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Show I FERST AID TO THE I (g AILING HOUSE 1 BlEa By ROGER C. WHITMAN Walls Cracked by Earthquake QUESTION : After arecent earthquake I noticed that the outside out-side plaster of my house was cracked all over on all four sides of the 'house. What can I use to fill up these cracks? ANSWER: 1 suppose you mean "stucco" when you speak or "plaster." If the stucco had only a few large cracks, they could probably be repaired. Since it is cracked all over, you may need to have it stripped off and new stucco stuc-co applied. Large cracks should first be widened and deepened, then patched with a cement mortar. mor-tar. The usual mortar mixture for stucco repair is one part Portland cement, either white or gray, and three parts clean, coarse sand, with just enough water to make a workable mixture. Or you can get a ready mixed patching mortar which is not the same thing as patching plaster. When widening a crack for filling, cut into it so that the groove is wider at the lath than at the surface. Brush out all loose cement, and then soak the edges well with water. Pack with mortar, and just before the patch sets, work the surface into a texture to match that of the stucco. stuc-co. Keep the patches wet for three or four days so that the cement will cure. Sometimes a white stucco stuc-co wall can be matched with a white cement and light yellow, building sand, or white marb'e lust. For. a good even effect, you :an coat the whole wall with a lampproof cement paint. Very narrow hair line cracks can ne ailed by painting the stucco with the cement base paint. Get your materials from a dealer in building build-ing or masonry supplies. A stucco repair man would know what would be best to do. |
