surfaces.
Good Afternoon Glen, I like your style, that is a great line, I will have to use it.
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Another variation, Guarantees of Concrete: 1) It will crack 2) No one will steal it 3) It's heavy
You already know how much experience you have and we can see your experience. May I suggest that you stop reminding us of it soooooo many times throughout each and every video that you make. I love watching and learning from you, but it is tiring listening to how great you are. It is a classic sign of an insecure person and you shouldn’t be.
Good Afternoon Jamie dude, sorry, I exploded
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Don’t watch his videos if you don’t want to hear how great he is.
Kirk Giordano plastering Inc. thanks, just want to say Im a big DIY’er and have watched so many of your videos and started tackling a 60ft cinder Block Wall plastering and so far it’s looking good thanks to you. Keep up the amazing work and professionalism.
Good afternoon David dude, atta boy, give him hell
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Kirk,I've been a plumber for going on 30 years,keep reminding the viewers of that fact because as you often say,some things just cannot be taught but must be experienced through trial& error.Your trade is extremely nuanced,particularly with the amount of varied materials available.I particularly like the fact you use sound& feel to accomplish your finish product,a true master craftsman& unfortunately a disappearing breed
Good Afternoon Moon Dude, you my friend have some time in.
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Why people fight with color finish when you can just paint over it?
Good Afternoon Chris, color coats are maintenance free for hundreds of years, paint jobs last about 10 to 12 years.
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How could you make any money if u have to keep going back over your jobs i know u never got paid for that
Good Morning Boner dude, when I accepted this plastering job, I didn't realize two huge factors, first the home was on the Hayward fault line, and second, over the years a handy person attached a second wood substrate over the original wood siding, very poorly indeed.
It didn't help the neighbor built a second story addition next door either,
FYI, with stucco the slightest movement and or vibrations causes hairline cracks, this does not affect the integrity of the waterproofing membrane, however, most folk panic as they have no clue why this happens it’s simply home movement, vibrations in stucco walls are sort like Kryptonite to Superman, not good.
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Well explained Kirk. I work in the paint & dec of int and ext substrate industry and come across problems like this all the time. Most structures tend to move from time to time and cement expand in summer and contracts in winter therefore unless you live in dream land hair cracks eventually will appear indeed. There's nothing else to be done but periodic remedial beauty repair. Unfortunately we dont live in a perfect world Joe B. Good on you Kirk for being a prompt professional by going back to re mediate the issue and showing the viewers the ugly reality of substrate movement 🙂 Love your work man!!
what a gold mine
Good morning Cold Springs dude, my friend you have a great way with words, thank you
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Certainly get lots of practice with stucco just because!
Howdy Coldwater dude, exzackory
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Im an auto body man,I repair rusted cars,I tell the customer I will replace all rusted metal with new sheet metal,but I can't guarantee, that rust won't come back 1 or few years later.Can never guarantee rust, their is areas in a car you can't get to.So do what you can and move on.
Howdy Filiberto Dude, they say rust happens.
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Mastering Plastering for the beginner’s
Kirk: I like your videos
Howdy Emma Lopez, thank you
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Mastering Plastering for the beginner’s
Seems the stucco business is a job secure business.
I'll stick with cement board siding
Howdy Stew Dude, it's afree world.
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Mastering Plastering for the beginner’s
Thanks for you video
Howdy Nino, no worries.
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Plastering tips from your favorite stucco geeks
Kirk Giordano plastering Inc. i looking for a job I live in LA. Let me know if you know of someone
Kirk, terrific how to video and my home isn't even stucco. I learned about EIFS maybe a year after moving in. 16 years later I have a few hairline cracks 6-8 " long. Can I cover an EIFS crack with a good caulk? I know it's not stucco.
Howdy Larry, of course, you can as long as you have the correct color to paint afterward,
A good caulking for stucco cracks is Mor-flexx as it has the right sand.
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Sound advice From your neighborhood stucco geeks
So here's a question. And btw love your vids.
How is it that you don't see any cracks like that inside the house,yet they so easily made on the outside?
It seems that we are all missing some other key element in these hairline fractures.
Another contributing factor that can be negated before hand.
Howdy Yoav, the interior had sheetrock,
this exterior had too many issues to mention in this box.
