STUCCO DEMO – Best ways??
Monday we are going to be demoing stucco to get at rotted joists on this job. Sounds dusty.
I know nothing about the best ways to get stucco and the lath off the framing.
This is overhead and underside of a deck and walls.
What works for you? Shovels, picks, Johnson bars, single jacks, car bomb?
Replies
C4
C4
Tempting, but the homeowner will probably whine.
However, there is nothing like cranking the handle on a ten cap permissible twist blasting machine and watch the world rearrange itself.
use B-4 or C-3 instead... not so violent..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
You go the way girl.......
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Actually, Primacord is best, then Detcord then C4. The C4 tends to want to be more "definitive" during explosive dissasembly . . . <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
1st I'd try to reason with it.
4 inch grinder and dust masks. When I lived out west I used to use an all purpose demolition blade (possibly Dewalt) that cut through stucco and lathe like "butta".
MES
I think I better get my Racal air mate charged up.
Remember the name of the blade? Stucco should dull most anything.
I'll look at the Depot.
Circular saw with a 7 1/4" dry diamond concrete blade. chop it into squares sized so that you can pick them up. once they are seperated from one another ( all the lathing cut), start prying them off with something long..wrecking bar etc. Let gravity be your friend, and don't let the pieces hit you in the foot. I make a game of trying to keep the pieces as big as possible. Less mess and faster movement. The less you have to shovel up, the better. Some stucco's are harder than others, so you kind of have to play with it to see what works best. Don't forget the dust mask and safety glasses. RZ
Cut the edges you want to keep with the diamond blade. Then make a horizontal cut about 18" above grade as a starter, and another near the top. Bust out that bottom 18" first before the material above it comes down and makes it hard to get at. Then work from the top down. If you're really lucky, you can scrape it off with a straight shovel. More likely you'll need the big bar. If you have a big rotary hammer, bring it along. If the stucco is really tough, it can be worth having. But if it comes down easy, it's not worth lifting the weight of the rotary hammer.
-- J.S.
Thanks for the tip.
What would happen if you cut a series of horizontal lines and took a single jack to the centers?
BTW - what type of diamond blade for grinder? Masonry? Tile? ___?"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something."
Anon.
You could cut more horizontals if you want, I don't think it would help all that much. The reason for using the diamond saw is to get a clean edge on the stucco you're keeping, and to prevent damage to it. In the field of the material you're demoing, you just want to smash and destroy. No need to put wear on that expensive diamond blade in that area.
Using a jack to break the stucco might be worth a try, but watch carefully to be sure that the stucco is the weakest link and you're not damaging the framing.
What I have is a wet cutting tile saw. I'm not saying it's the best choice, I use it because I have it.
-- J.S.
Get a large grinder, 8" or so, and put a 7-1/4" diamond blade (continuous edge) in it. Start at the top of the wall and make vertical cuts 2-3 ft apart. The weight of the grinder itself will make it easier to keep the blade cutting into the stucco rather than riding up along the surface. Smaller grinders and circ saws require you to keep pressing the tool into the wall which is very fatiguing if you have a lot of footage to remove. Also the dust stream is directed downward and into the wall which is most definitely not the case with a circ saw. Nonetheless you will need a good quality mask and eyewear. I like the masks that have a valve in them to allow better breathing - the really cheap disposable ones just fog your glasses.
Now cut horizontal lines so you have squares of stucco. For all cuts, make sure you are cutting right through the wire and slightly into the sheathing. Finally, make vertical cuts 3/4" back from one side of each corner so Then position a wheelbarrow against the wall and start prying one of the top row squares. Once an edge is started it will usually come easily. To get the squares off intact, use something broad and flat to pry. A 'wonderbar' is OK, a Burke bar is better (but heavy), and a roofer's shovel is best of all. Dump the squares into the wheelbarrow and take 'em away.
TNX for the technique input. I've filed it in my Tips & Techniques file.
Skated yesterday. The job was removing termite-damaged fascia and other trim. The job had an ocean view and only one shower (short). "Good duty if you can get it."
Any tips for efficient facia removal. We cut the nails to the rafter tails. We can't cut the nails from the starter board (about 50/ft it seems) very well without killing the drip edge, so we chunk it up and pry it down.
I wonder about a 4.5 grinder with metal blade up in that edge cutting SB nails.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I'm guessing you already tried a recip saw up in there but it was taking too long. Trouble with grinder is it's pretty tight space and easy for blade to grab and run wild with you balancing on ladder or plank. Maybe get proper metal cutting blade for recip and try again. Use wedges to hold drip edge and shingles out of the way while cutting. Be patient, renos like this are always tedious.
WallyLignum est bonum.
Use a small air powered hammer (CH $17.00) to outline the area you want removed. Then is a pick axe with a wide blade (3") to pry off the stucco. Have a pair of tin snips on hand to cut the lath.