hairline cracks in stucco

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villiagepeople

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so i've lived in my new home for 2.5 years now and i'm starting to see hairline cracks to the stucco on the exterior... they are straight (not diagonal) and don't look too bad but i don't know if it's one of those things that gets bigger if you don't fix them early.  there was 1 hairline crack within the first year (when i was still able to call them to fix stuff) but they said that's expected and they would not fix such a small crack.  but now there's maybe 4 or 5 (all vertical).  i see it on my neighbors and they don't know either... thoughts?  have other new home owners seen this? is it "expected"? should i fix it?
 
Tyler Durden said:
Keep in mind that stucco is a form of cement... and there are 2 types of cement in this world: cement that cracked and cement that is going to crack.
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^^^ I'm stealing this.

Agree with TD's assessment that this is likely a settling issue, but it is unlikely that you'll have the builder cover the stucco cracking as a warranty item.  The likely solution later on will be with paint. Good painters will seal the hairline cracks with filler prior to painting and you'd never know there was ever an issue. However, if you try to force them to re-stucco a specific area, you'll never match the original application and it will be even more noticeable than if you'd done nothing.

-IR2
 
villagepeople said:
so i've lived in my new home for 2.5 years now and i'm starting to see hairline cracks to the stucco on the exterior... they are straight (not diagonal) and don't look too bad but i don't know if it's one of those things that gets bigger if you don't fix them early.  there was 1 hairline crack within the first year (when i was still able to call them to fix stuff) but they said that's expected and they would not fix such a small crack.  but now there's maybe 4 or 5 (all vertical).  i see it on my neighbors and they don't know either... thoughts?  have other new home owners seen this? is it "expected"? should i fix it?
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i have some on my house (most of them vertical as well), or did, well still do. called the builder within the first year (in the last month of the warranty) and they came out to inspect them said the hairline cracks had to be bigger than 1/8 of an inch (this is stated in the warranty documents) to get repaired. there was a little area that bubbled about the size of dime so they had to repair that.  i stayed home the day the guy was coming out to repair and i offered him money to repair the other ones that were not covered under warranty, which he gladly accepted. he already had the stucco and the fogging sprayer thing so it seemed like such a waste to let all that stucco go to waste :-)

what i should have realized is that the house will continue to settle (been here a little over a year), a couple of other cracks have shown up in new places. im debating whether to do this every year or just wait a couple of years and fix them again. ill probably do this annually, something about those damn cracks that really get to me even though i know its normal.

when we closed we got the color scheme sheet which has every color that was used on the house. your stucco is colored so it wasnt painted. if you have your color scheme sheet you will know exactly what kind of stucco you will need to match exactly.  mine is omega. typically the color is just a three digit # link for example. http://omega.omega-products.com/ColorsTextures.aspx?CatId=7&Name=ColorTek+Colors  you will also need to know your texture which should be on your color scheme sheet  such as 16/20 sand  link for example http://omega.omega-products.com/ColorsTextures.aspx?CatId=12&Name=ColorTek+Textures

the repair process is a two day process. it gets patched first then he has to come back after it dries and then sprays the fog coat. the fog coat is what gives it the right color to match your house - you can not spot where this guy repaired the cracks, looks just like the rest of the house.  you can patch and paint as IR2 said but it may or may not match exactly, the warranty guy who came out first told me that you dont want to paint to try to match cause the finish will look slightly different than the fogged/unpainted stucco. 

the guy gave me his info for future repairs. PM me if you want his info. Ill just have to ask him if its ok to give it out - im guessing it will be since he would probably want to make some extra money on the side. he is a hispanic guy but speaks good english so communication wont be an issue.

 
We did pavers as well for all the backyard, front walkways, and driveway.  I've seen older homes with the cement and it just doesn't age well.
 
Yep.

Had this argument with my father-in-law. He said that if you put in rebar, concrete won't crack so any concrete job he has done, he insists on rebar.

