Thread: Drywall or Stucco First

The builder initially said they do the drywall first as long as the roof is on and since its concrete block construction. My house is 2 to 3 weeks behind due to failed inspections so they are letting the sub contractor do the stucco first. In addition, they nail in the drywall rather than use screws. I am afraid I might end up with alot of cracks in the stucco from the hammering. I have heard arguments that the stucco going first will help keep the drywall from getting moisture. Any thoughts

thanks
Matt

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Originally Posted by mattjung

The builder initially said they do the drywall first as long as the roof is on and since its concrete block construction. My house is 2 to 3 weeks behind due to failed inspections so they are letting the sub contractor do the stucco first. In addition, they nail in the drywall rather than use screws. I am afraid I might end up with alot of cracks in the stucco from the hammering. I have heard arguments that the stucco going first will help keep the drywall from getting moisture. Any thoughts

thanks
Matt

Dude, you need to hire your own consultant/inspector to help you with this home. Just with your few post I can tell that you have some problems... Spend a few hundred dollars, get some advice and you will sleep better... Plenty of good inspectors in the Jacksonville area.

Hi Scott

Yes please email me some recommendations of inspectors. I did get a quote from Home Pro but they only inspect slab, drywall and final walk through. It seems I need someone to go there one a week. The area has been booming and everyone is shorthanded. I did have a friend of mine's husband who used to be a builder with centex look at it and said it was structurally sound but some things were sloppy in regards to the framing

I do enjoy learning about the process and how a house gets built.I wish i learned this when I was younger

thanks
Matt

Are the walls concrete block? What did you mean by concrete block construction?

Hi Jim
Yes the exterior walls are concrete block and the interior walls are wood. I am just here to learn from others and contribute if I can as well

thanks
Matt

AmeriSpec of Northeast Florida, Inc.
Jacksonville, FL 32257
904-448-5016
AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services
Charles Gifford is an excellent inspector

With that type of construction, I don't think it will make much difference which one you do first, as long as the roof is completed for the drywall.

I agree with Jack, give Charles a call.

There is no way that driving nails for drywall will crack stucco thru a block wall. They are not spikes, more like tacks.

Thanks John and everyone for your feedback. I appreciate all the help I just see what happens and give an update if there are any issues

Matt

Whether you do your stucco now or later you should consider your moisture barrier.

From experience I can tell you that once the stucco has been applied, the home is much more water resistant. At the last builder I worked for that was our policy. We had one super who was in a hurry and had the drywall installed before the stucco. There was a big rain storm and he had to remove a lot of the drywall because it was soaked. The home next door (at the same stage) did not have a drop of water in it because the stucco had been done first.

Originally Posted by Robert Sole

From experience I can tell you that once the stucco has been applied, the home is much more water resistant. At the last builder I worked for that was our policy.

Same here. Nailing the drywall will not compromise the stucco.

Enjoy the new home!

I have a stupid question..........what's the blue green stuff on the framing and block walls?

Originally Posted by Lon Henderson

I have a stupid question..........what's the blue green stuff on the framing and block walls?

It's not a stupid question - you asked it ... it would only have been stupid to not ask it.

Almost-next-to-worthless termite treatment.

It actually works ... for the first wave of the attack, and if there was not an endless supply of termites in the colony ... the first wave of termites eats the poison and dies - just like it is supposed to work, but ...

... the second wave, and the third wave, and the forth wave, fewer and fewer die as the treated wood is limited and then the untreated wood is their breakfast, lunch and supper.

I read a report which UF did on it which stated the above as the treatment is only a small fraction of an inch deep, maybe 1/16 to 1/8 inch deep, once the termites keep coming, the poisoned part is eaten away and the untreated part is ready to be eaten (if you were a termite).

The above said, though, it passed the tests and is an approved termite treatment method, just like bait systems are. Honest.

Thanks and your explanation makes sense. Termites are such a rare problem here, that we don't do that.

Surprised no one could come up with correct answer here...Frame construction demands that the LATH and Roof be installed prior to sheetrock in order to dry-in the house. Then the sheetrock can be stocked and hung. Then, the stucco is applied. Banging on the studs will weaken the stucco and is not recommended.
The roof can be stocked, with the paper down and material(tile or shingles) stacked uniformly ready to install, and still be considered dried in out here(Southern AZ), But if it were my house where rainfall was more frequent, I'd make them complete the roof install before installing the sheetrock.
There is also another purpose in stocking the roof. You need to load the structure with the intended final weight before applying stucco or plaster. There are settlement issues, and those stresses need to occur before applying a brittle cladding like stucco.
Of course if the entire outside walls are CMU block, then it really doesn't need any lath unless the base coat is over 5/8" thick, but it still needs control joints, and other casing & corner trims. Also smart to have the windows in before sheetrock. In that case, the lath and stucco could be done together, but the roof still needs to be loaded.