Masonry and
Stucco
What
is Masonry?
Masonry is used for the walls of buildings, retaining walls,
and monuments.
Bricks and stones such as granite, marble, limestone, travertine,
glass block, concrete block and tile are commonly used materials
in masonry construction. These materials are also referred to
as masonry units. The term ‘masonry’ refers to the individual
units that are laid in and bounded together by mortar to build
structures.
Needs
of Masonry
Masonry is generally considered as a highly durable form of
construction. The material used, pattern of the units, quality
of mortar and workmanship strongly affect the durability of
the masonry construction. The most commonly used masonry units
are widely used as bricks as they do not require painting, therein
reducing the life cycle costs. Concrete block masonry provides
greater compressive strength, and are therefore, rapidly gaining
popularity. Presence of hollow cores in these blocks make them
ideal for the use of building structures with light traverse
loading wherein the cores remain unfilled.
Filling
few or all cores with concrete provides greater tensile strength
to the structures. Building of masonry ‘piers’ at regular intervals
and thickening of the walls also help in increasing the tensile
strength of the structures. To avoid potential cracking and
settling, masonry must always be built upon a firm foundation.
Masonry buildings offer better shelter than wooden buildings
during extreme weather conditions like hurricanes or tornado.
Being heat resistant, these buildings also provide good fire
protection.
What
is Stucco?
Stucco is usually applied directly over masonry or other relatively
firm based structures since it requires a solid backing to give
it the required strength. Stucco is a material made of an aggregate,
a binder that is sand and water. Earlier lime was used as an
aggregate but in recent times Portland cement has replaced it
because of greater durability. On wooden framed structures,
stucco is applied over a wood lath to prevent moisture passing
from the stucco to the timber. Stucco has traditionally been
applied in 2 or 3 layers and can be either hand applied or sprayed.
Stucco
is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. The first
layer also referred to as ‘scratch layer’ consists of plastic
cement and sand. Once applied the surface is scratched to provide
key for the second layer hence the name. The second layer called
‘floating’ layer or ‘brown’ layer consists of sand, cement and
lime. The third layer or the ‘finish coat’ is a thin covering,
which is either colored or textured to give the final appearance.
The application takes minimum 7-10 days to dry to allow cracking
and shrinkage to take place.
Dos
and Don’ts in The Application of Stucco
Quick drying results in incomplete chemical hardening resulting
in a weaker and brittle stucco. If applied during very dry weather,
the layers of stucco should be sprayed with water for one or
more days to keep the moisture level within the stucco while
it dries or cures. This process is known as "moist curing."
Applying
stucco in heavy weather should also be avoided because of the
risk of frost during the drying period. In major parts of the
world stucco is used as a predominant exterior for both residential
and comercial constructions. It is also widely gaining acceptance
as a sculptural and artistic material for decorative purposes
as well as figurative representations.

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