r/Stucco

Building an ADU as owner-builder and hired a licensed C-35 sub for 3-coat stucco. Brown coat has been curing about 2 weeks. Finish is Omega Flex fine (acrylic), in white.

Walls are about 14 ft tall. Checking with a 6 ft level, I'm finding several spots with gaps over 1/4", a few around 1/2". Most of it is a band around the whole building right at scaffold height, where it looks like the ground lift and scaffold lift meet and it got thick.

The plasterer says stucco isn't supposed to be flat, it's not marble or granite, and waviness is normal. I get that some waviness is normal, but I'm going for a clean modern look with no heavy texture, and I'm worried a thin white acrylic will show every belly once the sun hits it.

He agreed to postpone the finish and is coming tomorrow to look.

Questions:

Is this within normal range, or should it be fixed before finish? (Photos attached.)

What's the right fix: shaving high spots, a level coat over lows, or both?

How long should a patch or level coat set before acrylic goes on?

Am I being reasonable asking for this, or overly picky?

Appreciate any input from people who do this for a living.

I’ve noticed some flaking & cracks on smooth stucco.

I was wondering what is the best way to patch up these? Caulking? Buy a patch kit? Paint it over?

Also if you have any product recommendations, that’d be much appreciated!

Thank you so much!

We are in the process of finishing construction on our home. There is a lot of hazing on the stucco from construction dust. I'm looking for suggestions on how to possibly clean it. The home is in a desert area (everything is super dry and dusty). Stucco finish coat is Sika Senergy Senerflex Sahara Finish. Noting we've tried has made an impact.

Things that could have contributed to this:

• Concrete washing - The worst of this is in areas where the stucco is above flat work; all the flat work is light expose aggregate; where the concrete was placed, a retarder was put on top and then later was power washed away. The concrete crew did cover the later 4-6' of wall with plastic prior to the pour and after washing pulled the plastic and washed the lower sections of the wall.
• Red/dirt and/or Road base - During construction there has been a lot of dirt moved round the home and under all concrete there is a minimum of 10" of road base (concrete gravel), anytime site work was done water was being sprayed on the material being moved.

What I've tried (nothing has made an impact):

• Rinsing - both with just plain water and also with a mild soap (Dawn) and a nylon brush (scrub) and rinse with water
• Light power washing - with a 40 degree tip staying about 18" from the wall. I've also tried foaming the wall with a foam cannon and then rinsing top down with the pressure washer.