Lathing for Stucco Tips and Tricks for Beginners and intermediate lathers

Hello everyone, its good to back here with another updated video on lathing for stucco tips and tricks for beginners and intermediate. I really appreciate your subscriptions. Its totally free and keeps us motivated to promote more videos. Thanks a gazillion,
Ask if you have any questions or suggestions on how to do this better. As many of you know I am a seasoned plasterer, lathing and plaster contractor since 1991. In the early days it was much different than it is today. Seems many things are different that they were yesteryear. Let me give you a few examples.
For one, a hod carrier is called a hod carrier because he's was the one who would carry an aluminum built v shaped bucket on his shoulders up a ladder to the brick layers or plasterers above. Today the hod is a thing of the past. Fast forward a few years. Home Depot and the Homer bucket. wallah the new way to carry mud up a ladder. Yet the bucket is much harder to carry, go figure. I guess the production line on hods fell to new lows over the years. Now new hoodies don't really even know what a hod is. Nor will you see brown stucco when we do the brown coat.
A second example is the use of furring nails. Long long ago our wire was made flat, much like chicken wire. Until the invention of self furred wire and pneumatic nail guns and 7/8" staples, lathers had to use what's called furred nails to space the wire away from the wall so mud could be squeezed behind wire lath. Today wire comes self furred and days of the furring nail are all but gone.
A third example of change over the years is what I believe holds true too many plasterers but not all is the interest of the beauty of conventional stucco. Now granted acrylic stucco will expand and contract with the system and inhibit extensive cracking. Acrylic is also a beautiful finish. When acrylic dries after its initial application it can be a beautiful wall. In fact it is so pretty that you would almost think it was painted. Acrylic stucco comes in any color of the spectrum and can be matched to specifications within 90% of its sample color. this is something that is hard to achieve with conventional stucco. What is the drawback and I bet you are saying to yourself what is Ken trying to say here. Well here it is guys. This is what I think about acrylics. All that I have written above plus this. However there is an even keel when it comes to cost. Because regular (conventional stucco cracks and some people are adamant that stucco isn't supposed to crack. Well these people are just misinformed. You see, stucco is supposed to crack. Its just not supposed to burn, it insulates well and the termites won't eat it. It goes the same for acrylics yes. But here is the thing. Regular conventional stucco is under rated. Once you truly understand art, and I will add that it doesn't take much to learn art, it's the yearning for art that will define who you are and tell you what you want to see. Acrylics are flat, no character, in fact it looks like it was painted on. Whereas regular stucco is natural. regular stucco comes from the earth and so do its colors. Not like acrylic who's colors are made in a factory in St Louis. They are both beautiful finish cladding for residential and commercial applications. The choice is yours. Which would you rather have on your dream home? Acrylic stucco? or Conventional stucco? 'Hopes High' the first song recording provided by the Artist Donovan Wilson. All interest are welcome to visit his page at
DW and Co @Instagram . Much appreciation for the music Donavan.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

[@obviousgiant4568]

Much appreciated Ken. Experience cannot happen overnight, but watching your instructional may get pretty close to it. 🤙👷‍♂️

[@frustrating123]

Thank you for the kind words Obvious Giant! Check in later and let me know how your doing. Ken

[@sonnynguyen8012]

Great job. Thank you.

[@19993gt]

Thank you sir!

[@rigobertomendoza7248]

Great job, old school is the best and that's how you lath a building. Congratulations my friend.

[@AbersonPlastering]

Thank you Roberto. live long and plaster

[@jonathanbinns5725]

banging soundtrack my man!!

[@adamkhan8053]

Great work

[@wulfclaw4921]

Nice work ! REALLY !

[@frustrating123]

Thanks a lot!!

[@julielindquist704]

I love your video, very informative.

