Any 1st hand experiences?

It dries very quickly in warmer temperatures. I would NOT apply it above 90F. Best to do it in the shade or when temps are under 80F. It's a one-coat but two-pass system. Spray or trowel, then fiberglass mesh, then spray or trowel final coat.

It needs to be painted with an exterior latex paint once dry. Dries rock hard and it's very tough.

If you stop the install for the day, always end on a corner, for aesthetics and a cold joint.

Compared to STO and other products, I believe it's faster and easier ONCE you learn the technique to apply. Cost wise, StuccoMax saves you on labor since it's one-coat, two-pass vs STO and other synthetics which require multiple days to apply.

We have used it over ICF as a primus replacement. Same base coat method as Lbear mentioned but we used 11 oz recommended mesh instead of 4 oz mesh as that is standard stucco practice. We then applied stucco primer and elastomeric stucco over it so it would match installation methods and not confuse installers any more. Simple just mix their mix with water and apply to a clean eps surface. We have one over 6 years and another 2 years and no noticeable cracks and very water resistant. Pricey though. Owner was tired of standard stucco practices and cracking issues. He did not want standard skim coat or traditional hard coat stucco on lathe on his ICF home.

Can StuccoMax be applied and floated to give a smooth finish?

Posted By Gold Star Construction on 02 Jul 2016 04:04 PM
We have used it over ICF as a primus replacement. Same base coat method as Lbear mentioned but we used 11 oz recommended mesh instead of 4 oz mesh as that is standard stucco practice. We then applied stucco primer and elastomeric stucco over it so it would match installation methods and not confuse installers any more. Simple just mix their mix with water and apply to a clean eps surface. We have one over 6 years and another 2 years and no noticeable cracks and very water resistant. Pricey though. Owner was tired of standard stucco practices and cracking issues. He did not want standard skim coat or traditional hard coat stucco on lathe on his ICF home.

So you applied StuccoMax, let it cure, then applied another type of elastomeric stucco over the StuccoMax?

Did you hand trowel StuccoMax or use a hopper/spray gun?

Have you tried Styro TUFF II? First rasp the ICF to remove any oxidation, then apply sticky fiberglass mesh to ICF, then hawk/trowel or hopper spray a 1/16” base layer and then another 1/16” texture layer. You can do both layers shortly after each other or you can let first layer dry and then do the second layer at another time. It applies nicely even above 100F and is very durable and tough. It is also water resistant, it comes in several colors, it doesn’t need to be painted (but it can be painted if desired) and it is rated for soil contact. Since it is an acrylic product, it contracts/expands at the same rate of EPS and cracking is not an issue even in extreme temp variation climates. It is pricey and the 5 gallon pre-mixed buckets are very heavy.

Any other firsthand StuccoMax experience?