One of the shorcomings of useing glue is that to much water in the mix can cause what is known a crazy cracking.

Get an estimate for sandblasting and color coat.
A procees which will return you to a totally lime based finish, whose color can be changed by fog coating, as well as, but rather than paint.

Two different stucco guys here in Phoenix told me we would have to put a new layer of lath then new stucco. I think this would be better than the glue method. Glue is used to put that crackle finish on furniture to make it look old. No wonder it causes "crazy cracking" LOL!

Thanks snoonyb and houseful for the feedback.
Snoonyb, I had a question about the sandblasting and color coat. Will that result in a smooth finish or does there need to be some intermediate stucco coat which provides the smooth finish?
Is color coat the same as fog coat?
I just checked out LaHabra's fog coat and it's instructions say to consult them if you want to change colors rather than just enhance the existing color. Hmmmm, makes me think it's not really suited for completely changing the color of old stucco.......but maybe other companies' products are different?

houseful;
What were their comments as to the cause of the deterioration of the existing material?

"Snoonyb, I had a question about the sandblasting and color coat. Will that result in a smooth finish or does there need to be some intermediate stucco coat which provides the smooth finish?"

An additional layer of stucco should only need to be applied where the existing has been compromised sufficiently that the lime is visibly leaching out.

The color coat, the third layer in the process, has a "sand finish" as its most common application and a smooth finish is achieved by tooling a tinted mortar product, either site or transit mixed (for color consistency).

"Is color coat the same as fog coat?"

No, fog coat is color coat without the aggregate and is applied with a quality hand-pump sprayer over stucco, and other lime based cementatious products,, which have not been painted.

"I just checked out LaHabra's fog coat and it's instructions say to consult them if you want to change colors rather than just enhance the existing color. Hmmmm, makes me think it's not really suited for completely changing the color of old stucco"

That's correct, the best results occur when the surface to be "colored" is the original finish.

"but maybe other companies' products are different?"

Usually not. Lime based products are not the vestal.

Here is another link that may broaden your horizon;www.missionstucco.com

Snoonyb, I didn't talk to them about deterioration. I had never even heard of the glue method until you mentioned it. I just know that is what is used for crackling furniture. I inquired about restuccoing our house because, like Pchow, it has so much paint on it that I just don't like the way it looks.

houseful;

Interesting, the method of attaching the wire over a heavily painted surface would raise some suspicions, indeed.

I've done "crackle coat" out of the can, using a hair dryer and some rapidly evaporating chemicals.

"Crazy cracking" is a term firefighters use to describe glass exposed to high heat, rapidly.

Here are a couple of additional links for you folks to peruse;http://www.omega-products.com/r420/systems/index.html
http://architecture.about.com/library/blgloss-stucco.htm
http://www.merlex.com/

What kind of suspicions? People all over this area are restuccoing their homes with the smooth finish.

houseful;

Its the method of attaching the wire over the existing painted surface, unless there is another step.
Its not a system used here on the truly left coast, where sandblasting is.

Well, they do put the black paper on first, but I thought that was considered part of the lath. Am I wrong?

"houseful;"

By this, "Two different stucco guys here in Phoenix told me we would have to put a new layer of lath then new stucco", go you mean that the entire previous stucco is removed?

Is that the step I'm missing?

And they start over.

Seems like a tremendous waste.

No, nothing is removed. They go right over the old stuff. They wrap the house with tar paper and chicken wire.

I am very curious how this turned out. I'm planning to match the stucco of the old house to the 1000 sq foot addition we're currently building. I think I better ask my builder tomorrow what's in the bid.

Houseful,

If they go over the old stucco, not only will you never see what damage and leaks etc might need to be repaired - well maybe in theory the new stucco will protect it - your walls are going to get really thick. You might need to replace or extend window sills/flashings etc, since if they become recessed in the stucco, water will get behind them. Not good.

I think the only way to get a satisfactory result would be to remove old stucco. I've done it, not fun. Mind you I dislike stucco from that point of view anyway :)

Just because these guys SAY they can do it that way, doesn't make it so. Ask to see previous examples of this redo, and ask the owners how it's held up.

Remodeling is HUGE around here and I don't know of anyone that removed the old stucco. Maybe some have, but I haven't noticed. Maybe because it is so dry here, nobody worries about the leaks. I don't really have an answer, but you have raised some issues that I will pursue.

This is why I'll stick with the sandblast and recolor coat, the sandblasting will remove all of the calcified product as well as all of the cracks, which can then be patched with a vinyl product (elastomeric) and then the color applied.

There is also a method used by old timers to prevent cracking where new and old join, and that is to strip the stucco from several inches of existing wire lath so that it can be lapped over the new where they intersect.

For more about stucco.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stucco Questions and answers

I've spoken to a few more stucco contractors plus a respected GC in our area. All of the stucco contractors, except one, have recommended applying glue to the old stucco and then applying two coats of stucco in order to match it to the new.
The GC said the glue method was pretty much standard practice in our area (CA, Bay Area), but added that the old stucco surface should be power washed to loosen old paint, etc. prior to applying glue.