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Stucco

 

Plastering is not a one-man job, and is especially not for me.  I stepped aside for this part of the project and hired a local contractor.  But before work started I took some time to seal the house.  Every possible crevice was caulked or sealed with fibrous acrylic duct sealant.  This task took a full two weeks to complete.

It wasn't that the solid polystyrene walls needed to be sealed against air leakage.  I wanted to deny admittance to ants and other small insects that just walk right in to ordinary houses.

 

All of the window and door openings were flashed with Protecto-Wrap, a tenacious aluminum-faced bituminous rubber material.  I also used this material to flash smaller openings, like these electrical boxes.  The boxes are covered and fitted with messenger pigtails to keep the plasterers from filling and burying them.

 

I will never understand why conventional builders in this area use cheap black paper to wrap the house before plastering.  I've seen more than one remodel where the paper had turned to compost.  There are good house wrap products available.  I chose creped Tyvek.  The seams were securely taped and then heavy expanded metal lath was applied to accept the plaster.  None of that cheap chicken wire for this house.