Vent: My whole approach to stucco changed after a job on a 1940s house near UNM.

The old wire lath was so rusted it just crumbled, and the owner wanted it patched 'like it was before'. Now I always check the substructure first, even if the surface looks okay. Anyone else run into this with our older Albuquerque homes?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley86025d agoTop Commenter

Used to just slap a patch on and call it good. That kind of job is a real wake-up call. Now I treat every old house like the lath is shot until I prove it's solid. Saves a ton of call-backs and angry customers later.

brianm2725d agoMost Upvoted

That's a solid plan, but I'd say even new lath can fail. The real key is checking the plaster keys. If they're dust, the lath is just hanging there. I tap every square inch with my knuckle now. Hollow sound means it's coming down, no matter how the wood looks. Found that out after fixing my own "solid" patch three times. You can have perfect lath behind plaster that has zero grip left.