Stucco is a product that is used on house surfaces and walls to get a better texture and colour. This is a durable material so that it can be used for exterior and interior surfaces of your house. Builders use parging to cover the surface of the wall. It’s almost similar to stucco but uses a special adhesive to complete the interior and exterior of the stone and brick walls. Applying a coating parging on the wall surface will protect your house from nature’s harsh elements.
Find out the key differences between parging and stucco and how exactly they diverge from each other.
Definition of stucco
Traditional stucco is a type of plaster that is cement based, applied on the outside and inside of the building and mainly on the walls. Professional stucco contractors work with this material, made of hardener, lime, sand, and cement, making it a low-maintenance product. Similar to traditional plaster, stucco can be scooped, textured, and brushed to give better effects at the finishing. Stucco is normally prepared on-site, and it requires triple coats.
Definition of Parging
Parging is used by masons, and this covers the wall surface. It’s almost similar to stucco, but the parging material is made of a special adhesive to complete the interior and exterior of the stone and brick walls. Applying a coating parging on the wall surface will protect your house from nature’s harsh elements. You will find the coating of parging mostly on basement walls and the exterior of a house.
Stucco Vs Parging
Parging and stucco both are finishes for buildings; stucco contractors use this on the inside of the house and outside too. The same procedure goes for parging. But there is a difference between these two finishes:
- Parging is a high-quality plaster that offers better protection to weak spots of the house from snow, rain, and ice. The most vulnerable area of a house is the spot where the building wall joins the ground. Parging is also used to seal small cracks and air leaks on the walls, derive cold air out and invite warm air in. However, parging material is mostly applied to the building part where it joins the ground and can be applied on the vertical ground.
- Stucco is an old material and its the use of stucco homes date back to ancient Greece and Rome. Older coats of stucco on the wall can form cracks, and chips will show up on the surface. But with three new coats of stucco, the wall will have a nice and textured finish. When contractors work with this material, they mix stringer adhesive and acrylic to make it durable and tough. However, you have to maintain the surface.
- The uses of parging and stucco are almost the same, but the uses are not. Also, you must leave the application work for the professional builders.
Mixing of stucco
Stucco is a cement-based plaster so that it can be mixed with plain water, and it should be prepared on-site just before the work. You can also get pre-mixed stucco, where you have to add water to apply it to the walls. The stucco mix contains:
- Water
- Ten percent hydrated lime weighed with the volume of the cement
- One part cement
- Three sections of sand
The slower process of stucco drying makes it stronger. Professional contractors keep stucco mix under shade if they are working in a sunny climate; this prevents the drying out of the mix. Also, you should not apply this material when the temperature is lower than forty degrees Fahrenheit.
Mixing of parging
The parging mix includes cement, water, and lime. The professional uses the right measurement to mix parging. If the mixing isn’t properly done, it will not give better protection to your walls. Thus, it’s important to hire professional masons to do the work. Once the proper mixture is prepared, the professional applies it to the wet surface with a tool. It will depend on your choice, on the texture you want on the wall. You will get different designs, which can give a better look to your house. But you need to do this work with the help of professional masons only. This is mainly because badly mixed parging can get stuck on the wall.
Conclusion
Stucco and parging are both plaster materials, but they have some differences in their application and usages. You can use both materials in different places, but make sure to hire a professional builder for this work.