Is stucco non-combustable?

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Can anyone suggest a material I can cover a cinderblock wall with that would be non-combustable and low-cost? I want to tuck my woodstove up close to the basement wall but would like the wall to be "finished".

I've covered sheetrock walls with drywall mud and textured it; which was cheap and easy. But I ended up painting that.

Would stucco be non-combustable?

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Can anyone suggest a material I can cover a cinderblock wall with that would be non-combustable and low-cost? I want to tuck my woodstove up close to the basement wall but would like the wall to be "finished".

I've covered sheetrock walls with drywall mud and textured it; which was cheap and easy. But I ended up painting that.

Would stucco be non-combustable?

Stucco is made from the same material that cinder blocks are made from, so yes, it is non-combustable.
Another more decorative option to put on the wall behind your stove would be faux stone or brick, also non-combustable.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Another more decorative option to put on the wall behind your stove would be faux stone or brick, also non-combutable.

I was considering stucco because it may be cheaper than going with the porcelain tile I put under the stove. I thought of just continuing up the wall with the tile but funds are tight after stove & liner.

 

[LLigetfa]

Assuming the cinderblock to be an exterior wall, you could be sinking a lot of heat into it. You may want to consider a second skin with an air gap for insulation.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I'm thinking of stuccoing behind my woodstove - and possibly the rest of my basement wall. Behind my stove the stucco would be right on the cinderblock wall, the rest I would stucco over foam insulation.

Questions - where do you find premixed stucco? I could not find large quantities on the Home Depot or Lowes websites. They just had the smaller patch buckets.

Next, I gather that you put a basecoat of some sort before the final stucco, but I don't find much for details on this. What material is used for the base?

Can you stucco right over the foam insulation? Or do I need to put up board or sheetrock first?

I imagine I would have to put up that metal mesh, how far off does it have to sit from whatever is under it or can the mesh be flat to the surface? How far apart does the mesh fasteners need to be, every 16 inches? Every 6 inches?

 

[tcassavaugh]

for now, for a quick and easy, you could go to your local hardeware stove and get a shield of an appropriate size you could put up behind the stove. i use one under the stove upstairs instead of building a hearth. you could paint it and put some spacers behind it to create an air space/shield which would allow you to move your stove a little closer. just a thought......something quick, easy and cheap.

cass

 

[pen]

Why not just parge the wall and then paint it?

pen

 

[madison]

I'ld research for something that may reflect the radiant heat away from the cinder block-- which will suck up a lot of the heat. would,foil, sheet metal or mirrors be too weird - or work?

 

[ironpony]

Brief over view

lathe over foam and block
no premix, buy bags and mix yourself available lowes and hd
first coat over lath scratch coat leave rough or broom rough
finish coat texture to what you want
could be colored to desired shade

option
hang blue/green board over all
finish with drywall compound in place of stucco
tuscany plaster effect lowes has directions to do this
add coloring to compound and glaze over that for depth and added color
wont have to deal with cement and will give you a similar appearance
lighter cleaner to work with


not sure what effect youre looking for finish wise
I added sections of face brick so it would look more industrial
as if some plaster fell off and exposed brick

 

[BobUrban]

How much wall space are we talkin'? If it is just the hearth back and not a whole wall I would imagine you could find tons of options that are nicer looking than stucco - on the cheap!

If you are anything like me and frugile(I am assuing here) look on CL, local tile store, cultured stone, etc... Even plain ole Bricks like I used. Although mine are 110yr old pavers, I did get them off CL for a reasonable price.

Many people have over bought for a project and have 1/2 a box of tiles, cultured stones etc. and they may even give them to you to get them out of their garage. If CL does not work ask tile and stone stores/installers if they have some overrun or off colored and dicontinued items. Again, can be had on the cheap if you do not need a ton of them to cover a big area. Just some ideas.

I have pics of my brick hearth and fire back if you are interested?

 

[Jags]

Possibly look at products from Drivit or Sto mfgs. They have many options and are the new version of "Stucco".

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

What does parge mean?

I assume by second skin you mean to cover with furring strips and sheathing such as drywall or cement board.

That's a good idea for trying Craigslist for "remnants" from tile &/or masonry projects.

