Need Some Advise On Stucco

[what the]

I have a fairly large monument I am looking at to referbish into a different look for customer.... 17ft wide by 6ft tall- Currently with polycarb inserts. They want this to have channel letters affixed which forces a new metal skin- I am planning on doing a cover up with dibond--- keeping the poly to used as extra support to drill into---
Then stucco the face-
I have never used stucco for signs; Is there a special kind? The dibond is not mill finish- (its a Powdercoat finish)- Will this stick? Do I need air compressor- Any help is welcome.
Thank you!

 

[Johnny Best]

I would use wire mesh or rib lath if you are going to stucco. But since you have never done this you should get a professional to do it. If you are set on doing it yourself you better read up on the procedure and equipment first, Yes, you need an air compressor and a hopper. You should put a nice knock down finish on after appying it with spray stucco.

 

[ThatGuy]

If doing real stucco you will need to call a professional and outsource. ACM will not work with stucco. You can however do a faux finish of paint with texture on the ACM.

 

[Billct2]

You can also look at pre-finished panels.
Wimsatt Building Materials - JH HardiePanel Stucco ColorPlus 4'x8'

 

[signbrad]

what the:
I have done a number of signs over the years using the Dryvit system (or a similar system). It is a synthetic stucco applied to foam insulation board. In every case I hired pros to do the actual work. I have worked as a helper on some of the jobs, mainly to learn how it was done. Even so, I would not attempt it on my own.
Often they installed 3/4 plywood as the substrate, then attached the 1-inch foam board with both fasteners and adhesive. Then a base coat of stucco was applied by trowel, a little rectangular trowel, not the pointy ones the brick guys use. A "brown coat" was what they called the base coat, I think. A fiberglass mesh was pressed into this coat as it was applied. After it was dry, a colored finish coat was applied.
Even though this synthetic stucco is not as heavy as real masonry stucco, it still has weight. I doubt that an ACM panel would be suitable behind it, as ThatGuy said above. Not only would ACM not support the weight, but it would probably flex too much, not to mention the possible adhesion issue.

If I were going to do a job like this with Dryvit, or a similar brand of synthetic stucco, I would show the sign to a stucco guy and ask what should be done. It can look absolutely awesome, but prepare for it to be expensive.

Textured paint would be far less expensive and easier to refinish later. I also like the idea Billct2 suggested: HardiePanels. Many contractors in our area use "Hardie boards" to cover over old store fascias. We have installed many channel letters onto HardiePanels.
Also, we just bid on a job using a textured panel made from HDU. It looks like brick. I've not used it before and am very curious to see how it turns out if we get the job. I think it is available in different looks, such as stucco, wood, etc.

Brad in Kansas City

 

[bowtievega]

You should look into a product called montex by Triarch. It is a textured material that you can spray or roll onto a substrate. Comes in different grits for different levels of texture. We use medium or fine for most applications. The medium is sort of like sand finish stucco. We use a simple drywall texture gun to spray it onto panels. Works fine with ACM but you need to sand the ACM first so it has some tooth to stick to. Should be available at sign supply places. We also do our own standard stucco as well but as signbrad stated you can't allow it to flex very much or it will crack. Normal stucco will not bond to ACM panels either. You would need to attach concrete tile board to the monument prior to stucco. The stucco needs to be applied to a cement based substrate to bond properly. We typically only use standard stucco on our block or concrete walls. Montex is the way to go bro!