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Welcome to Plaster Hawk!

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Why this Website?

There is a twofold purpose to this website. The obvious is that it exists as a useful source of information on the plastering craft and the various disciplines within the craft. The second purpose is to promote my professional consulting services. Please take a look around. If there is any article that piques your interest you can read it for a small fee, or you can become a member and have unlimited access to the content of the site.

I first had the idea that I was going to write a book on plaster. While there is a lot of reference materials around, the information is old and really needs to be brought up to date. Over the years I have come to realize that Architects, Specifiers, Building Officials, Plastering Contractors and the public are all looking for answers to their basic and sometimes not so basic questions. The more I talked about the book the further it seemed to move away as a logical objective. The reality is that like those old reference materials, new books quickly become old books. Websites on the other hand remain fluid, so the inspiration is to provide you with current information that can be updated quickly. In that light you might consider this website my living book on plaster.

The "Anagnorisis" Moment
Anyway, the hope of this little website is to be informative if not enlightening. In the Greek tragedies there is term called “anagnorisis.” Succinctly, this is the critical moment in time of discovery or clarity about a situation. Aristotle defined anagnorisis as "a change from ignorance to knowledge." In this respect I hope that we both can learn from one another and each have those moments of anagnorisis.

Who am I?
I have been involved in the plastering industry for over 24 years. If you want to find out more about me take a look at the "Short History" and my Curriculum Vitae on the Consulting Services page. In 2000 in response to moisture intrusion issues in stucco clad homes, I wrote a handbook titled Stucco in Residential Construction. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think that, that little book would become the standard for not only Minnesota, but it seems for many other states. It blows me away when I get calls from forensic experts and building officials from as far away as Florida, Delaware, New Hampshire, Kansas etc. Coincidentally, I have also learned that my little handbook is cited in ASTM E2266 - 04 Standard Guide for Design and Construction of Low-Rise Frame Building Wall Systems to Resist Water Intrusion.

What are we going to discuss?
I have a strong background in drawing and details so you are going to see that skill set often in the information contained in this website. I also have a good working knowledge of stucco and EIFS, but I am not limited by that background. I am familiar with the International Building Code and the ASTM Standards. I want to gain your trust. Once I have done that, then we will consider whether what I share with you might be a useful tool to you.

How are we going to do this?
I intend to post a draft of an article or detail as often as I can come up with something worth talking about. Usually about once a week. Hopefully this is going to spur your desire to discuss the topic. I will also host a discussion board (forum) to air our appreciation for an article, to lambaste it or improve upon it.

Membership Has Its Priviledges!
Because this is a new website, I want to make a special offer to individual and Group Inaugural members. Hurry! This offer is subject to change without notice!

First: Become an Individual member at the low low price of $70 for the first year, or a Group Member at $140 for the first year. That is a 30% savings over the regular membership! To put this in perspective, if you buy each article individually they are $5/ each. Become a member and it gets you a whole library to peruse and download. That library will continue to grow with your membership.
Secondly: Members joining in our inaugural first year will continue to get a 20% discount if you choose to renew on or before your yearly expiration date.
Third: You have access to one of the best resources in the plastering industry. In my position, I maintain a library of information that dates back over a half century. Feel free to e-mail me, or give me a call. If I have a ready or easy answer to your query, I have no qualms about sharing my response with you.
Fourth: Need research? Looking for a fire rating on a specific plaster assembly? How about consultation on a construction detail? Need a letter? I can help for a nominal fee.
Fifth: Be a member and you have access to our on-line forum. You might be surprised at what you may learn from others who have already experienced the issue or problem being discussed.

Steven Pedracine, Plaster Hawk Consulting LLC

Recent articles

CI: Continuous Insulation or Complex Installation? (in: Continuous Insulation (CI)): I was recently asked by a large architectural firm to stop by to answer some pressing questions about stucco installation. It seems they were particularly interested in clearing up concerns they had about water-resistive barriers, drainage planes and the use of continuous insulation in their wall assemblies. As you will see by this article, something that seems so simple can quickly become over complicated.

