Weep Screed and Flashing: Where Stucco Water Drains

What a weep screed does

Stucco is not waterproof. Some water gets behind it, and a weep screed is the slot at the bottom of the wall where that water drains back out. Flashing at windows, doors and roof edges sends water away from the wall before it gets behind the stucco.

When either one is missing, bent or blocked, the water stays in the wall.

How high it should sit

The Florida Building Code, Residential (Section R703.7.2.1), sets the weep screed at least 4 inches above the earth, or 2 inches above paved areas. The screed is a corrosion-resistant metal or plastic strip with a vertical flange at least 3 1/2 inches tall that fastens to the wall.

Those numbers are a starting point. A contractor checks what applies to your wall and your house.

How it gets buried

• Mulch or soil piled against the wall during landscaping.
• A new paver patio, walkway or driveway poured up to the stucco.
• A raised planting bed along the foundation.
• Paint or patching compound that fills the drainage slot.

A buried screed cannot drain. Moisture shows up later as stains, white deposits at the base or soft stucco near the ground.

Questions to ask

• Is the weep screed visible all the way around the house?
• How much clearance is there above soil and paving?
• Can soil be pulled back, or does paving need to be cut?
• Is the flashing at windows and roof edges intact?