Stucco & Exterior Walls in Arcadia
Cement plaster over metal lath, built in layers and written into the scope. Stucco repair, re-stucco and siding for Arcadia homes from Fernhill Builders.
Cement plaster over galvanized metal lath is the first wall material we price for an Arcadia house, because it stands up to hard sun, dry wind and the odd heavy storm without softening or blistering. Its weak spots are seams, the base and the openings. A San Gabriel Valley home in Los Angeles County gets the same layered build from the sheathing outward, with each layer named in the scope.
Layers behind the finish coat
Water gets past stucco at flashing and cracks, so the paper behind the plaster does the real work. We specify a double layer of weather-resistant barrier, lap it shingle fashion and tie the lath over it with fasteners that reach the framing. The brown coat follows, then the finish, kept damp between coats so it cannot dry too fast in dry wind. Rushing that curing is how hairline cracking starts, so the schedule leaves room for it. The scope names the thickness of each coat, so the layers can be checked on site.
Color and texture that blend
A repair shows against old plaster when the texture or pigment is off. We trowel a test patch on the wall, let it cure and judge it in daylight before touching the rest. Color mixed into the finish coat keeps paint from chipping along the edge of a patch. Where a full wall is redone, we carry the texture past each corner so the join falls at a natural break, and long runs get control joints that guide any future movement.
Stucco & Exterior in Arcadia: common questions
Plaster applied over metal lath on a framed wall counts as noncombustible, and fiber cement lap siding earns the same label. Whether your lot falls under ember rules depends on the building department's map, so we check it first and detail vents and the base to the stricter standard if it applies.
Patch when cracks are fine, the plaster sounds solid under a tap and no stain bleeds from below. Strip to the sheathing when it sounds hollow, stays damp or shows rust at the lath, since the paper behind has failed. We probe a few spots first, then write both options with their layers.
The gap opens where plaster stops above the foundation or runs down into soil. A weep screed set at the right height lets water leave and keeps plaster clear of dirt. We pull soil and mulch back, trim away plaster that has buried the screed, and screen the opening so wind and embers cannot get behind.
Stucco & Exterior in other cities
More work we do in Arcadia
Plan your project in Arcadia
Tell us about the house and the stucco & exterior work. We reply about a walk-through and a written scope.