oThe answer to any flashing/papering question usually becomes obvious when they do. To check your work, ask yourself, if a raindrop gets in behind the stucco, can it run downward all the way to the ground without hitting the sheathing or framing? If the answer is "yes" you did it right. Stucco is goos but stucco by itself will not do the job stucco needs proper flashing and water needs to drain properly.

The replacement windows pictured here with an exposed decorative lintel are a great example of a proper prep job around any building penetration to accept stucco. First, we installed a new double layer of building paper, wrapping the entire jam so the paper is behind the window, then set the windows into the prepped opening. The back-primed wood lintel went in next with a drip-cap flashing that slipped under the paper above it to direct any water that runs down the wall above it outside the building envelope. Any water that runs in on the sides or bottom of the window is likewise spit back by properly applied building paper, outside the previous layer of stucco.

After setting the windows, we nail wire lath to the house, with expanded-metal mesh called for by building codes (because it has better strength and crack control properties than "chicken wire" lath) at the edges of every opening. After the building inspector approves the job, the new stucco goes on, and the house looks better than new.