A Unique Solution to Attaching an EIFS Feature Over Existing Stucco (in: Stucco Info): Last Summer I was asked by a local architect to look at an old apartment building. Not one to turn down work for Twin City plasterers, I showed up on site to a dilapidated stucco building in serious need of a complete modernization. As excited as I was at the opportunity, I soon realized that the owner had no desire to fix all the cracks and to re-dash the building. The owner was actually intent upon just adding eyebrow band features over the windows to give the building an art deco kind of look. It seems the fellow was enamored with a restaurant he frequented with that theme and thought it would really add some character and charm to his dilapidated stucco building. To further frustrate me, I found out that this cheapskate didn’t even want to hire a plasterer to do the upgrades, but rather he wanted to rely on the maintenance man to do the job. Why he even bothered to hire the architect was all the more perplexing.

Notes from the April 2012 AWCI Committee Meetings (in: General Info): As part of my role as Executive Director of the Minnesota Lath and Plaster Bureau, one responsibility I have is to attend the Executive Committee meetings at AWCI once a year. “Once a year” to me is quite enough, because they meet for their annual convention and fund raiser and then again in the fall of the year at what they call Executive Committee week. Sometimes I wonder if these meetings are productive, or just an excuse for a bunch of industry fat cats to get together and play golf. Don’t get me wrong, some of these meetings can be productive, if not informative, others however seem to be simply a formal exercise. People you think that would have an interest frequently don’t even show up. I guess from the aspect of renewing acquaintances, meeting new ones and learning about new products the convention is worthwhile, however I sometimes wonder about the value based upon the exorbitant prices attached to the air flight, the hotel room and the high priced meals. Anyway enough on that rant, the purpose of this article is to fill you in on the committee meetings I attended.

The Energy Code and Housing (in: EIFS Info): Last week I was invited to attend BAM's (Builders Association of Minnesota) summit on how the energy code now being considered here in Minnesota will affect house construction. The Builders Association feels that they build houses to a better than average standard of energy efficiency, so they are against the new code. What they presented was a component by component comparison between the existing code requirements and the new code. I am presenting this information to you, because once again I think the plastering industry is poised for these inevitable changes in the form of continuous insulation on the outside of the building envelope.

EPS Band Features Over EIFS (in: PB EIFS Barrier System): I guess this issue is a a bit of a pet peave for me. I spent a good year in Wilmington North Carolina investigating EIFS moisture intrusion issues for a major EIFS company. What I realized was that outside corners that included quoins and features around windows all seemed to have one thing in common...read on to learn more.

Save a Plasterer: Specify DEFS Soffits (in: EIFS Info): I remember years ago, DEFS was used not only on soffits, but also on vertical wall planes in not only arrid dry climates, but also in rain forest environmements such as Puerto Rico or Hawaii as well. Finally we do not see these types of systems being put up in suspect in environments, or do we? In this article we explore the history of DEFS and look at a rather perplexing requirement described in ICC Acceptance Criteria (AC 59) which could impact your next DEFS soffit project.

Continuous Insulation: Evaluating the Performance of Stucco and EIFS Under New Energy Code Provisions (in: Stucco Info): The new energy code mandates have created constructability issues that need to be addressed. In this article we take a look at using EIFS and stucco based on the 2009 IECC. Stucco presents unique challenges if the designer wants to put all of the insulation outboard of the framing. Read on to learn more.

Sand Proportioning in Stucco Mixes (in: Stucco Info): Some of us are not use to reading the fine print. So this may be an eye opener to some of you out there. If you have a copy of ASTM C 926 or the PCA Portland Cement Plaster (Stucco) Manual, you can confirm what I am about to share with you.

Fixing Sealant Joints in EIFS (Method 2) (in: PB EIFS with Drainage): Sometimes unfortunately, sealant joints not only need to be replaced, but the basecoat substrate that they are attached to needs to be as well. Going even further, there can be a substantive failure of the sheathing that supports the EIFS. In this article we take a look at the repair method oftentimes necessary when the whole joint needs to be replaced.

Fixing Sealant Joints in EIFS (Method 1) (in: EIFS Info): I am a big believer in trying new methods. A tool that I recently came across is called a "high frequency oscillating tool." Doing a little experimentation, I found that this is an invaluable tool for repairing sealant joints in EIFS.

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