Read the description for details.
best wishes,
Sound advice for plastering repairs from your favorite stucco geek
You can have cracks inside too. My 42 year old house had a crack in the sheetrock by the door going into the bath in the master bedroom from settling. It was caused by a water leak that caused a major fail in leading to replacing the floor boards and still it was a small crack. Sheetrock doesn't crack very easy so if you have a crack in your sheetrock best be looking for a major foundation problem. Water can be so destructive and is why it is so important to keep it out.
Quick question Kirk. Do you charge the customer to come back and repair the cracks?
Good morning Grey, no never have in over 30 years, this would be adding insult to injury.
best wishes,
Sound advice for plastering issues from your favorite stucco geeks
LLLLLLLLOOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!!…………………….
Greetings Eric, lou's out for awhlie, brooke his foot.
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Hey Kirk why did you wet the wall first before applying the color coat ? Thanks In advance
This helps keep a live or wet edge to the product you're about to apply and increases open time and workability by cooling the surface and reducing the suction of the substrate.
Howdy Gary Dude, couldn't have said it better myself, thank you.
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Plastering and repair tips for your number one investment
What is the substrate here? That can make all the difference to whether it cracks or not. Is it some type of thin board, polystyrene or airated lightweight concrete panel? (AAC).
Evening Doug dude, you are well educated in this field.
It was triple shiplap siding, covered by t 1 eleven by a crew with no clue.
I too was sort of shocked when I realized this, this set a new rule for me as to uncover as much as possible before accepting such projects.
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Thank you for the teaching time Mr. Kirk's
Evening Hector Dude, no worries our pleasure.
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Kirk Giordano plastering tips-mixed with sound advice
Mr. Giordano – I send myself to school every night here on YouTube, learning as much as I can about the industry I am in. I find myself being drawn to YOUR videos more than any other. They are spot on and you address issues that are particularly relevant and pointed. I don't think there is another "teacher" out there that is better!
For repairing color stucco cracks, there is a product called eXact Color Caulk by Sashco – it has the same properties of Big Stretch (which is an amazing and resilient caulk).
We get out a test board and pigment (latex craft paint will do fine) and get a color match using a hairdryer – we dry the mixed sample until it matches exactly with the stucco color.
After we get the match, we mix a larger amount and add it to the caulk with some fine aggregate.
If you get the color match right, you can make the crack virtually invisible – this will largely depend on the aggregate match, of course, because as you know, texture match is as important as a color match.
Howdy Hybrid, thank you, my friend, I will try eXact Color Caulk by Sashco, thanks for the tip.
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Thanks for letting me know about this and God bless you and your.
Howdy Jerry, no worries.
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Do you charge for return work, such as this, if you've already explained that it was a possibility?
Howdy KB, no as I didnt know the home had two substrates or that it was located on the faultline.
Had I know this I would have declined the job as I'm old enough to know if I had said this it would have mattered little, and I would have still been called back.
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What sealant do you use for the caulking?
I have a home that has hairline fractures all around and I want to apply the same paint that you’re using on this house instead of painting over it. Which sealant do I use for the caulking?
Greetings Felipe, I'd recommend Mor-Flexx as it has sand in it, just like stucco.
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So this caulking you recommend, the color coat will stick to it and not flake off and does the color code Flash because of the difference and suction then the wall has
El stucco todo el tiempo se crakea
Greetings Martin, thank you
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Man I love your videos so awesome been committed to doing good work I've been using a stucco guy for many years recently his work in quality has declined.
The surface of the existing house was a knock down texture and the new owner wanted to transform it back into a sand finish I suggested to him that we should sandblasted prior to doing any work and he told me that was necessary step unfortunately when he decided to proceed without supervision this guys there were a lot of areas were flashing was evident and on even trowel marks the most disturbing.. Was the raised hairline texture that wasn't cracked was risen from the bulk of the stucco work…. I guess it's true what they say can't teach an old dog new tricks you gotta get a new dog that likes to do tricks
Greetings Tyrone, its a fact some guys get old and tired, thus that dont work well or supervise well, I'll retire before this eventuality happens to me.
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I'm Not a Plastering Contractor I Do Waaaay More Brick & Stonework But that Looks Like Shrinkage. In Regular Mortar the Color Always Says Not to Use More than 10% Color to Mortar Ratio.
Greetings John, read my above comment, for the facts.
