Lime Stucco from American Clay Enterprises

While American Clay’s new Setting Lime Stucco (SLS) line is similar to traditional products, the company formulated it from scratch for current needs, including good strength and workability as well as 65% recycled content. Tim White, head of product development at American Clay, says that the company has two goals in mind for its SLS. “We are trying to continue our commitment to sustainability,” he says. “We want to bring craftsmanship back into the modern construction industry.”

In development for several years, the SLS line has not been formally launched, but it is already available. The product is manufactured in five formulations, SLS 1–5. SLS 1 and 2 provide a very fine Venetian and a fine Marmorino finish, respectively; SLS 3 provides either a second (“brown”) or a finish coat; and SLS 4 and 5 provide initial “scratch” coats for masonry and stickframe construction, respectively. Each formulation is sold in 50-pound bags, each of which is intended to be mixed onsite with 200 pounds of American Clay’s aggregate, a sand manufactured largely from post-consumer recycled glass and sold in 2,700-pound “supersacks.” Because the products are manufactured in Albuquerque, installers may choose to substitute regionally available sand meeting ASTM C144 requirements for American Clay’s aggregate.