[@AbersonPlastering]

Thank you Julie, That means so much. Ken

[@Phazetic99]

Hi Ken, I just read your video description where you are talking about the differences of yesteryear and today, and the use of acrylic stucco finish. One thing that I've noticed is that the acylic finish doesn't breath, so when the sand and cement base coat gets wet, it takes longer for the cement to dry out, because the acrylic doesn't breath as good. It traps the moisture in more. I work for one architect that really does not like acrylic finishes and we have to do other finishes instead, like limestone finish

[@AbersonPlastering]

Hi Phazetic. Acrylic finish is like paint. Paint doesn’t breath either. Limestone finish. Very expensive. Very labor intensive. Very interesting. You know what else in interesting? Conventional Santa Barbara mission finish. It’s lime and white sand. Also very porous. Sucks the water out of the sky. Beautiful finish with lots of mottling and lots of cracking. Folks we really need to get over the cracks in stucco. Let it crack baby. DONT FIX CRACKS IN STUCCO. please. If anyone is bent on fixing cracks, use caulking and paint. Sorry I’m off on a tangent. Lol

[@TheHerozz]

I LIKED A LOT OF YOUR VIDEO I WAS CURIOUS AND DIDN'T KNOW THIS TYPE OF FINISHING ABOUT OSB AND YOURS IS THE BEST OF ALL I SEEN PERFECT IT CLARIFIED ... IT WILL BE GETTING ALL MATERIAL IN BRAZIL BUT I AM SATISFIED ..YES, BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL SONORIZATION I AM SUBSCRIBED TO THE CHANNEL ... WALDIR ..SÃO PAULO BRASIL

[@AbersonPlastering]

Waldir. thank you for you’re support and subscription. wish you the best on your projects

[@fitnessjourney6768]

Kirk Giordano watch out. You have some competition

[@AbersonPlastering]

😂

[@HygroHybrid]

Good job on this video 👍👍😎

[@dasqueege7903]

Great video KEN 👌👌💯

[@AbersonPlastering]

Thanks 👍

[@tonyaction5284]

I’m a GC here in Fla. wish we had guys like you here.

[@AbersonPlastering]

Thanks Tony, Thats quite the compliment. Keep on stuccoing!

[@Phazetic99]

If you sponsor this Canadian I would be more then happy to move the family to Florida!

[@joproductions2009]

Good job u guys .......i like music 👍👍👍

[@AbersonPlastering]

Thank you Javier

[@JimBrown-pi6ni]

Good video Ken, like the descriptions of each step. Thanks. Please upgrade your scaffold lumber! Tack a 2x4 rib on the bottom or something, worried for you bud.

[@AbersonPlastering]

Haha okay, Thank you for your concern Jim. I will tack a 2x4 rib on those planks. They just don't seem to last that long. I'd say I'm constantly replacing them, but that would obviously be a, oh, stretch from the truth:)

[@elcuervororas5652]

Olways wear eye protection when you do Lath

[@barrythompson6387]

I agree- upgrade the planks!!! GREAT VID!!! Thank you!!! Have to ask- why no casting bead around windows, again?

[@AbersonPlastering]

Hi Barry, The windows have a flange built for the installation of stucco, so no casing bead is necessary. Ive upgraded my planks since this video. Thanks for your concern and thanks for checking us out . Ken

[@barrythompson6387]

@@AbersonPlastering IF u were here, I'd hire you in a second!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks from ALL of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@timarguello-qmdz4fod658]

What kind of tin snips are those? Thanks for all the tips.

[@AbersonPlastering]

Hi Tim, The snips are called offset/bent pattern snips with long handles. Available from Kraft, or many stucco/masonry supply yards where they sell wire products. You won’t find them on Amazon.

[@fernandosolorio3388]

You’re badass

[@frustrating123]

Thank you sometimes it helps to be reminded of that.

[@AbersonPlastering]

😂

[@undercrownhiphop9422]

Is there any kind of flashing or terminations around door frames or where walls meet the soffit?

[@AbersonPlastering]

Yes.# 66.... 3/4 or 7/8” stucco stop will work for both.

[@mhrogerscement9794]

Hey! Can you use 7/16” crown size staples? Thank you for your videos!

[@frustrating123]

Yes just make sure that it is penetrating 3/4 of an inch into the framing member. If it has shearwall use one and a quarter inch long staples. If it is open stud you can use three-quarter inch long staples.

[@mhrogerscement9794]

Great! Thank you for the quick reply!

[@danielverdin6749]

a question what type of cement is applied to it when you have everything ready the wall with the paper and the wire mesh to apply the stucco

[@AbersonPlastering]

Hello Daniel and thanks for checking out my video. Typically we use plastic cement mixed with plaster sand to use as the base coat. The formula is 3-1 sand to cement on scratch coat and 4-1 sand to cement on brown coat. Thats roughly 18-23 #2 shovels of plaster sand to one bag plastic, and 25-30 on the second coat. Hope this helps

[@markfowler7171]

@@AbersonPlastering Ken is using a mix very common to California. Plastic cement is a cement blended for masonry and stucco work. Many areas of the USA do not have Plastic. You can also use a blend 50% Common and 50% Masonry , with the sand ratio as Ken noted. It works close to plastic. Other options include common and lime or an engineered mix (pre-blended) . This are recommended in areas where sand is of poor quality. Many areas have bad sand and pre-blended is the only way to go.