I remember he argued with one of my guys saying that our driveway had rebar in it and that's why it's not cracked but he pointed out that our driveway had cut lines in it so there was no way there could be rebar in it.

That contractor also told me that a way to mitigate ugly cracks is to have a pattern with a number of scores so that if it does crack, it will crack along the score rather than in the middle of a uniform space.

I also think pavers are better for the reasons Tyler mentions. As for pools, isn't that why the vinyl ones are gaining popularity over the concrete pours?

To get back on topic... as for stucco... it will always crack. If the crack isn't bigger than the 1/8th inch that qwerter mentioned, you shouldn't worry about it and you can "disappear" it the next time you paint your house (which for many is almost never).

Or just don't get a stucco house... but then you would have to move out of Irvine. :)
 
thanks all for your comments...

here's another question... do you think having more cracks in the stucco means the foundation "isn't as good" as your neighbors house?  i don't see "as many" cracks on my neighbors' walls.  and yes, maybe i'm picky but like qwerty says... they bug me. 

as for the backyard, yah, i did pavers 2 years ago... one thing i did differently than my neighbors was i asked for it not to be sealed cause i picked a paver with a more rustic/distressed look and didn't want the shine that comes with the seal, and cause i wanted to leave my hardscape permeable.
 
A lot of cracks may not be a foundation issue. The warranty guy was telling me that in one house he saw the house had no cracks bigger than 1/8 of an inch but there were a lot and it was determined that the cause must be that the stucco was not mixed properly. So that is always a possibility.

I thought about the same thing as you though, whether the foundation had anything to do with it. I believe there is a ten yea warranty in structural issues though. Not sure how one can tell if stucco cracks are foundation related. If there are foundation issues the stucco cracks will probably be the least of ones worries. The floors and roof will probably be jacked up
 
Tyler Durden said:
sounds like you are seeing the results of the home settling.


Keep in mind that stucco is a form of cement... and there are 2 types of cement in this world: cement that cracked and cement that is going to crack.


call the builder and have them fix it if you want.  it should be still covered under the warranty.
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I thought the warranty is only good for one year in general?
 
paperboyNC said:
Tyler Durden said:
sounds like you are seeing the results of the home settling.


Keep in mind that stucco is a form of cement... and there are 2 types of cement in this world: cement that cracked and cement that is going to crack.


call the builder and have them fix it if you want.  it should be still covered under the warranty.
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I thought the warranty is only good for one year in general?
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FYI...there is no "warranty" for construction...just a 4 year statute of limitation for patent defects and 10 year statute of limitation for latent defects.  Current law requires that you make a demand for repairs before you sue.

Parts for the construction (i.e. windows etc.) may have warranties.
 
paperboyNC said:
Irvinecommuter said:
My tub is leaking - should I ask the builder even though it's been 2 years?
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It would depend on why it is leaking.  Technically, if the tub is leak, it could be a materials issue and not the builder's fault.  If it is a labor issue (caulking/installation) that the builder could be liable. 

In any case, you should definitely "demand" they fix it.  Most builders are not willing to risk the litigation and they have enough carry with the contractors to make them come out to fix the issue. 
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Irvinecommuter said:
It would depend on why it is leaking.  Technically, if the tub is leak, it could be a materials issue and not the builder's fault.  If it is a labor issue (caulking/installation) that the builder could be liable. 

In any case, you should definitely "demand" they fix it.  Most builders are not willing to risk the litigation and they have enough carry with the contractors to make them come out to fix the issue.
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I have made that "demand" = "request"
 
Try a peice of fiberglass mesh or sheating fabric, bond them with stucco bonding agent and plaster with red stucco tape then simply apply stucco coating again. If it dries, if you have tinted wall color, then use tinted primer on it that will blend to the entire wall design and color.
 
I have used monkey glue to stick some support holders for some rose climbers on the stucco in my courtyard. I have removed the climbers and support holders, but the glue is popping out on the stucco. If I scrape the glue off the stucco and repaint, I am afraid it will not look and match with the stucco texture. Any suggestions?
 
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