Stucco

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Stucco is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water which is applied wet, and hardens when it dries. Also used in sidings, it is used as a coating for walls and ceilings and for decoration. In Europe the term render is more commonly used. Stucco may be used to cover less visually appealing construction materials such as concrete blocks, steel, or adobe.

Stucco from the House of Borujerdi-ha, 1850s, Kashan, Iran.

1 Composition
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Composition

The difference in nomenclature between stucco, plaster, and mortar is based more on use than composition. Until the later part of the nineteenth century, it was common to have plaster, which was used inside the building, and stucco, which was used outside the building, consist of the same primary materials: lime and sand (lime and sand are also used in mortar). Animal or plant fibers were often added for additional tensile strength. In the later part of the nineteenth century, Portland cement was added with increasing frequency in an attempt to improve its durability. At the same time, traditional lime plasters were being replaced by gypsum plaster.

Traditional stucco is made of lime, sand, and water. Modern stucco is made of Portland cement and water. Lime is often added to increase the permeability and workability of modern stucco. Sometimes additives such as acrylics and glass fibers are added to improve the structural properties of the plaster as well as its workability. This is usually done with what is considered a "one coat" stucco system—as opposed to the traditional 3 coat method.

Lime stucco is a relatively hard material that can be broken or chipped by hand without too much difficulty. The lime itself is usually white; color comes from the aggregate or any added pigments. Lime stucco has the property of being self-healing to a limited degree due to the slight solubility of lime (lime in solution can be deposited in cracks where it later solidifies). Portland cement stucco is very hard and brittle and can easily crack if the base on which it is applied is not stable. Typically its color was gray due to the innate color of most Portland cement (white Portland cement is also used). Today's stucco manufacturers offer a very wide range of colors that can be mixed integrally in the finish coat.

[edit] Traditional stucco

Traditionally stucco is directly applied to a masonry surface such as brick or stone. In wood-framed buildings, stucco was applied over a wood lath, similar to the lath and plaster technique used on the interiors of buildings. Modern stucco is usually applied over an expanded metal lath that is fastened to the wall sheathing with staples, with a 2 layer moisture barrier in between.

Stucco has also been used as a sculptural and artistic material. Baroque and Rococo architecture makes heavy use of stucco. Examples can be found in churches and palaces, where stucco is mostly used to provide a smooth, decorative transition from walls to ceiling, decorating and giving measure to ceiling surfaces. Stucco is an integral part of the art of belcomposto, the baroque concept that smoothly integrates the three classic arts, architecture, sculpture, and painting.

Since stucco can be used for decorative purposes as well as for figurative representation, it provides an ideal transitive link from architectural details to wall paintings such as the typically baroque trompe l'oeil ceilings, as in the work of the Wessobrunner School. Here, the real architecture of the church is visually extended into a heavenly architecture with a depiction of Christ, the Virgin Mary or the Last Judgment at the center. Stucco is being used to form a semi-plastic extension of the real architecture that merges into the painted architecture.

Islamic art makes use of stucco as a decorative means in mosques and palaces. Indian architecture knows stucco as a material for sculpture in an architectural context.

Due to its "aristocratic" look, baroque looking stucco decoration was used frequently in upper-class apartments of the 19th and early 20th century.

It was also employed in the 1950's in pre-molded forms for decorating the joins between walls and ceilings inside houses. It was generally painted the same colour as the ceiling and used in designs where a picture rail or rat rail was in use.

Image:Stucco wall.jpg

[edit] Modern stucco

Modern Stucco usually consists of 1 layer of wire lath and 3 layers of portland cement-based plaster. This is due to its rapid strength development and durability. However, cement's crystalline structure cannot accommodate significant movements in the building structure (as lime does) and is thus prone to cracking.

First a wire mesh is attached to vapor permeable, water-resistant "tar" paper if stucco is being applied to a timber or light-gauge steel frame strucure. The paper protects the sheathing and interior of the wall from outside moisture intrusion without trapping moisture vapor in the wall. A wide variety of accessories such as weep screeds, control and expansion joints, corner-aids, and architectural revels are sometimes also incorported into the lath. Wire lath is used to give the plaster something to attach to and may be expanded-metal lath, woven-wire lath, or welded-wire lath. In Europe, wire lathing with fired clay an integral "brick-mesh" is used in many applications instead of expanded metal lathing.

The first layer of plaster is called a scratch coat, consisting of cement and sand. A "comb" is used to scratch the surface horizontally or in a criss cross pattern to provide a key for the second layer. In the United States, the "comb" is commonly refered to as the "scratcher".

The next layer is called the brown coat or leveling coat. It also consists of cement and sand. It is leveled with tools called "Darbys" and "Rods", scraped smooth, and floated to provide a nice even surface onto which to apply the color coat.

The final layer is called the color coat or finish coat, and is typically 3mm (1/8") thick. This finish coat can be textured or smooth, and many different effects can be achieved depending on application technique and materials used. Expert plasterers can give the finish coat an almost glossy finish ready for paint or wallpaper. Some common materials used for finish coats are: Portland cement and lime (traditional stucco); acrylic finishes, and calcium carbonate finishes with crushed marble (Marmalrino).