The Base Layers
That Make Everything Last.

Lath and brown coat are the foundation your finish coat depends on. Lemon Grove Stucco uses only premium materials — Davis Wire, Structalath, and Eisenwall cement — installed correctly every time since 1986.

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Why It Matters

The Critical Layers You Never See — But Always Feel

Lath and brown coat are the two layers applied before the finish coat — and they determine whether your stucco job lasts a decade or a lifetime. A properly installed lath system controls cracking, resists moisture infiltration, and gives the finish coat a solid, uniform base to bond to.

Lemon Grove Stucco uses only premium lathing products on every project — including Davis Wire woven lath, Structalath cold-rolled welded wire, and Kwik Corner corner bead that makes every corner stronger and straighter than standard products allow.

Our scratch and brown coat mix adds 2″ chopped glass fibers to Portland plastic cement for superior crack resistance. For customers who want the best result in the shortest time, we use Eisenwall cement — same-day scratch and brown, ready for finish coat in just 3 hours.

Why It’s Non-Negotiable

Three Reasons the Base Coat Makes or Breaks the Job

Lath Creates the Bond

Metal wire lath provides the mechanical key that holds all three stucco coats together. Without properly installed lath, the finish coat has nothing structural to grip — and delamination is only a matter of time.

Moisture Barrier Protection

Lath is always installed over asphalt-impregnated felt paper that protects the structural framing from moisture moving through the porous stucco. Skip this step — or use inferior felt — and wood rot follows.

Brown Coat Controls Cracking

A correctly mixed and applied brown coat — using glass fiber reinforcement and the right Portland cement blend — dramatically reduces check cracking in the finish coat. It’s the layer that absorbs stress so your finish doesn’t.

Lath & Brown Coat FAQ

Originally, lath was made from strips of wood — called Riven lath — installed horizontally on the wall with spaces between them. Those spaces created a locking key that supported wet cement until it cured. On exterior walls, the lath was installed over asphalt-impregnated felt paper to protect the framing from moisture passing through the porous stucco.

This lath-and-plaster technique was widely used until the late 1940s. Thousands of San Diego homes were plastered using this method by some of the original stucco companies, including LaRussa Plastering Co. and The Brady Plastering Co.

Metal lath replaced Riven lath after World War II. The introduction of galvanized metal wire mesh — corrosion-resistant and suited for exterior applications — made it the industry standard. At the beginning of the 21st century, this method of wire mesh lath with three coats of exterior plaster is still widely used across California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida, where stucco is the dominant exterior finish for both residential and commercial construction.

Lemon Grove Stucco uses Davis Wire woven lath and Structalath cold-rolled welded wire lath, along with Kwik Corner and K-Lath bull nose bead for corners, and galvanized FHA stucco screed at every wall base — as required by code.

With standard Portland plastic cement and 2″ chopped glass fibers, the brown coat requires approximately three weeks to fully cure before the finish coat can be applied. This is the industry-standard approach and delivers reliable, durable results.

For customers who want the best result in the shortest time, we recommend Eisenwall cement. With Eisenwall, we can apply the scratch and brown coat in a single pass and be ready for the finish stucco in just 3 hours — versus 3 weeks with standard cement. For a small difference in cost, Eisenwall delivers superior crack resistance, lower shrinkage, improved strength, durability, and vandal resistance. One day versus three weeks.

We stock all Expo and LaHabra stucco products in our own Spring Valley warehouse, which allows us to buy in volume and get to your job site faster than most of our competition. We staff job sites with extra manpower to ensure ample time for the highest quality work.

Site preparation includes masking all windows, doors, walkways, and fences, and protecting plants. We patch all damaged areas with Eisenwall cement or aluminite, then apply an acrylic bonding agent to all walls before lathing begins — increasing bond strength and improving the physical performance of every coat that follows.

Lemon Grove Stucco was founded in 1986 by Cliff and Joyce Davenport. We’ve completed thousands of sandblasted and re-stucco projects across San Diego County, with an average crew tenure of 18 years. Our team knows these materials and this process the way only decades of daily experience can teach.

We provide full references with every free estimate — including a list of completed jobs within one mile of your home. We encourage you to call those references, walk past those houses, and compare what you see. Then call us at (619) 482-0022 for a free estimate.

Where We Work

Serving All of San Diego County

Bonita Carlsbad Chula Vista Clairemont Coronado Del Mar El Cajon Encinitas Imperial Beach La Jolla La Mesa Lakeside Lemon Grove Leucadia National City North Park Poway San Diego San Marcos San Ysidro Santee Solana Beach Spring Valley Vista

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