Sandy / gritty (mortarwashed?) brick walls in Haver Homes

[PixelPixie]

As you might imagine, I have walked through tons of Haver homes in Marlen Grove in preparation for March's home tour. One finish that I'm seeing a lot on both the interior and exterior of the homes is a large-grit sandy sort of mortar wash directly over the brick, which has been painted over to create a light stucco effect (but definitely NOT stucco or trying ot imitate it, because you can still see the relief of the grout and brick pattern beneath it).

Does anyone know the purpose/origin of this wash, what it is called, and perhaps why we see it so much on Haver homes? Anywhere else besides Marlen Grove have this finish?

[Circa50]

Dryvit Systems, Inc. introduced North America to an exterior wall
cladding system based on a revolutionary concept: installing insulation as part of the outside wall.

http://www.thermalfoams.com/construction/dryvit.htm

[PixelPixie]

You're on the right track, but that's not the texture I'm talking about.

It literally looks like fine gravel grit mixed with mortar and then brushed on VERY thin. The bumps of the individual grains definitely stick out as individuals, not as clumps or uniform textures.

[Cody Carpenter]

You're on the right track, but that's not the texture I'm talking about.This texture maybe A mixture of Elastomeric And sand . You can brush it or roll it on. It creates a slight heat transfer break by not absorbing much heat. I Did a remodle on an older brick home with this type of finish. It also helps hide any structural cracks in block walls because of its flexability. This maybe the finish that you are refering to.

It literally looks like fine gravel grit mixed with mortar and then brushed on VERY thin. The bumps of the individual grains definitely stick out as individuals, not as clumps or uniform textures.

[PixelPixie]

I spoke wtih a homeowner today and asked her about it. She said she did it herself in the 70s or so. I bet you anything is is elastoemeric and sand like you mentioned. She said it was a total pain to try to remove whick also sounds like elastomeric.

[Funktional Design]

When I was doing some work at the Danley's place I saw this in action. When the mason was done with the wall he basically used a very thinned out mortor "wash", and he literally washed the block wall he had built. I think he used a big hand held brush, and he just scrubbed the wall with this watery mortar. It looks exactly as you have described, and I suspect that it is done in an effort to hide any imperfections. Kind of like using flat finish paint instead of gloss. I think it also gives the wall a "one-piece" look, so to speak.

My father always told me... "the only difference between an amateur and a professional is that a professional knows how to cover his mistakes."

What was the over all consensus amongst the homeowners in Marlen Grove about this? Do they like it, or hate it? Personally I think you lose the architectual uniqueness by doing it.

[JC]

The look you guys describe is showed on this Benny Gonzales condo.
http://www.azarchitecture.com/property_ ... uto_id=376
I remember it well, I like it.

[PixelPixie]

Benny was well-known for using this technique. I wonder if he brought it into fashion in the 70s and 50s homeowners followed suit with their own washes. The wash we see in Marlen Grove is a little more subtle than Benny's finish. When you all go on the home tour, you will see what I mean. The owners seems puzzled/ambivavlent about it, or don't like it much. Nobody seems to know if it is original or not, but the tip that the one gal did it herself leads me to believe that it was probably a 70s trend. Indeed, many of the homes I saw it used on had been redone in the 70s. Isn't it neat how this puzzle all comes together?