Waterproofing Archives - Quality Stucco Remediation, Siding, Stone, Painting & Basement Waterproofing Services

Avoid stucco, siding & stone problems, new construction window installation.

Jonathan Muñoz — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 02:11:00 +0000

We often perform stucco removals due to water and moisture damage, in this post I would like to take some time to show you how we perform new construction window installation. How to Install new construction windows properly by Rene Munoz Plastering LLC. We’ve already talked about the eight reasons why stucco and stone fail and we’ve already mention that the main reason why stucco, siding and stone installations fail is because a wrong window installation. We recently had the opportunity to do an stone front located at NY, when we arrived to the site job, the first thing we did was to check the installation of the windows, we normally do this because we know that no matter how good our waterproofing system is, no matter if in this case the builder of this particular building is using the Zip system as their sheathing system of choice, we still need to make sure that the windows are properly installed, this will guaranty that the entire system will work as it should from inside to outside. Wrong window installation is the main reason why stucco, stone and siding fail. Never underestimate the sneaky damage power of water and moisture in a wooden structure, in this particular case we choose to go with what is called a partial adhered new construction window installation. We hope that this video series will give you a better understanding on how to install a window, the materials we use and why. How to install a flanged (new construction window) part I For the full video series visit our How to perform a window installation play list, we hope the videos are helpful to you. List of materials you will need to perform this task. If you would like to add an extra layer of water protection to the system I will suggest you to go with Fortifiber’s Super Jumbo Tex as your second layer of water protection. DuPont Tyvek home wrap as your first layer of water protection. DuPont Tyvek sheathing tape to seal all the joints between the paper. DuPont 9″ FlexWrap to create a sill pan for the window, this tape is very important since is the one that will seal the lower corners and protects the window sill. We have chosen the 9″ because of the protection, the bigger the tape the better at wrapping both the window sill (framing) and the paper. DuPont 4″ flashing tape to install over the window flanges. ( remember, this tape goes on the left, right and top) Drip cap flashing (Z flashing) this will be installed over the window head casing. OSI Quad max Sealant to seal the joint between the window flange and the structure OSI Quad foam window and door foam sealant to air and water seal the joint between the window side jamb (framing) and the window. 1/8″ horse shoe shims to create a gap/space between the window and the window sill (framing). 3/8″ staples to fasten the water resistant barrier ( paper) to the wood sheathing. 2″ Electro-galvanized roofing nail to nail the windows in place. List of tools you will need to perform this task. Stapler ( hammer tacker) to install the water resistant barrier ( building paper). Utility knife to cut the paper, the sheathing tape and the self adhesive membrane. Hammer to clean the window rough opening if necessary and to nail the window in place. Metal lath straight cut aluminum snips to cut the drip cap flashing. Level to assure that the window is been installed plum and level. Rubber roller to make sure that the self adhesive tape will stick to either the substrate,window flange and paper, see if you can find a 4″. We always are looking to improve , pls let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. Good luck with your project!!

The post Avoid stucco, siding & stone problems, new construction window installation. appeared first on Quality Stucco Remediation, Siding, Stone, Painting & Basement Waterproofing Services.

Rainscreen drainage mat to help with moisture problems.

Jonathan Muñoz — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 18:27:00 +0000

