My house is old so it's time for a face lift and I've decided to add a stacked stone veneer to improve the exterior looks of my home. Currently the exterior is stucco which presents the challenge of getting the stone veneer to adhere to the stucco surface. The two options I've looked at is to add a wire mesh or hardi-backer to the walks and then place the stacked stone over the wire mesh or hardi-backer. My question is do I have a third option of adding the stacked stone over the stucco finish? The wire mesh and hardi-backer both cost about 10 bucks a sheet and since I'm retired living on a fixed income I'd like to know if I have a third option of placing the stone directly over the stucco in order to save money. I want to do the job right so if there is no third option I'll run with option 1 or 2. Thanks

Usually in my area the stucco is plastered on over syrofoam that may be up to two inches thick.
I put stacked stone on the front of my house.
I tore off vynal siding. 30 lb felt and then I nailed expanded metal. I troweled mortor mix over the metal and let dry. Then butter the back of the stone and apply.
The problem with the stucco is it may not be secured enough to the house to support the stone.

quote:

Originally posted by rexles:
Usually in my area the stucco is plastered on over syrofoam that may be up to two inches thick.
I put stacked stone on the front of my house.
I tore off vynal siding. 30 lb felt and then I nailed expanded metal. I troweled mortor mix over the metal and let dry. Then butter the back of the stone and apply.
The problem with the stucco is it may not be secured enough to the house to support the stone.

The stucco is over cinder blocks so I was planning to use screws to secure the wire mesh or hardi-backer to the house. I figure that plus the mortar should be sufficient to keep the stone from falling off. The stacked stone I'm looking at is only about 1.5"-2" thick and comes in 1'x 2' sheets.

Hey, there are a few things to consider, where are you for starters, and are you sure it's just stucco right to cinder block?

This isn't something I'd make a recommendation on without eyes on frankly, and knowing what kind of heat/cold/moisture the system will be exposed to. As well as other trim/soffit elements.

Pictures would be great. Are you doing this yourself?

Our entry has faux stone fascia (El Dorado Stone is the brand) over the concrete filled cinder block wall. The mason who did the work applied the stone directly to the cinder block. He applied mortal to the back of each “stone”, placed it, tapped the face to bed it down, then had his helper follow along behind and clean up any bits of mortar sticking out. On one wall we set three 3’ x 3’ electrical boxes. They ended up being roughly a half inch less deep than the cinder block, so he filled that gap with some sort of mortar and let it dry before applying the “stones”. The stones we used are various shapes, sizes, and thicknesses, and each is an individual stone. It was interesting watching the fascia go on, it was almost like a jigsaw puzzle at times.

I wouldn’t have any concern at all applying your “stones” directly to the cinder blocks. I don’t know enough about stucco to know how well it adheres to the wall though. This might be a question for a mason and/or a stucco guy.

In any case, if going directly on the stucco I’d plan on at least pressure washing the stucco (if not sandblasting and pressure washing it) to make sure you have a good clean surface for the mortar to stick to. That may be overly conservative, but better over than under.

Another question comes to mind: Has your stucco ever been painted or had cracks filled with a paint or caulk-like substance? Seems like the more layers between the cinder blocks and the mortar, the more places for delamination to occur.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
Hey, there are a few things to consider, where are you for starters, and are you sure it's just stucco right to cinder block?

This isn't something I'd make a recommendation on without eyes on frankly, and knowing what kind of heat/cold/moisture the system will be exposed to. As well as other trim/soffit elements.

Pictures would be great. Are you doing this yourself?

I'm 100% certain the stucco was applied directly to the cinder block and is about an inch to a inch and a half think. I live in PA outside of Philadelphia and temperatures can range from the 20's during the winter and upper 90's in the summer. The game plan is for me to do the job myself since I'm good at working with my hands and can't afford to pay a contractor to do the work.

Slosig, Yes the surface of the stucco has been painted over.

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Originally posted by calugo:
Slowing, Yes the surface of the stucco has been painted over.

