There are many unique architectural features offered with a stucco exterior. Since stucco is applied in a “semi-liquid” form, it is easy to manipulate and create curves, round walls, decorative shapes and flat surfaces.
Your stucco inspector may observe that you have a privacy wall on your balcony with a perfectly flat surface. He might notice a column top that is flat or perhaps a windowsill that might be slightly sloped. In certain instances, the inspector will call for a metal cap to be placed on said surface.
A metal cap is an aluminum, custom-fabricated metal accessory that is installed over the top of a flat stucco surface. It is sized to fit tightly around the wall and will contain a drip edge at the bottom of the legs. The drip edge is a little “ramp” that lets water drip freely from the surface to the ground. It looks like the detail attached.
Caps come in a large variety of colors and styles. We exclusively use a local Houston metal fabricator that is both responsive and excellent. They can create almost anything that we can come up with!
It is important to know that not all flat or semi-flat surfaces require attention. Let’s turn to those that require nothing at all, provided there is no damage reported within your moisture assessment.
Any surface that reflects a positive slope of 45 degrees or better, is properly installed. Most window sills that have some depth, will usually be properly pitched to allow water to drain away from the window and over the front of the stucco wall below. This is normal and within acceptable practices. It does not require coats of elastomeric paint and it certainly does not include a metal cap. This is important to understand as some inspectors, especially those new to the industry, will mistakenly fail a sloped window sill or other sloped surfaces.
If you have a column it might be located as part of your balcony railing system or used as an architectural feature. From the photo above, you can see that the column has a shape that is peaked in the middle and sloped away positively. If your stucco column reflects this, there is no need for a cap.
Alternatively, if you have a balcony privacy wall that is peaked in the middle and sloped positively, that too will not require a metal cap.
Only those surfaces that are truly flat and have no mechanism for draining, will require a cap. Just like the one shown below.
With proper installation and proper waterproofing of the fasteners, the installation of metal caps provides the absolute best means for total waterproofing of your flat stucco surfaces. They are relatively inexpensive and can be installed with minimal effort.
For all of your metal cap flashing and other stucco repair needs, contact ICE Stucco Repair for a comprehensive quote today.