TL;DR
A weep screed is the perforated metal flashing strip installed at the base of stucco walls that gives water absorbed by the stucco a drainage exit while serving as the stop that forms the wall's bottom edge. Code places its lower edge at least 4 inches above earth or 2 inches above paving, and the weather barrier and lath must lap over its vertical flange so water cannot get behind it.
What it means
A weep screed is the perforated metal flashing strip installed at the base of stucco walls that gives water absorbed by the stucco a drainage exit while serving as the stop that forms the wall's bottom edge. Code places its lower edge at least 4 inches above earth or 2 inches above paving, and the weather barrier and lath must lap over its vertical flange so water cannot get behind it. Burying it under raised planters, new concrete, or regraded soil is a leading cause of moisture damage and termite entry at stucco bases, since it both blocks the drainage and bridges the separation from soil.
Where it sits in the glossary
Weep screed is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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