In that case, I’d either sandblast the paint off or secure something else over it to mortar to.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:
My house is old so it's time for a face lift and I've decided to add a stacked stone veneer to improve the exterior looks of my home. Currently the exterior is stucco which presents the challenge of getting the stone veneer to adhere to the stucco surface. The two options I've looked at is to add a wire mesh or hardi-backer to the walks and then place the stacked stone over the wire mesh or hardi-backer. My question is do I have a third option of adding the stacked stone over the stucco finish? The wire mesh and hardi-backer both cost about 10 bucks a sheet and since I'm retired living on a fixed income I'd like to know if I have a third option of placing the stone directly over the stucco in order to save money. I want to do the job right so if there is no third option I'll run with option 1 or 2. Thanks

Calugo-

I've been looking to do something very similar, however, looking to do the stone over 100 sq ft of brick. I've looked at a product called Litestone, sold at Lowes. It is a manufactured faux stone. Much lighter than cut stone or manufactured stone. According to the product installation guide, it can be applied over stucco. As an aside- I too am right out side of Philly in Chester County.

[/QUOTE/]Calugo-

I've been looking to do something very similar, however, looking to do the stone over 100 sq ft of brick. I've looked at a product called Litestone, sold at Lowes. It is a manufactured faux stone. Much lighter than cut stone or manufactured stone. According to the product installation guide, it can be applied over stucco. As an aside- I too am right out side of Philly in Chester County.[/QUOTE]

Bulldog I'm in Bucks County and thanks for the tip about the Litestone at Lowes. I had looked at this product but not in detail because I liked another product at Floor & Decor better. If I can place the Litestone directly over the stucco that may be my best option. Thanks again

Mike (the mason who did our wall work) didn't answer yesterday, but he did call me back this morning.

IF THE PAINT IS FLAT PAINT (and only if it is flat paint), go to your local mason supply place and buy the best bonder that you can buy. He said it will be about $25 per gallon, but given that you are not in Commiefornia, your prices may be a little lower. Use a paint roller and roll the bonder on over the painted stucco. Once it is dry, put on a 1/4" scratch coat (sand cement mix). Mike said to add 5-6 ounces of bonder per 80-90# sack of mason mix.

If the paint is ACRYLIC, GLOSS, ELASTOMERIC, or anything other than flat, it has to go. He said that a sandblaster is the easiest way, but be careful as it can strip the stucco. When I explained that the stucco was right over cinderblock, he said you can feel free to have at it. If you want to remove the stucco, you can go right onto the cinderblock. The paint has to go though. If chunks of the stucco come out, you may want to use a scratch coat to "float" the surface level/flat before you apply your stone.

If you want to use plastic cement to bond the stone on, use 20-25 shovels of plaster and 1 quart of bonder per back. Also, each 94# sack of cement needs 2 shovels of fire clay to make the stone really stick. If you leave out the fire clay, you'll come home one day and find sections have just popped off.

ETA: The purpose of the scratch coat over flat paint is to provide something to absorb the moisture out of the mud when you stick the stone on. Good luck!

We would attach wire mesh on the area with roofing nails. We would the plaster the area using type S cement. Then use an old broom and scratch the surface. This gives the stone a rough area to attach to.
Wet the wall so its damp. This draws in the cement from spread on the stone.
Holld the stone in your left hand. Spread the mortar evenly and press the stone to the wall. Hold for a minute and let go should stay..
We would start the stucco stone at the top and work our way down the house. This is much a better method than starting at the bottom. Unless you are only going so high.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan:
We would attach wire mesh on the area with roofing nails. We would the plaster the area using type S cement. Then use an old broom and scratch the surface. This gives the stone a rough area to attach to.
Wet the wall so its damp. This draws in the cement from spread on the stone.
Holld the stone in your left hand. Spread the mortar evenly and press the stone to the wall. Hold for a minute and let go should stay..
We would start the stucco stone at the top and work our way down the house. This is much a better method than starting at the bottom. Unless you are only going so high.

Thanks....I will probably go this route since it's probably the easiest method to apply the stone over stucco.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to chime in, everyone's input is much appreciated.