The importance of a drainage mat in a 3 coat stucco and veneer stone system has been underestimated, when water leaks occur in a wooden structure mold and wood decay start to develop because of the lack of air flow through the wall. Create an air gap with a Rainscreen drainage mat. Construction technology has change throughout the years, the need for a more energy efficient home has made the construction industry close every possible gap within the home making the structure very air tight, while keeping an air tight structure sounds very appealing specially to the wallet, unfortunately as we increase the energy efficiency of the structure by using more air barriers, more insulation, energy efficient windows and doors we are reducing the amount of air that flow through the walls. Throughout my carrier I have seen many builders and architects trying to increase the R-value of the structures paying attention to the interior elements of the system but totally forgetting about the exterior, is very important not forget the exterior which is the side of the wall that will be constantly expose to the elements and therefore the one that needs a proper Water and Air management to guaranty the longevity and the reliability of the structure to withstand decades of use and not only a few years. When designing a wall system is very important to pay extra attention to every element of the wall, such wood framing, wood sheathing, water resistant barriers, insulations but most importantly what kind of exterior cladding will be use, every exterior cladding has its own different needs to make sure that it will work as intended with the wood structure and not against the wood structure. Rainscreens are designed to create a gap between the wood structure and the exterior cladding So, why some sort of rainscreen or air gap between the wall and the cladding is so important? No matter if the home is not insulated, improperly insulated or the walls are well insulated, the amount of water that the wall is exposed will not change. Walls that are well insulated reduce the amount of air through the structure this also reduce the drying time of the wall, the less air the longer the wall will take to dry, the longer the wall take to dry the risk of moisture problem increases, that’s when a rainscreen mat comes into place… With Stucco and stone been a cementitious claddings a rainscreen helps not only to protect the water resistant barrier to get in touch with the cement specially when using tyveck stucco or home wrap as your one and only water resistant barrier , it also creates a gap between the water resistant barrier (the layer that is protecting your house from the elements) and the actual exterior cladding ( the facade). The 3d designed entangled net mat eliminates incidental moisture problems by allowing the water to drain and dry faster and most importantly allowing the air to flow more efficiently between the cladding and the wood structure preventing any wood decay and water resistant deterioration. Rainscreen mat in a 3 coats stucco system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXlumvJFjps When performing new stucco installations or stucco remediations at Rene Munoz Plastering as part of our 3 coat stucco system, manufacture or real thin veneer stone system, we always install a double felt tar paper over tyvek StuccoWrap followed by the installation of a rainscreen mat, we get fantastic drainage between the back of the building paper and the front of the StuccoWrap as well as the back of the actual exterior cladding. This is our approach of choice in my opinion for cement stucco applications. To conclude this post I would like to say that personally I have seen 100 year old houses with what is consider today as an improper stucco installation, without or what is also consider as improper interior insulation standing and we have performed many stucco remediations on properties that are getting insulated with an improper water management behind the stucco. I would like to make a quick note that the problem is not the insulation neither other materials or interior procedures, the problem is always the improper water management behind the cladding whether is stucco, stone or fiber cement siding which I will talk about its proper installation later in another Siding post. Gallery

The post Rainscreen drainage mat to help with moisture problems. appeared first on Quality Stucco Remediation, Siding, Stone, Painting & Basement Waterproofing Services.

Should you rely on Tyvek Stucco or Home Wrap as your one and only water resistant barrier in a cement plaster stucco 3 coat system?

