Show I FIRST AID to the AILING HOUSE I BY ROGER C. WHITMAN Walls Cracked by Earthquake QUESTION After a r e c e n t earthquake I noticed that the outside plaster of my house was cracked all over on all four sides of the What can 1 use to fill up these I suppose you mean when you speak or If the stucco had only a few large they could probably be Since it is cracked all you may need to have it stripped off and new stucco Large cracks should first be widened and then patched with a cement The usual mortar mixture for stucco repair is one part Portland either white or and three parts coarse with just enough water to make a workable Or you can get a ready mixed patching mortar which is not the same thing as patching When widening a crack for cut into it so that the groove is wider at the loth than at the Brush out all loose and then soak the edges well with Pack with and just before the patch work the surface into a texture to match that of the Keep the patches wet for three or four days so that the cement will Sometimes a white stucco wall can be matched with a white cement and light yellow building or white For a good even you an coat the whole wall with a cement Very narrow hair line cracks can je Filled by painting the stucco the cement base Get your materials from a dealer in or masonry A stucco repair man would know what would be best to |