About this Project

Stucco makes an excellent exterior surface. It is durable and weather-resistant, has a pleasing texture, and can be painted. Even in severe climates, you'll find older stucco houses still in mint condition.

A stucco finish is nothing more than two or three thin coats of a mortar that is 1 part masonry cement to 3 parts sand, with a small amount of lime and water added. Stucco requires a solid backing. Never apply stucco over fiberboard sheathing or foam insulation. Both of these materials give enough that a well-thrown baseball can dent or puncture the stucco wall.

There are infinite possibilities for the final textures. The link "Texture Options" in the Index above will show you some of the standard textures. But you can experiment with different trowels and techniques to find the texture that pleases you. Just make sure you can reproduce the texture consistently over a broad area.

If left untinted, stucco dries to a medium-gray color. You can add an oxide pigment to the finish coat or stain or paint the surface after the top coat has cured. If you mix in pigment, carefully measure and mix each batch exactly the same way to obtain a consistent color. You can make a bright white stucco by mixing together white Portland cement, lime, and white silica sand for the finish coat.