Jonathan Muñoz — Wed, 24 May 2017 05:05:25 +0000

The problems with stucco has been well-documented for years. Here in PA the lawsuits to builders and companies has become more and more popular over the past years. With the time and unfortunately bad experiences many contractors, builders and home owners have learn the wrong way.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. The basics of the stucco 3 coat system. As we all know traditional three-coat stucco is a mix of portland cement, lime and sand, generally installed over some type of sheathing materials such as plywood and more recently OSB (oriented strand board), a water resistant barrier paper is installed over the sheathing by using either nails or galvanized staples, traditionally it has been 15 lb. tar paper or any grade D building paper, but now materials such Tyvek Stucco Wrap is been used interconnected with flashings, window, door openings, as well as other penetrations of the building and the installation of a rain screen mat to provide drainage of water to the exterior of the building followed by the installation of metal lath mesh and a 3 coat stucco system. Stucco is actually a porous material and is designed to allow the absorption of water. The building paper or Tyvek (water-resistive barrier) acts as a drainage plane, and as the stucco dries, water flows down the building paper and weeps out the bottom of the stucco. We have seen many builders, contractors and home owners using Tyvek stucco wrap as their only layer of water protection but the question is, should we rely in Tyvek Stucco Wrap as our one and only water resistant barrier specially when used in a three-coats stucco system? Building Science Corporation Principal Joseph Lstiburek when tyveck issues developed said: “The rotten problem was due in part to the lack of drainage between the hardcoat stucco and the building paper drainage planes. Papers remained bonded to the hardcoat stucco. Water stayed in the system, and the building papers (as well as other things) deteriorated. It seems that the more recently manufactured building papers don’t work as well as the old stuff and that they don’t debond as easily. Note what he said “No drainage space means no drainage. No drainage means big trouble–Rot City”. Now let us replace the building paper (Tar paper) in a hardcoat stucco application with Tyvek. The hardcoat stucco bonds to the Tyvek. Water stays in the system, because there is no drainage. It passes through the Tyvek in vapor form as well as by capillary transport. The problem gets worse. The Tyvek loses it’s water repellency due to the surfactants in the stucco. At least with the impregnated or coated paper you stand a chance. Sometimes the paper debonds, sometimes it doesn’t. If you’re smart, you use two layers of paper and the system pretty much works. You stand no chance at all with Tyvek by itself. As you see DuPont’s StuccoWrap product isn’t much better. That’s because the hardcoat stucco bonds to the StuccoWrap and therefore the assembly does not drain. StuccoWrap was developed for exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) where EPS foam separates the StuccoWrap from the synthetic stucco skin, I will talk about in depth about this subject in another post. In an EIFS assembly or when is used as a first layer of a 3 coats stucco or stone water management, StuccoWrap performs spectacularly. But put a hardcoat cementitious stucco directly over StuccoWrap and the drainage is compromised. Screen shot from the Dupont Stucco Wrap product page. Personally I actually love either Tyvek Home Wrap or Tyvek Stucco Wrap when is used as a first layer of protection in any stucco 3 coat or manufacture stone system. Tyvek is a great water resistant barrier, it’s very flexible, easy to work with, fast to get it installed, very resistant to pulling and abuse compare to a tar paper, no matter if is winter time or summer time Tyvek is a very flexible and strong paper to work with. I always use this paper when we have very uneven, possible old wood lath or siding style walls where other papers can easily brake or crack as a base for the system. We at Rene Munoz Plastering as part of our 3 coat stucco system we always install whether a layer of Grade D tar paper as a second layer of water protection or better yet a double felt tar paper such the super jumbo tex over the StuccoWrap in a portland cement stucco application, we get fantastic drainage between the back of the building paper and the front of the StuccoWrap. This is our approach of choice in my opinion for cement stucco applications. Over all, to have a better water management and drainage behind our stucco or stone I will really suggest the use of a drainage plane such tyvek stucco wrap , a double layer of grade D paper plus a rain screen drainage mat installed along with proper window installation, sticky window flashing, drip cap over the head casing of each window and door, proper flashings through out the system, Ez Bead around windows and doors, weep screed, expansion joints where necessary and finally one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, the kick-out flashing diverters. If we use the previous system and we follow manufacture specifications we should not have any stucco problems at all. Have you experienced any Tyvek Stucco Wrap problems?, do you have suggestions for a better Tyvek Stucco Wrap applications?. Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Should you rely on Tyvek Stucco or Home Wrap as your one and only water resistant barrier in a cement plaster stucco 3 coat system? appeared first on Quality Stucco Remediation, Siding, Stone, Painting & Basement Waterproofing Services.

Eight reasons why stucco & stone installations fail.

