Unfortunately we chose to use the Grailcoat synthetic stucco product on our new home 5 years ago.  It has been a mess from the beginning.  First we encountered a huge amount of effloresence the first year and then we have numerous cracks, more every year.  The cracks follow along the lines of the ICF blocks.  There are a few bubble-like
areas as well.  My question is how can we deal with this?  Will we have to remove all of the stucco and start over with something else or is there a good option for repairing the cracks.  The product was applied exactly as Grailcoat instructed. We have received no solutions from Grailcoat.  They simply say that no one else has ever had this problem.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

I see you are the only one to ever have problems too. It seems to be a common answer from many manufactures. I am not old enough to invent problems.

Not that I have a solution for you, but rest assured, 90% (IMHO) of problems are installer related, usually the installer is the root of the problem, not the product itself.

I would recommend getting a different contractor to have a look at your house and figure out why the failure. I can almost promise you it needs redoing. With the manufactures attitude I would be inclined to have it redone with one of their competitors products. You are not asking them to warranty it, you are asking them for an opinion and they are brushing you off by the sounds of it. Time to look around.

Good Luck

If you are getting cracks where the ICF blocks are at you might want to check and see if the contractor used mesh. 

Bevjeffray,

Can you give specific information such as, side of building affected NSEW, specific product used, any admixtures to the Grail coat type and dosage, time of year it was installed preferably the date, city of the country you are in, pictures, any colorants type and dosage, any topical water proofer applied, specifics of the ICF block you used density of foam ect., did you rasp the surface prior to installing the Grail coat and anything else you can think of.

Chris is right this is a common ploy from manufacturers to make you feel either stupid or special for having a problem with their wonderful product that was introduced to the world just in time to save it. I also think Chris is on the right track with getting an expert to look at your project. Preferably a certified Grail Coat installer.

ICF Contractor

Got this off of the Grail Coat website.

D.J. Grail Company, LLC, warrants that its SuperFlex, DuraFlex, or DuraSurf product will provide a waterproof barrier that will not crack or delaminate for a period of twenty years from the date of application when installed on a Wall and according to GrailCoat's instructions. D.J. Grail Company, LLC warrants its DuraFlex product will provide a waterproof barrier that will not crack or delaminate for a period of ten years from the date of application when installed on a Flat Roof or Deck and according to GrailCoat's instructions.

Hi Chris,

I was afraid that might be the solution.  Thanks so much for your advice.

Bev

yes, the contractor did use mesh and followed grailcoat's instructions exactly.  Anyone I have spoken to indicates that their instructions are the problem in that the first coat is applied over the mesh not under the mesh.  In theory it might seem like it would work as the mud goes right through the mesh, however, other applicators are saying that is completely wrong and given the problems we have, I would have to agree that Grailcoat's application process has serious flaws.

I don't know the product, but that does sound like an issue, but as you already found out experienced installers recognized this, know that it is wrong and know how to compensate for it.

This will be an expensive fix.

I would again contact Grailcoat, get to the head of tech support, let them know the issue and the opinions of professional experienced installers and how they apply base products with competitors products, find out why Grailcoats system is installed differently from everyone else. Ask for an onsite assessment of your particular installation. All this has to be accomplished with some form of tact.

If unsuccessful the lawyer is the next route, you know the $ 200.00 letter to the manufacturer putting them on notice of the events of your installation and it would be in there best interest to deal with this, yada yada yada. You get the idea.

Where is the original installer in all this? He should be doing the leg work on this, not you. If he is not interested either, a copy of the letter goes to him, if he is out of business than the letter goes to his insurance company. I don't know your state but consumer protection laws cover you for latent defects and this is obviously one of them by the sounds of it.

Did you see this thread?

http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/Forums/tabid/53/view/topic/postid/26427/Default.aspx

Looks like you're NOT the only one with problems