[@hugosanchez1643]

No double paper barrier? Like TYVEK? Would not pass in FL

[@AbersonPlastering]

In California. We use two layers of grade D paper. I use two ply 60minute paper on all my jobs. It is easier to work with, plus is above code requirements

[@garretdouglas4056]

Is it ok to leave lathe for a couple weeks etc before doing the stucco?

[@frustrating123]

Yes. As long as it gets covered within 6 months, you’re good

[@garretdouglas4056]

@@frustrating123 Thank you!

[@matdomm]

Any advice for a young plasterer ken

[@AbersonPlastering]

determination, lots of practice. You really need to be on a tract of homes for several years before you will master many of the techniques needed to be able to do the work subconsciously. I wish you the best Painter Dog.

[@matdomm]

Ken Aberson thanks ken mostly doing patch work right now looking to start doing bigger walls and maybe a whole house once I’m ready, I started out as a painter for 6 years but we paint a lot of Stucco here in Las Vegas so i leaned to patch and do skip trowel textures I love doing stucco and your vids r awesome much love from Vegas

[@jakejohnson7714]

kirk Giordano talks too much, this is great without showing off how great you are.

[@carlmartinez4475]

Dosen't the paper need to be doubled? Jumbo tex isnt right... correct me if im wrong

[@AbersonPlastering]

Yes over plywood the paper should be doubled. I believe I said that. Two layers of 60 minute ppr. That is what we used. The paper is combined of two layers. You cant miss it. Thanks for checking in Carl.

[@markfowler7171]

@@AbersonPlastering, you did.

[@AbersonPlastering]

@@markfowler7171 Yes. :) I did

[@jesuscarrillo8889]

Ok why you didn't use foam sheets after the black paper

[@AbersonPlastering]

Foam sheets? The original house was done with foam sheets. This is a garage. This garage windows were ordered for a 3 coat system. 3coat systems are only 7/8” thick. One coat systems are 1 3/8” thick. The homeowner called me after he had already installed the windows and attic vents. So on this garage no foam sheets.

[@tracydavison5531]

Thank you and I couldn’t help but notice there is no ring on that finger lol

[@AbersonPlastering]

Is there a Mr. Davidson Ms. Davidson? :)

[@tracydavison4181]

No Mr. Davison here :)

[@kirkdunn1379]

Why no staple gun?.....or roofing nailer

[@AbersonPlastering]

You didn’t watch it long enough prolly. The staple gun comes in after netting is hung

[@1960jogo]

What use nails and not staples

[@AbersonPlastering]

Hi Jogo, we use both staples and nails for lath.

[@lalo1424]

What happened to the styrofoam

[@AbersonPlastering]

This is California not Arizona

[@gods959]

Is that chicken wire?

[@AbersonPlastering]

No but in a inch you could probably use chicken wire. This is special wire for attaching cementerios products including stucco to vertical walls

[@josearana7704]

Is that chicken wire????

[@AbersonPlastering]

It's sort of like chicken wire yes, but it is made exclusively for stucco.

[@markfowler7171]

@@AbersonPlastering . This technically called woven wire. ASTM call it to be made per standard C1032 and installed per C 1063, Like Ken did it.

[@chickentwit405]

@@markfowler7171 what's the difference between the large woven and standard lath? Is it a price think or structural

[@agri-lifeorganicfarm2466]

Great video until you used that rap noise in the background.

[@AbersonPlastering]

amended. Thank you for the suggestion. Ken

[@au69miner]

rookie lather.....never cut near corners if possible.....nail at the top and bottom....let the gun flatten the rest...use ur hammer to flatten corners....this guy...not a piece worker...

[@AbersonPlastering]

yes Ive hired and use piece workers. Thanks for the tips. You must be a professional. This video is for beginners to intermediate lathers. Thanks for checking us out though. Cheers🍺

[@elroytsosie6494]

This guy isn't a lather... seen to many mistakes as he's lathing...😂😂😂

[@AbersonPlastering]

You're right Im not a lather. Im a business owner of 31 years