How to Do Heavy Lace Stucco

Enjoy the rustic quality of heavy lace stucco.

Enhance the appearance of a plain concrete or masonry wall with a stucco finish. Stucco adds texture and will also accept tints for color. For a heavily textured finish, apply stucco using a heavy lace technique. The mottled appearance of heavy lace stucco gives it a wild, organic feel. Apply stucco only to washed and structurally sound walls to ensure a durable, crack-resistant lace finish.

Things You'll Need

• Concrete bonding agent
• Paintbrush or roller
• Trowel
• Float
• Hawk

Instructions

1. Paint the wall with a coat of concrete bonding agent using a paintbrush or roller. Allow the bonding agent to dry.

2. Pick up approximately 1 quart of stucco with a trowel and place it on the flat side of a hawk.

3. Pick up a smaller gob of stucco from the hawk with the trowel. Spread a 3/8-inch layer of stucco over the wall using the trowel. Hold the trowel at a 45-degree angle and spread the stucco on the wall, using heavy pressure. Reduce the angle gradually as the stucco leaves the trowel. Work in semi-circular motions. Replenish the supply of stucco on the hawk when it runs out.

4. Compress the first stucco coat by skating a concrete float across the surface in overlapping, circular motions. Wait until the first coat partially hardens yet still has some give.

5. Scratch up the surface of the first coat by raking it with a plasterer’s rake. Scratch marks should be approximately 1/8 inch deep.

6. Apply the heavy lace finish coat using the trowel. Trowel on the stucco in random directions and skipping motions. Keep the coat light but rough, with a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch.

7. Mist the wall regularly with water over the following 48 hours while the stucco cures.

References

• Ask the Builder: Applying Stucco
• HomeRemodelersStore.com: Plaster Textures