Rio Rancho Stucco Repair A stucco repair that did not hold, and a weep screed that got covered
Two complaints often arrive together: “a crack was repaired and it came back,” and “whoever did it covered the weep screed.” They are related. Both are signs that the last repair dealt with what showed on the surface and not with where the water goes.
What a weep screed does, and why covering it matters
Traditional three-coat stucco, and most synthetic systems, are not waterproof. Some rain always gets through the finish. The wall is built to handle that: a weather-resistive paper behind the stucco carries the water down, and the weep screed at the base of the wall lets it out.
New Mexico’s residential code (14.7.3 NMAC, the 2021 International Residential Code with state amendments) sets the screed at least 4 inches above the earth or half an inch above paved areas (its amended section R703.7.2.1). That clearance is the point. Pile rock against it, pour a patio up to it, or stucco straight over it, and water that gets behind the wall has nowhere to leave. It sits at the bottom of the wall, soaks the paper and lath, and eventually shows as staining, soft or hollow stucco, or cracks that keep opening.
Signs the screed is covered
- You cannot see the metal strip at the base of the wall at all, or only in places.
- Stucco runs straight down into the ground or onto a slab with no break.
- Rock, soil or mulch is piled against the wall above where the screed should be.
- White efflorescence, staining, or soft stucco in the bottom foot of the wall.
- Cracks near the base that were repaired and have come back.
Why earlier repairs fail
| What happened | Why it failed | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Crack caulked or skimmed over | The crack keeps moving, and the surface repair has nowhere to go | Open the crack, repair it to the system on the wall, and match the finish |
| Patch in the wrong material | Cement patch on synthetic stucco, or the reverse, moves differently and separates | Cut back and patch in the matching system |
| Crack sealed but wall was wet behind it | Wet paper and rusted lath keep failing under the new finish | Cut out to sound material, new paper and lath, then patch |
| Patch taken down over the screed | Water behind the wall is trapped at the base | Cut the stucco back so the screed drains again |
| Patio or rock against the wall | Screed buried, bottom of the wall stays wet | Pull the rock back or regrade; a slab is scoped separately |
The first step on a failed repair is finding out which of these it is. That usually means looking at the crack, tapping the wall around it for hollow spots, and checking the base of the wall for the screed.
What doing it right involves
The old repair is opened, not covered again. If the stucco around the crack is sound, the crack is routed, filled with material that suits the system on the wall, and the texture and color are matched (see color and texture matching). If the area is hollow or wet, it is cut back to sound stucco and rebuilt in layers with new paper lapped into the old, which is stucco patching.
Where the screed is covered, the stucco is cut back so there is a clean break above it again, and anything piled against the wall is pulled back. If a concrete slab has been poured tight to the screed, that is a bigger conversation and it is scoped on site rather than guessed at.
Whether your house is traditional stucco or synthetic (EIFS) changes the materials. If you are not sure which you have, the EIFS vs traditional stucco page explains how to tell.
Related problems
- Cracks, and what they mean for reading a crack before anything is done to it.
- Hollow or blistered stucco, which is often where a trapped-water problem ends up.
- Leaking around a window, the other place water gets behind the wall.
Prices are on the pricing page. We cover Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Corrales, Bernalillo, Placitas, and Los Ranchos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a weep screed?
It is the metal strip along the bottom edge of a stucco wall, just above the foundation, with small openings or a gap along its length. Water that gets behind the stucco runs down the paper and out through the screed. If that exit is covered, the water stays in the wall.
What covers a weep screed?
Usually one of four things: a patch or a new coat of stucco taken right down over it, a concrete patio or sidewalk poured up against it, landscape rock or soil piled against the wall, or thick paint and sealant that fill the openings. All of them turn the bottom of the wall into a place where water collects.
Why did a crack come back after it was repaired?
Most often because the repair treated the surface and not the cause: caulk or a skim of stucco over a crack that keeps moving, a patch that did not match the system on the wall (cement patch on synthetic stucco, or the reverse), or a crack that was carrying water and was sealed over without the wet paper and lath behind it being dealt with.
What does it cost to redo a failed repair?
It falls in the same published ranges as a first repair: typically $200 to $800 for crack repair, and $500 to $2,000 if the area has to be cut out and patched. Opening a screed that is buried under stucco is usually part of that patch. Removing a concrete pour or regrading is separate work and is scoped on site.