Stucco & Exterior Walls in Lakewood
Lath is the material that decides how a stucco wall ages. Fernhill Builders specifies self-furred galvanized lath and lists it in every Lakewood scope.
Lath is the material that decides how a stucco wall ages. Galvanized mesh held slightly off the paper lets cement plaster wrap around the wires, which locks the coat to the wall and slows cracking from movement. For a Lakewood house the lath type goes in the scope beside the plaster, so the build can be compared line by line.
Why the lath comes first
Plaster hangs on lath. Self-furred galvanized mesh stands a little away from the paper, so the first coat pushes through and locks around the wires. The zinc coating resists rust where moisture reaches the metal. Mesh that lies flat against the paper can leave gaps in the bond and let cracks run. Fasteners are corrosion resistant and spaced to the code's pattern so the mesh cannot sag between them. Lath is also what a crack is measured against: when it is intact behind the crack, the crack can often be repaired from the surface.
How the other layers support it
Above the lath go a scratch coat pushed into the wires, a brown coat that levels the wall and a finish coat for color and texture. Each layer cures before the next, since plaster put over a coat that has not set tends to craze. Fresh plaster loses moisture quickly under hard sun and dry wind, so on a bright day the work is misted and shaded as needed. The finish coat goes on last and is textured while it is still workable, so the pattern matches across the full wall.
Stucco & Exterior in Lakewood: common questions
Plaster over galvanized lath counts as a noncombustible face, and so do fiber cement boards. The wildfire code asks for builds like these inside mapped fire hazard areas, and whether a Lakewood address sits inside one is something the building department confirms. We list the build we recommend, layer by layer, in the scope.
Choose a patch when the lath is sound and the plaster still bonds to it. Choose the strip when lath has rusted, plaster sounds hollow over a broad area or paper has failed behind it. A sounding survey and a test cut show which condition applies before the scope is written.
Self-furred lath ends at a metal screed above the ground. The screed slot lets water out, and the bare strip below it should stay free of mulch and soil. Plants are trimmed back, and hard surfaces are kept lower than the screed. That keeps the lath from sitting in damp material that would corrode it.
More work we do in Lakewood
Plan your project in Lakewood
Tell us about the house and the stucco & exterior work. We reply about a walk-through and a written scope.