Tape & Float Stucco℠ by Carrara is fundamentally different: it goes up like drywall. The foundation is either fiber cement board or SmartSide© Engineered Precision Panels by Louisiana Pacific. There are major benefits when thinking of stucco like drywall, not the least being: Time, Durability, and Cost.

Time
Typically, it takes 3-4 weeks to install traditional stucco or EIFS on a 2,000 F2 house. Contrast that with 1-week with Carrara. The cement based issues of curing, efflorescence, and cracking common with cement based stucco, is not an issue with Carrara---it's cement free.

Durability
Traditional cement based stucco is fairly durable but maintenance is high and cracking is common. And foam based EIFS is very easily damaged due to its foam core characteristics and not recommended for wood frame construction due to the concerns of water entrapment. However, Carrara's foundation perms (allows moisture vapor to vent) and is both highly crack and impact resistant. Our warranty reflects this durability: 10-years on our cement-free finish and a 5/50-year warranty on Smartside© panels.