Building a new house and shop (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter 1911
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I spec a fair amount of STO products. The "simple answer" I give is it's a synthetic or polymer stucco - although they do a lot more than that. There are both interior and exterior formulations. Most people generically call it "Dryvit" although that is a brand. I prefer STO over Dryvit, though.
Just a question, but is the wood framing treated at all? The pictures don't look it. I typically use treated lumber or put in a vapor barrier between lumber and masonry/concrete just because there is inherent moisture in cementitious products that can lead to rot and or mold/mildew.
Just a question, but is the wood framing treated at all? The pictures don't look it. I typically use treated lumber or put in a vapor barrier between lumber and masonry/concrete just because there is inherent moisture in cementitious products that can lead to rot and or mold/mildew.
1911
chupacabra
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- #723
The builder does not use treated lumber or a vapor barrier in contact with the concrete; in his (considerable) experience they are not needed for this kind of construction. I was a little surprised by this, but he is not cutting corners since I am buying all the materials and I am just paying him for labor and knowledge at this point. I am willing to trust him. The house has been very dry since it was dried in, not damp at all.
Climate obviously has an impact. My experience is that concrete absorbs moisture just from the ambient humidity and then wood in contact with concrete has issues.
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I wouldn’t go down that rabbit hole.
The lime in the cement is organic (will continue to interact with things) regardless . Same with the plaster. Don’t even get me started on the potpourri of chemicals that are used to treat the lumber, bond the furniture, increase the durability of rugs, towels and clothing. I put a Pergo floor down in my office in 2017. I swear there are times when I can still smell it outgassing.
Humans have always lived in the presence of mold. And sometimes the ‘solution’ is worse than the problem. We have a pandemic to prove that.
The lime in the cement is organic (will continue to interact with things) regardless . Same with the plaster. Don’t even get me started on the potpourri of chemicals that are used to treat the lumber, bond the furniture, increase the durability of rugs, towels and clothing. I put a Pergo floor down in my office in 2017. I swear there are times when I can still smell it outgassing.
Humans have always lived in the presence of mold. And sometimes the ‘solution’ is worse than the problem. We have a pandemic to prove that.
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Dunbar
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Parker County Texas dosen't suffer the humidity we have near the gulf coast. Not as dry as West Texas where i was raised but pleasant weather. I would almost trade the humidity and mosquitoes for upland weather and a few wild hogs.
Definitely a rabbit hole. And I agree on the chemical issue. A simple solution I've used is a roll of the foam sill seal between wood and concrete to separate them - cheap and easy. Where water/moisture is a greater concern, there is self-stick EPDM rolls that are used for seams and repairs in membrane roofs that works well.
Plain old tar paper works too.
I just cut the tar paper off with a razor knife after the board is anchored. Then I use the cutoff tar paper under the next board. Doesn't seem too bad or messy. Razor blades get beat up, but tar paper cuts easy even when the blade is dull.Downside is that tar paper comes in wide rolls and you'd have to cut it down - which can be a mess with the... umm... tar...
If you have a source for narrow tar paper rolls, I'd love to see it. It would be useful.
I thought this was your house for a second. 
Just climbed out of the storm cellar for tornado warning. Got me thinking how nice a home like yours would be!
1911
chupacabra
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I thought this was your house for a second.
That one has the look of one where the the domes were made by spraying shotcrete over inflated balloons. I know a guy that built a house like that, though his is all above ground. I noticed the domes on this one are basically unfinished on the inside, they just painted over the rough concrete.
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N.O.A.H.
1911
chupacabra
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More work with the builder here again this week. Skimming the STO plaster with drywall mud to smooth out irregularities, in one of the dome modules:
![IMG_2378[1].JPG](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='1920' height='1440' viewBox%3D'0 0 1920 1440'%2F%3E "IMG_2378[1].JPG")
Learning as we go. You can continue skimming multiple layers of drywall mud, depending on how perfect you want the surface to be. Pretty sure we will not be willing to achieve Sistine Chapel perfection; at some point (two or three coats?), we will spray it with a light texture and call it good, accepting some irregularities/character.
Learning as we go. You can continue skimming multiple layers of drywall mud, depending on how perfect you want the surface to be. Pretty sure we will not be willing to achieve Sistine Chapel perfection; at some point (two or three coats?), we will spray it with a light texture and call it good, accepting some irregularities/character.
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After all, how different is it really to looking at the waves across a 40 year old ceiling where the sheetrock is screwed into the rafters? 
WarDamnEagle
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I would want some character in the ceiling; very Mediterranean. Not sure I would shoot it with texture either. I have seen lots of domed ceilings in Greece, Italy, etc. and they all have a smooth but imperfect surface (waves and cervices but no raised areas.....if that makes sense). Obviously your decision and I'm sure either way it will look great.
So it looks like he's using a tape knife like you use for sheetrock joints. I would have thought a rectangular trowel like you use for concrete or plaster would give "the look" that I have in my mind. Take that with a grain of salt as I couldn't finish a sheetrock joint if my life depended on it.
So it looks like he's using a tape knife like you use for sheetrock joints. I would have thought a rectangular trowel like you use for concrete or plaster would give "the look" that I have in my mind. Take that with a grain of salt as I couldn't finish a sheetrock joint if my life depended on it.
