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How to clean up this mess?

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  funfool 
#1 ·
I do not have pictures, should be easy enough to describe the problem.
A incompetent handyman trying to drum up some work.
Convinced the homeowner that the parapet walls on his flat roof home, needed to be sealed up from weather.

There were tiny hairline cracks in the block walls. The handyman used Fiberglas mesh tape over the cracks and covered with standard roofing tar.
This would be a good fix on the inside of the block walls.
Honestly do not know what he was trying to fix, there were no roof leaks and the roof is in excellent condition.

The problem is, he took the fibreglass tape and tar over the top of the parapet walls and down the exterior stucco walls.
His idea is to let the tar dry for a couple months and then come back and paint the same colour as the stucco.
I really cant imagine this being a approved method of repairs anywhere, except if you lived in a cardboard box, the tar siding would be a improvement.

The homeowner is asking me what we can do to fix this. The homeowner was under the impression the tar would stay inside the roof area and not extend over and down the walls.

Thinking to scrape as much as possible off now, while still soft.
Butt with the texture of the stucco, can not scrape it all off. If tried to use some cleaner like mineral spirits, would run down the sides and streak, the whole house would need to be painted then.
It is a square house with 4 exterior walls, in one 35' wall is 27 tar stripes running 12" vertically from top down. and all 4 walls got the same treatment.

so scrape as much as possible and then paint whats left?
Cover with new stucco and then paint to match?
Any ideas someone can suggest?
 
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#3 ·
Just flat exterior wall going straight up. Once it gets past the roof and extends couple feet above the flat roof. It has a 1/2 block with rounded bull nose top to finish it off.
Inside the enclosed roof area, use all the tar you want, but he went over the top and down the exterior stucco siding.

I guess wrapping wire mesh over it and re stucco is what I am thinking also.
I am hoping for some solution that does not require stucco.
The existing stucco was painted a couple years ago, I will go around tomorrow and paint all the new conduit that has been added since new service upgrades and wiring.
More importantly, am looking for confirmation that this really is as bad as I think it is.
Is there anyway to keep the tar as it is?
By nature, tar dries and shrinks over time, always leaves cracks in it.
I can not think of any paint or product to put over it, that will last without the tar cracking.
Hoping some others have ideas without actually re stucco the whole top 2' of the building.
 
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