Blotchy brownstone stucco

I had a stoop rebuilt on my brick rowhouse.  We’re having the new stoop covered in what I believe is referred to as “stucco”– a cement that looks like brownstone.  The rest of the facade will remain brick. The subcontractor got the color wrong and is redoing it, but we noticed that the original job had some white blotchiness and uneven coloring.  I was told that some of this is normal, and have seen that elsewhere.  But the subcontractor does not impress me and I want to do due diligence in discussing this with the contractor, who doesn’t seem very experienced himself with this kind of masonry.  Before they redo the work: what should I be asking of the contractor?  Is blotchiness normal or is it a sign of incorrect process?  I note that our contract is unfortunately vague about the nature of the work, so I may not have much ground for making demands, but the contract does seem to want to do the right thing. I note that this work is strictly in the brick/cinderblock stoop.

dkal

in Facade and Brownstone Repair 12 years and 11 months ago

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cupolacoffee | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Your white blotches are probably efflorescence. Getting the color right is easier said than done, since aggregate varies from bag to bag, and it’s not the only variable in the equation. It’s not just a matter of opening a ready-mix bag, adding pigment and mixing with water. Color-matching is the domain of craftsmen.

stevecym | 12 years and 11 months ago

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there was a post on here yesterday about someone having their brownstone stuccod and was asking what Brownstone Special Mortar was.  I commented on there about apply mortar in a stucco fashion and took a shot a saying that the mortar used for Brownstone is something mixed with a dye.  Now, someone else has come on and commented that there is in fact a landmarks recommended or in some cases specified mix that should be used.  See the other post and read the other person’s comment on where that recipe can be found.  I suggest this for two reasons:  maybe your contractor is using an inferior product or maybe they are not mixing it enough and the white is the result of undyed mortar leaching out?      Steve