Stucco Fence

[glenn kangiser]

Hey Al.   

I did some harling yesterday.  It is the best method to get the stucco to stick to a stucco fence when working in the tight places at least.

We built an armature of 2x4's nailed to  RR ties.  Where there was danger of hitting it with a car we drilled and pinned them to the ground with steel pins.

I didn't have a proper harling tool but made do with the top side of my swimming pool trowel.

[n74tg]

Nice looking work Glenn, but do you REALLY need a computer (pic one) to get this done?

[glenn kangiser]

No - just offered as a suggestion for those not familiar with stucco and how easy it is to make a fairly massive object of any shape, size or configuration for a very reasonable price.

It could be - with some  changes, a woodshed wall, a water tank, a giant mushroom, a shoe, (for a little old lady who has so many children she doesn't know what to do), a hot tub, an amusement park.  The applications are limitless.

Here is a rammed earth wall stuccoed the same as the above will be.  We wanted a hand made rustic look patterned after walls I have seen in Mexico.  The wood armature was made the same dimensions as the rammed earth wall and will have a similar finished look, but will be three times as fast to build.



Linked long ago but here is a fresh one. 

http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/



12 meter long Rattlesnake privacy wall from Flying Concrete above.

Thanks for asking, Tony.  I nearly forgot this due to lack of interest.  I thought someone may like some stucco accessories for their cabin - Big rock - giant frog etc.

[MountainDon]

Zoos use a lot of this technique for the animal enclosures. When we first moved here in '85 we watched the Albuquerque Zoo expansion. It was interesting to see how the rock formations grew from reinforcing steel and chicken wire shapes to concrete covered shapes, then to the final finish coats. It does take some skill, maybe some artistic talent as well, to make them realistic.

[glenn kangiser]

I was impressed with all of the stucco at Disneyland, and interesting that the price of an admission ticket there would be enough to build the above fence.

[mvk]

Glen
Do you mix your own stucco, buy it? If you mix it what's the proportions, materials? Used to do a bit, too hard now, don't have the arm strengh to trowel anymore. I used it tom parge block and sometime brick.  Used portland, sand, lime. Looks like you have felt paper but whats the brown stuff between felt and wire.
Mike

[glenn kangiser]

The Stucco Lath rolls already come with the chicken wire and paper on them -- makes it real easy.  The top paper is glued to the bottom one and has small wires under it to hold the paper backing to the chicken wire so your cement doesn't push the paper away.  You just need to support all of the edges - staple it on with Arrow 1/2 inch or similar staples, or heavier.

For the finish coat we bought some stucco mix and color.  Scratch coat and brown coat we mix 4 sand, 1 plastic cement, 1/2 lime putty - from hydrated lime powder stored in a 55 gallon drum of water - water a few inches over the top - it keeps for years until curing in the stucco where it mixes with CO2 from the air to harden.

I use about a 10" heavy duty drywall joint compound mixer in a 1/2 inch drill and mix in a plastic mortar tub as my preferred method of mixing.  I add a small handful of fibermesh to each batch to add strength.

[mvk]

Ok the stucco lath is familar just don't see much around here and I forgot about it, used to live out your way in late 60's early 70's. Everthing was stucco. I'm also familar with lime putty but plastic cement? Do you buy the finish coat because it is already colored?
Mike

[glenn kangiser]

You can buy colored -- we bought it because the local sand we have has pea gravel in it and too much trouble to screen fine.

The plastic cement is a type of portland cement but is a smoother better consistancy - maybe stickier for stucco.  Both will work OK.

There is also an expanded metal lath that is useful for some things.  Home Depot and Lowes here carry it - others could order it I think. 

Rebar armatures with the wire attached with bailing wire to the underneath side of the rebar could be used for hollow structures.  The stucco is pretty strong- maybe up to a few hundred or more lbs per square foot.  My brother made waterfalls of it.

[TBA]

I nearly forgot this due to lack of interest.  I thought someone may like some stucco accessories for their cabin - Big rock - giant frog etc.

I'd like to see and learn a lot more about stucco, parging, ....... 

[glenn kangiser]

It's not too hard once you get used to it.  For larger amounts you can make or buy a small sprayer - if you have enough air.  I'd like to build an electric Harler to throw it on the wall - I have some ideas for that.

First you get about a 1/4 inch layer into the chicken wire.  I use a mortar hawk to carry stucco from the mix tub.  I like a pool trowel to push it off the board into the wire.  At the bottom I sometimes just tip my hawk and pushe the mortar right into the wire while raising it and moving closer aat the top until all of the stucco is in place.  Higher up I usually use the trowel. 

The first coat is called the scratch coat - after it sets a bit you scratch it to make the next coat stick.  Don't worry if it doesn't look too great now.

Second coat they call the brown coat and it goes over  and smooths out the scratch coat.  I finish it with a wood float to leave it a bit rough but overall still flat.

Third is the color coat. It finishes it off and paint is not necessary.  This will be a few days between coats minimum.  I don't do a lot of it so others can probably add more and better detail.  I get by though.