AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



Feb 



ruary, 1 9 1 3 



r 



Richard Phil 

 Sta in 



ipfi, Architect. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

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Twenty- five designj, ranging in coit 

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Twenty designs, at costs ranging from 

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Twenty selected designs. Costing front 

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THE New 



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The New Building Estimator 



By WILLIAM ARTHUR 



A practical guide to estimating the cost of labor 

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BUNGALOW 

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Name . Street . s ... 



.State 



STUCCO 



THE most durable stucco, says the 

 London Builder, is obtained when 

 cement is employed, but the trouble lies in 

 the fact that cement sets quickly, much 

 more quickly than lime, and cracks are 

 liable to appear. If, however, just — with 

 the accent on the word just — sufficient of 

 each ingredient is used, and neither too 

 little nor yet too much water is added, a 

 stucco can be produced that is far superior 

 to any other in weathering powers. If an 

 excess of water is employed the plaster will 

 not cling properly to the wall ; yet, on the 

 other hand, if too little be used, the cement 

 plaster will dry so quickly that cracks are 

 certain to result. Again, if too much 

 cement is used cracks are liable to appear. 

 Dryness in any form results in cracks, 

 which in some cases are so fine as not to 

 be discernible except by close inspection. 

 These cracks will in time admit moisture, 

 rain bearing sulphur and ammonia, which 

 will in time break down the protective cov- 

 ering, and the stucco will fall away, either 

 by disintegration or peeling. 



One essential, therefore, to good work 

 is that the plaster must not lose its damp- 

 ness too rapidly, and this can be done by 

 keeping the surface wetted or by way of 

 damp cloths hung in front of the wall. It 

 is also necessary to prevent the water in 

 the cement being absorbed by the brick- 

 work on which it rests, and this can be 

 done by previously well wetting the brick- 

 work. 



To make a good weather resistant, the 

 stucco must be dense. This can be ob- 

 tained by mixing the concrete stibb, and yet 

 contain the necessary water to prevent 

 rapid drying, which will allow the plasterer 

 to work rapidly. A very thorough mixing 

 will accomplish this. Troweling the sur- 

 face should not be done too much, for al- 

 though by this means density is accom- 

 plished, the result will only be the trouble 

 of cracks when dry, which is to be avoided. 

 Troweling brings the water to the surface, 

 and the work is liable to dry too rapidly. 



The proportions of the various materials 

 used is debatable. Whether the first or 

 last coat should contain the most cement 

 has to be considered from two points. The 

 first coat, it is argued by some, should be 

 the one containing the greatest percentage 

 of cement, as it has to bind to the wall and 

 support the outer coats. On the other 

 hand, the last coat is the one attacked by 

 the weather, therefore it should have the 

 greater amount of cement is argued by 

 others. Unfortunately, the greater the per- 

 centage of cement there is all the more 

 tendency to crack, and unless great care is 

 exercised a high percentage of cement is 

 likely to produce this undesirable result. 

 A medium percentage is therefore the best 

 in the long run. Thus the coats — three are 

 recommended, as two coat work is little 

 more than one half inch thick — may be 

 composed of one Portland cement to two 

 of clean, sharp sand. This for the first two 

 coats. The finishing coat may be composed 

 of Portland cement, sand, and clean, sharp 

 shingle. As the cement is liable to expand 

 during wetting and contract while drying 

 the nrecautions previously mentioned 

 should be taken. Lime stucco is preferred 

 by some, because it is not liable to this 

 trouble. 



The sand and shingle must 

 Many a failure is due to 

 observance of this. Earthy 

 organic substances not only 

 combine with the cement and break down 

 the stucco, but they prevent the cement 

 from mechanically joining with the sand 

 and shingle. 



be sharp, 

 the non- 

 matter or 

 chemically 