Jonathan Muñoz — Thu, 18 May 2017 19:03:53 +0000

Water problems or rotted wood is created over the time because of continuous trapped moisture, this issues are caused by deficient window flashing and installation, inadequate installation of a water resistant barrier, lack of kick out flashing diverters, stucco installed below grade, this along with other factors are some of the common causes of most stucco and stone water damage. Let’s start with General construction It all start at the begging right? A builder buys the land, get the blueprints for what supposed to be your dream house and start to build it. When we talk about stucco, stone failures, mold and water damages, most of the times in general we talk about poor construction practices. Most of this issues could have been avoided if builders and contractors in general not only know their trade but also the needs of others when installing their construction products or doing their work preparing each area the way it should be prepared for the next contractor. The best way to know if an stucco or stone cladding are failing is by doing an invasive moisture stucco and stone test, inspectors come to the property do a visual inspection, test for moisture, document everything and put everything together for you as a home owner, your realtor for those selling and buying scenarios , your lawyer in case of a litigation and finally to us remediation contractors in what is called The invasive stucco or stone report. If you are experiencing stucco or stone issues you may or should know that when an stucco inspector is hired to do moisture testing around a property they have specific targets on where to drill and test for moisture levels, but what are those targets and why are they so critical? This specific targets we are about to mention could be less or more depending on the age, over all construction and shape of the property. The list below contents the most common reasons why stucco fail. Each corner of a window sill Each corner of a door sill Where a vertical wall meets the end of a roof ( Kick Out Flashing Diverter) Where a chimney wall meets a roof Below the chimney shoulders/hips Below a dryer vent, electric outlet or any other possible water penetration. Below an installed deck Proper transition between stucco and any other dissimilar material such siding, stone, brick or concrete. 1. & 2- Each corner of a window sill & Each corner of a door sill In new construction when a house is build normally either the builder, the framers or the window & door companies are the ones that are in charge of installing the windows and doors, all windows eventually may leak there is no doubt about that but is the window’s installer duty to make sure that the installation of the window or door is properly perform by installing the necessary materials and do it in a manner that the water will be discharge out of the building and in the event of a window leak the water will not penetrate the sheathing and wood structure resulting in mold damage. Water most be able to drain when a window and door is properly installed. Is also the stucco contractor duty to notify the builder if they see something wrong with the window or door installation. Windows are one if not the main reason why stucco and stone installations always fails. Is the stucco & stone contractor duty to properly install the construction paper below the windows and doors. When a window is not properly installed or the construction paper is not properly install below the window, the water resistant barrier (paper) become useless mainly because every time the wall gets wet, water that is coming from the top will run behind the paper and not on top of the paper like it should in order for the water to drain properly and the paper to do its job , resulting in water not able to drain becoming trapped and later with the time a moisture problem causing mold and deterioration of the sheathing. 3.-Where a vertical wall meets the end of a roof ( Kick Out Flashing Diverter) Missing kick out flashing diverters are the second main reason why an stucco or stone system fails, this molded one piece of plastic or welded one piece of metal most be installed where a vertical wall meets the end of a roof near the fascia board where the gutter later is installed. As the name suggest Kick out Flashing Diverter helps to kick and divert the water out When a kick out flashing diverter is installed, water that is coming from the roof will be diverted towards the gutter and not into the adjacent walls. Is the builder’s duty to make sure that either the roofers or the stucco contractors properly install this key construction product at the beginning of the roof’s aluminum L flashing row to guaranty a successful stucco, stone or even siding installation. 4.-Where a chimney wall meets a roof As far as the chimney flashing goes is the builder’s duty to make sure that the roofers install a flashing that is tall enough to actually protect the chimney from the rain and the constant water that is coming from the top of the roof and protect the wood sheathing during winter time when the snow builds up. Flashings in general are very important for a successful stucco and stone system When roofers prepare this wall to roof joints, roofers and builders most take extra steps/precaution in terms of flashing this critical spots to make sure that the flashing does what is intended to do and work properly. Is the stucco contractor duty to notify the builder or roofer if the chimney’s flashing does not meet criteria. 5.-Below the chimney shoulders/hips Until today chimney shoulder hips are always under estimated when stucco metal lath crews install the water resistant barrier, the personnel at Rene Munoz Plastering LLC is aware of the damage that can be

The post Eight reasons why stucco & stone installations fail. appeared first on Quality Stucco Remediation, Siding, Stone, Painting & Basement Waterproofing Services.