The Stucco Goes Up

That is, over the scar where the chimney had been.  It's been awhile since my last post because of all the rain.  Seems strange, that, since we've been in a severe drought for the last five years, but this year is an exception.  Nine inches of rain in January.  The historical average for January here in northern San Diego county is three inches.  And for the last few years we've gotten only about five inches total per year!  So far this year (fall through spring is our "rain" year — spring through fall we get nothing) we've had about fifteen inches (ten inches per year is the historical average).

Anyway, the rain has kept the plastic over the wall where the chimney was, so I've been doing design work, and no stucco, but the rain ended and since then we've had our usual sunny mild weather.  So back to the physical stuff.

First, there was the matter of the gaping hole where the fireplace foundation had been.  I filled that with five bags of hand-mixed concrete.

Then I started on the prep work needed before the stucco could go up:

1) cut off the metal flashing that was around the chimney, using a metal cutting disc on my 4.5" angle grinder,

2) ground a bevel on the old stucco that surrounded the chimney, so the new stucco could bond and blend in with the old (I again used my angle grinder, but with a diamond masonry grinding wheel),

3) applied two layers of roofing felt over the plywood,

4) fastened a metal channel to the bottom of the wall, to define the bottom of the stucco and enable drainage of any water that happened to get behind the stucco, and

5) applied two layers of wire mesh to hold the stucco to the wall (using furring nails and staples).

Looked like this:

Here's a photo of the scratch (first) coat of stucco, and there's a section that has the second coat on.  They call it the scratch coat because it's "scratched" to enhance the physical bond with the second coat.  There is a special tool to create rectangular grooves in the wet stucco (wait too long and you get pretty much no depression at all). 

And here's the photo of the stucco up (still wet), with my signature "rustic" texture.  Typically, a third thin, colored finish coat would go on next, but I opt instead to apply two coats of a special elastomeric (flexible) stucco paint that bridges any cracks that may develop, and provides enhanced waterproofing.  It makes getting a uniform color easy, especially since the stucco has been going on piecemeal over a period of years.  That special paint can't go on until the stucco has cured for at least 30 days. 

I was going to build the waterbed base next, but the bamboo flooring for the hallway is stored in the bedroom, so I may tear up the ceramic tile off the hall floor, and put the bamboo down next.  But that's a very dusty proposition.  We shall see.