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Decades Back I Was a Painter Working on a 3500 sq ft Carriage House. There was an Exterior Sided Wall Fastened Via Furring Strips on Concrete Block. Anyhow that Sided Wall was 80' with No Expansion Joint. When the Sun Hit that Side you Could Hear the Siding Pop as it Expanded. Here in Illinois Our Frost Line is 42". There's Quite a Bit of Frost Heaving. I Got Into Masonry Work Partly Because of the Permanance. The More I Work with Stone the More I Prefer it Over Brickwork. I've Done a Lot of Genuine Stucco Repairs. By No Means Am I an Expert. But it Still Looks Like That Stucco Shrank to My Stone Mason's Eye.. I'm Happy Doing Stonework that'll Be Around for Generations Here in Northern Illinois where the Ground Is "Stable" & We Only Have to Worry About Frost Heaving Buildings Freezing Solid 40"+ Down.
Cracks happen also when the cement dries out too quick not always necessarily the movement
Greetings S B, I find that when color finishes dry to fast they dont adhere well, bleed and are varied in color, cracking? spidery, just a bit.
This kind of cracking is movement, I found out this was on the Hayward fault line plus it had two substrates, I didn't realize this when I excepted this project.
Get plastered like stucco
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I’d be willing to bet a million bucks that the homeowner didn’t keep wetting it down like he was told to
Morning Nick, it's a possibility, however most would as it benefits them.
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Does the color coat need a bonding agent after a few years to recoat like you did? Good vid!
Morning Trashdigger, no, another coat can be applied over it.
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Never understood why would the color of stucco matter when exterior paint will cover the new stucco.
Morning Oldtimer, colored stucco never needs painting.
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I have read that small cracks in concrete heal automatically, through the process of autogenous healing. That process occurs when free lime in the cement binder is dissolved by the ingress of water and which is converted into limestone (calcium carbonate) on reaction with carbon dioxide in the air.
I guess that larger cracks are fixed by autodial healing, where the home owner calls in the contractor to fix his "bad" work.
Morning John, yes, with lime plastering cracks are self-healing. Unfortunately, most cement plaster is made with portland cement plaster here in the US.
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Like everything else blame it on the framer.
Morning Love, exzackory
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Nice demo and explanation Kirk Thanks for sharing
Great hair.
perhaps maybe few control joint .??
I still believe that EIFS system goes far longer with out cracks in time .
Then if you embedding fiber glass mesh reinforcement mesh . In between 1st and 2nd coat . That’s the way to go .
I am really glad I found your videos. I just moved into a new house in California and there are about a dozen hairline cracks in the stucco, some of them quite long. I thought, what the hell is up with that. But after seeing your videos it gives me a lot of comfort to know that it is quite common and normal. There probably is some earth settling going on and yes a lot of construction traffic since they are building new homes around us still. I still plan on bringing it up with the builder but now that I have seen your videos I will go a lot gentler on them. I will most likely expect them to fix them but also understand they can come back. Thanks again for making these, it helps me to understand much better what to expect. I don't often subscribe but in this case I did subscribe to your videos.
Like I say In ohio we go from -43 to 100 degrees on the lake with wind driven rain ice snow and tons of movement… if it ain't god made it will have issuses
So stucco is the most expensive exterior finish but also has the most susceptibility to damage and repair costs….
Really good information and instructions. Thank you.
No worries, my friend,
Kirk Giordano Plastering
I just moved to California and now own my first stucco home. I just had the front door replaced and moved over a foot and the stucco on the exterior had to be redone. It's now six days later and there are five hairline cracks. I see other cracks around the house as well that were already around the house. They were filled with a similar type of filler in this video. It looks terrible. The filler changes the texture and makes the area "shine" under the paint and it looks just as bad if not worse than the cracks themselves. I will NEVER buy a stucco home ever again. So much maintenance and work and yet still so fragile.
Your videos are very informative and helpful. I have several hairline cracks in my stucco which I thought were repaired 18 months ago. I am now seeing mold where the cracks were. Confused on what to do. I have had 3 different stucco specialist give me 3 different ways to fix/repair. I really not sure what needs to be done. I live in Louisiana so humidity could be a factor along with setting. Would love some advice. Thanks
Thanks for sharing you knowledge Kirk!!
Kirk is a black belt in stucco!
@Kirk Giordano plastering Inc. I love your videos. I've watched hours of them, and I haven't even started stuccoing my house yet. But it is fun to watch the master!
David Due, I like your style, thank you.
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