My house is currently being framed up with cement SIPs from Thermasave. I was planning on just applying synthetic stucco to the outside but after watching it come together there are just to many gaps and holes. Especially where the TJI floor joists are. So I want to apply a complete traditional finish on the outside with metal lathe and stucco. The stucco sub-contractor isn't sure how to attached the lathe properly, and I agree with him that staples probably won't work very well. Any ideas on how to attach metal lathe to cement SIPs properly? Mark

Stainless steel No. 10 x 1 1/4" sheet metal screws with stainless steel fender washers.

Where are you building your Thermasave SIPS home? 

Mark,

What are the gaps and holes that you are referring to? I haven't heard of this before and would like comments from others regarding the possibility of treating the gaps like wonderboard and using fiberglass tape and the red seal. Perhaps you could patch and not need the cost of wrap and lath?

Like I said before there are 12" sections of my house where the TJIs are that only have OSB protecting it. I have a two story home with a concrete basement. Then on top of that when they shipped the SIPs they didn't put blocks under the straps and the strap crack the edges on several panels. I wasn't happy. The building inspector has been extremely wary and told me from the beginning that he didn't think it would be tight enough to not have a wrap. There is no way he is going to let me just patch and cover holes. So I've resigned to using a wrap, which is probably the best thing anyways. Mark

Los Alamos, NM. My panels came from Dallas by Thermasave. Mark