Alright, Fairfield homeowners, let's chat about stucco. When your home's exterior starts looking a bit worn out, cracked, or just plain old, replacement often crosses your mind. And when it does, you'll inevitably hear about various ways to tackle the project. Today, I want to clear up any confusion between two common methods: the classic three-coat stucco and the newer one-coat system. Having worked with stucco here for years, I've seen both in action, and they definitely have their upsides and downsides, especially considering our hot summers and those occasional wet winters we get in Solano County.
Traditional Three-Coat Stucco: The Old Reliable
This is the classic way of doing things, the method that's been around forever — honestly, it's what many homes in Fairfield were built with. When we talk about three-coat stucco, what we mean is a system applied in distinct layers, usually over a wire lath and a weather-resistive barrier, you know, to keep things dry.
- Scratch Coat: This initial layer gets troweled on and then