Our stucco siding needs crack repair and some replacement. Our home exterior appears to be brick to the untrained eye. Most replacement needs are low where the stucco was applied over the concrete brick foundation. Small cracks extend vertically throughout the walls. These need treatment to prevent water damage. No contractors in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area will touch the job as they have never seen this type of stucco before nor know how to repair/replace it. The stucco was originally applied over a wood frame home in the 60 - 70's. We have always referred to it as "facia-brick." A neighbor watched the stucco application. He said mortar was applied over lathe, then yellow mortar was applied over. While wet, it was raked vertically, then drawn or stamped down to the first mortar layer to replicate the look of bricks. If anyone knows anything about this process, repair, replacement, please let me know.

 

Welcome to the forums

I have always heard it called 'stuco brick' or simulated brick. I have never applied it but have painted many houses that had this type of stucco. Basically the first coat is regular stucoo with a colored coat of stucco applied while the 1st is still wet then all the 'mortar joints' are cut. Often more color will be added in a random pattern to give it a more realistic look.

I would think the hardest part of repairing the stucco would be getting the color right. Other than that most any stucco man should be capable of doing the work.

If you only have cracks in the stucco what I would do would be to take clear acrylic latex caulk [milky when wet- dries clear] and seal the cracks. Tinted mortar is different than paint colors and would be pretty hard to match especially considering that the 'brick' color fades over time.

BTW I grew up in GR but moved away in the early 70's

 

marksr:

Thanks for the info! I wish a stucco man was interested in doing the work. I believe my husband and I can caulk the small cracks. 3 questions: Does the latex show up as "shiny" on the crack, or does it discolor or collect dirt and turn dark over time? Second, on sections where the stucco needs replacement, since those areas are all at ground level, could we replace with cultured stone? and if so, would we chip or cut out down to the metal lathe and cement the stone in? Would we need a flexible barrier between the cultured stone and the stucco? And third: When you painted stucco brick homes, did the cracks become more pronounced in appearance?
Any other hints you have would be appreciated.
Sue B

 

Most of the stucco brick homes I've painted, I painted the interior or the exterior parts that didn't have the faux brick. If the caulked cracks and other repairs are done decently, they won't show [or barely] if the stucco is painted.

Clear latex caulk has a little bit of a shine but not overly noticable. Since the latex dries more than the G.E. silicone it isn't as bad to collect dirt. The latex goes on milky [but dries clear] and sometimes when it gets wet it will look milky again until it dries.

I'm not sure why you would want to patch brick with stone, wouldn't it look out of place? If your not against painting the brick, I would patch where needed and once painted it should all blend in. You can buy ready mixed stucco at lowes [just add water] Basically you would trowel it on and then take a stick [or whatever] and draw out the bricks. If you go this route use the cheaper white latex caulk for the minor cracks.

 

Thank you.
Regarding replacing stucco with stone, there are so many types of cultured stone available now that could look real nice as a base with the brick stucco above. Since most damage is from ground level to 2-3 foot up (this being where the stucco was applied over the concrete block foundation), replacing the stucco in that area with cultured stone, all around the house, may be easier than repairing it. Some of those sections of stucco have pulled away from the wall. We have a front porch with damaged stucco columns. Replacing those to the roof line with cultured stone could help tie the two different looks together. I'm thinking of using rectangular stones like Ledgestone in a color that complements the yellow stucco. I think we could probably install the cultured brick, but.... we have concerns about removing the old stucco. Do you use a concrete saw to cut through the stucco? How deep do we cut, to the lathe? Do we install a flexible barrier between the two treatments? Any more thoughts?
Sue

 

Since I'm a painter and not a mason I'm not sure if I'm able to give much more competent advice. While the wood portion of your home needs lath [to hold the stucco] the block foundation doesn't so it might not have lath all the way to the ground. If you don't have to contend with lath I would think you could take a saw [masonary blade on skil saw works fine] and score the stucco at least half way through and use a hammer and chisel on the rest. I don't know that you would need flexable barrier between the two - after all the house shouldn't go anywhere.

 

Thanks for your advice. We'll put it to good use.
sue B

 

I'm down in Texas and know exactly what you are talking about regarding stucco brick. My husband used to do this with a stucco contractor in Ohio. When he built our addition and shop he stucco bricked it so it would look like the original brick house. Sadly he has since passed away and Hurricane Ike has damaged it. I know how to cut the brick pattern as he and I did that together. Finding a contractor to repair it though is a nightmare down here.

To cut the brick we used three tools to create the mortar joints. The first one is a handle with three tines and onto each tine a strip of metal banding like used in packing crates is secured. This tool along with a 4 foot level is used to create the horizontal joints. The second tool has 4 tines and is used to cut the verticals 4 bricks at a time. The key is to make sure to cut each row 1/2 off the previous row. Staying level is important with each row so that as you round the wall you get the correct pattern. The final tool is a handle with metal banding on it. This tool is used to individually clean out every single joint down to the brown coat. It's not hard at all compared to actually applying the stucco just very detailed.