Don’t Worry Too Much About Hairline Cracks in Stucco

Do you have stucco siding in Kansas City? If so, you’ll want to take a couple laps around the house every once in a while to inspect the stucco to make sure that it’s in good shape. Every once in a while, you may spot a crack in your stucco. Fortunately, most cracks are only cosmetic issues. These types of cracks are known as hairline cracks.

Stucco is made out of a Portland cement product, which means that no matter how well it was installed, it is still susceptible to small hairline cracks. There are a number of ways that you can prevent these hairline cracks from occurring, however. The following are a few standards to prevent hairline cracks in your stucco siding:

• Your wood-based sheathing needs to be gapped at a minimum of 1/8 inch on all sides and edges.
• The moisture content of your wood framing members needs to be less than 19.
• Attach metal lath or woven wire along your framing supports.
• Make sure the control and expansion joints are installed according to industry recommendations.
• Only use clean washed plaster sand.
• Don’t use cement rich mixes
• Never soak your walls – only damp cure them in hot and dry weather.
• During cure time, avoid drilling, pounding and other vibrations to the plaster membrane.
• Let the base coat cure for a minimum of 14 days prior to finish.

You can cover hairline cracks that develop during the cure period using an acrylic finish material or a cement product.  They aren’t something to worry about.