 

[Hogwildz]

What does parge mean? Skim coat the wall with mortar.

I assume by second skin you mean to cover with furring strips and sheathing such as drywall or cement board.

That's a good idea for trying Craigslist for "remnants" from tile &/or masonry projects.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

When you say lathe over foam and block do you mean sans mesh or does the lathe merely provide a gap between mesh and foam so that mesh is suspended in the stucco?

What is blue/green board?

Is drywall compound non-combustable? I would like to tuck my stove up to the wall as close as possible.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

What does parge mean? Skim coat the wall with mortar.

Yes! Parging is what I had in mind! Now can you paint the parge without ruining the non-combustableness of it? Or would it be better to dye it?

 

[pen]

With the fisher, the concrete wall behind the stove would literally get so hot that you'd get burned if you touched it, yet the paint never showed any signs of trauma. That old stove never had a heat shield in the back. If you stoves have a heat shield (like where a blower would be mounted) then you should be fine with any paint that would be OK w/ being on that surface.

You could try dying it, never done it myself but it might look nice.

Heck, isn't plaster non-combustible? Wonder if you could just plaster it then paint it? Not sure if plaster would stick well to concrete or not, just thinking out loud.

pen

 

[thetraindork]

my whole house is covered in stucco. the stuff is cool! great fire retardant and has really decent insulation properties.

 

[fossil]

If you want to, you can just use drywall mud (joint compund) to parge the wall surface. A few thin coats, sanded between coats, and it'll look just like a drywall wall. Paint as desired. Done. Rick

 

[Jags]

If you want to, you can just use drywall mud (joint compund) to parge the wall surface. A few thin coats, sanded between coats, and it'll look just like a drywall wall. Paint as desired. Done. Rick

Very true assuming that moisture is not in play. The other products that I spoke of can be tinted (no paint) and are a cementious base that can be directly applied to brick/cement, etc. They are intended for exterior use, so moisture should not be an issue to them.

 

[southbalto]

The few times I've parged up walls I've skipped the foam. Just secure diamond lath to the wall using nails apply the cement. You might want to find a stone/brick/block yard instead of HD/Lowes. They will have premixed colored cement. Mix 3parts sand 1 part cement and your good to go.

Apply a rough (scratch) coat and come back the next day with a final skim coat. I'm sure there are a bunch of youtube videos up that explain how to apply.

 

[southbalto]

That's just it.....I would avoid putting any drywall or foam behind the stove if the end goal is to reduce the rear clearance. Stick to steel (dimond lathe) and cement.

 

[LLigetfa]

I assume by second skin you mean to cover with furring strips and sheathing such as drywall or cement board.

Yes, anything non-combustible, strapped to the wall also with non-combustible material such as resilient channel or metal 2x2 studs. The main point is to have an air gap that acts as insulation to stop so much heat from soaking into the block wall.

Some stucco may have synthetic materials that would make them unsuitable in a high-heat situation. As well, lot of tile backer boards these days have styrofoam beads or cellulose fiber in them. Maybe you could find a nice metal plate and acid etch a pattern in it, or maybe some old tin ceiling tiles.

 

[fossil]

If the wall behind your woodstove is concrete block, period, then you have no combustibles behind your woodstove, so clearance is a non-issue. You can put it as close as you want. Drywall compound is non-combustible. You don't need any sort of drywall or lath or wall shield or anything, unless you just want to make the project more complicated. Whatever you do, don't use any combustible materials or else all bets are off and you're right back to the appliance manufacturer's required rear CTC. Rick

 

[fossil]

Why do we have two threads in two different forums going about the same subject? :roll: Pick one to survive, Jaque, 'cause I'm gonna zap one or the other of them. Rick

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK, I did some research. I am totally ignorant of the vocabulary so I can't really express myself very well, or understand what people are telling me - ugh!

I would like to finish the entire basement room that the woodstove is in. For that portion directly behind the woodstove I would not put any combustable material behind it so . . . no foam behind stove. In other areas of the room I CAN place foam and think it would be a good idea.

The foam I had envisioned was pink but I see blue/green is common too and perhaps more appropriate for interior basements.

The tuscan plaster is exactly what I had in mind. I'm glad that paint is not considered combustable if applied to a non-combustable material.