How to Repair Cracked Foundation Stucco | Ask This Old House

In this video, cracked stucco is a common problem, and in most cases, easy to solve. Mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner tackle stucco problems, creating a seamless finish.

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Stucco looks great and provides a protective barrier for masonry surfaces. However, improperly applied, it will pop off and expose the material it’s designed to hide. When a homeowner started noticing his foundation stucco cracking, he called mason Mark McCullough for help.

Where to find it?
For Mark’s stucco mix, he used:
Portland type II cement [https://homedepot.sjv.io/1rEq0d]
Lime [https://homedepot.sjv.io/RGmOyX]
Sand [https://homedepot.sjv.io/R5arBN]
But for a homeowner’s smaller project, Mark recommends a pre-mixed stucco bag [https://homedepot.sjv.io/yq9eRN]. Use a mortar tub [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXrLbM] to mix the ingredients together.
Mark removed any loose stucco with a brick hammer [https://homedepot.sjv.io/MAyDXM]. Then they took a 20-grit rub brick [https://homedepot.sjv.io/7aoGmY] to smooth down the face of the foundation.
Using a multi-purpose lawn and garden pump sprayer [https://homedepot.sjv.io/q4Mrzg], a masonry admix and bonding agent [https://homedepot.sjv.io/XmrGqg] was sprayed onto the foundation before the stucco mix was added. A masonry brush [https://homedepot.sjv.io/bayBAv] was used to spread out the glue.
To spread the stucco mix, steel trowels were used. For this small work area, they used a 12”x4” finishing trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/XmOLYG] and an 8”x3” finishing trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zxreN0]. And a London brick trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/R5WxG9] was used to pick up the mix and add it to the finishing trowels. Mark also used a margin trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/PynBXq] to shape the corner of the foundation.
To match the consistency of the existing stucco, a few different tools can be used with a bucket of water. A fine rubber float [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Oe49rZ] or a foam hand float [https://homedepot.sjv.io/7aoGX5] could work. But Mark finds that a normal multi-purpose sponge [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Qj4NY6] can usually get the job done.
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Materials
Bonding agent [https://homedepot.sjv.io/XmrGqg]
Portland cement [https://homedepot.sjv.io/1rEq0d]
Lime [https://homedepot.sjv.io/RGmOyX]
Sand [https://homedepot.sjv.io/R5arBN]
Premixed stucco [https://homedepot.sjv.io/yq9eRN]

Tools
Shovel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/MmW4Bq]
Chipping hammer [https://homedepot.sjv.io/MAyDXM]
Masonry rubbing tool [https://homedepot.sjv.io/7aoGmY]
Garden hose [https://homedepot.sjv.io/JK4zQN]
12x4 Finishing trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/XmOLYG]
8x3 Finishing trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zxreN0]
Brick trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/R5WxG9]
Margin trowel [https://homedepot.sjv.io/PynBXq]
Masonry brush [https://homedepot.sjv.io/bayBAv]
Masonry tub [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXrLbM]
Pump sprayer [https://homedepot.sjv.io/q4Mrzg]
Sponge float [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Oe49rZ]
Rubber float [https://homedepot.sjv.io/7aoGX5]
Bucket [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Qj4NY6]

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How to Repair Cracked Foundation Stucco | Ask This Old House
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