Stucco on existing framing?

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

My house has LP OSB siding in some places, LP masonite in others...I got caught buying right at the time the big lawsuits were underway in the late 90s and couldn't get the OSB anymore.

As expected, the masonite in particular has gone straight to hell in 8 years, and the OSB isn't much better (but is IS better).

Anyhoo, I'm gonna have to pull all that off and basically start over at the framing. My initial thoughts were to re-sheath, then use Hardi plank...but it occurs to me that I'd prolly be happier with stucco...and that's a good excuse for me to get out of doing it myself.

Any good reason why I can't/shouldn't go to stucco in South Texas? Lots of it here, but I'd suspect most of that would've been new construction. Is going to the framing 'new enough'?

KC

[Don Baer]

Kirk,
I'm not in So. TX but I am in the south west. All (most) house around here are stucco. I see no reason why since you are going down to the framing why they couldn't wrap it, wire it and stucco it. The stucco on my present house is 19 years old and holding up just fine. My new house in AZ will be stucco also.

[Steve Clardy]

Vinyl stucco or the real stuff?

[Mark Rios]

Kirk, going down to the studs is good and fine. But, the old sheet siding provided a shear rating. You will probably need to add plywood or standard OSB as a sheath, regaining your shear rating. Check with your local building dept. and see what they require under stucco. The stucco alone won't provide you the shear strength required, expecially in tornado country.:D

[Bob Childress]

We had stucco on our house in Arizona and loved it. Stucco in South Texas should work very well, as long as it is the real thing and not the EFIS synthetic. Actually, stucco works well almost everywhere, but in some parts of the country it is difficult to find people who know how to install it properly. In South Texas, that shouldn't be a problem.:)

[Joe Pelonio]

I've seen stucco done over a waterproof fiber board, but these days knowing of earthquakes and hurricanes, I'd agree with Mark, use plywood,
OSB or MDF securely attached to the studs before the stucco.

[Chris Padilla]

My house, practically on the infamous San Andreas fault, is framing wrapped in tar paper and chicken wire and then stucco'ed. That is all she wrote...built in 1973...still standing...no major stucco cracks although plenty of small ones here and there.

[Don Baer]

My house, practically on the infamous San Andreas fault, is framing wrapped in tar paper and chicken wire and then stucco'ed. That is all she wrote...built in 1973...still standing...no major stucco cracks although plenty of small ones here and there.

Chris is correct. Thats how its done out here.

[Joe Pelonio]

Chris is correct. Thats how its done out here.
I sthat still code for new construction? I remember a new building that was done in the early 90's in the Bay Area that had 1/2" OSB then
a 1-1/2" thick dense foam insulation under it, but that was a commercial
building. BTW our old stucco house there (Castro Valley) made it though the Loma Prieta with just a crack in the garage floor, but it's one that had the 1/2" fibre board under it. I know because I replaced several windows and put in a sliding patio door where a window was. Also, I must say that doing stucco is a really fun job (not being sarcastic, I enjoyed it, but then it was not a whole house).

[Chris Padilla]

Joe,

No clue...somehow I bet they sheath the frames in the OSB now--I would like my new house to be done that way. I do have diagnol members in the wall units and I've even found one wall that was sheathed in 1/4" plywood--although for the life of me, I don't know why it was done.

[Joe Pelonio]

The other thing is to make sure that you have the sils anchored to the foundations. Our first house built in the 40s was not, the next built in the 60s was, but not many, so I added more.

[Chris Padilla]

My house is bolted down...dunno how many...but I've come across them now and again when I'm looking (and that isn't too often!) :)