How to Mix Stucco
Stucco is an ancient mixture that is still popular today for external finishes. Particularly in the south and other warm climates, it remains the dominant medium for exterior walls. Make in thinner batches, it can also be applied indoors. The rising popularity of cheaper, lighter foam as an ornamental material has somewhat limited the demand for the heavier and more costly stucco decorative work, but even the foam is coated with a thin stucco finish coat before being painted. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stucco mix Water Fine sand Mixer or hand tools (hawk and trowel) 5-gallon bucket or wheel barrow (as container)
Instructions
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1
Gather ingredients. Though it takes several days to cure properly, stucco hardens within about an hour. It's necessary to have everything on hand in sufficient quantities before beginning. Never make more stucco than can be used at one time.
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2
Get wet. Everything that's going to come into contact with the stucco should be wet first. Not only is stucco prone to adhere to metal and plastic surfaces easily, the lime content tends to absorb moisture. To begin, wet your bucket and your mixing tools.
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3
Add dry ingredients. If using a commercial mixer, start the machine running and empty one or more bags of stucco mix into the mixer. If making a smaller amount in a bucket or wheel barrow, start by adding 1/3 to 1/2 of an 80 lb bag into your moistened bucket. Add two to three parts fine construction sand for each part stucco mix depending on the desired grit of the finish.
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4
Add water. The exact amount of water required will vary, but for most outdoor applications enough should be added to make the entire mixture the consistency of a thick paste. If a spraycrete is being mixed to coat foam, add extra water to create a thinner mix.
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5
Mix until uniform. Properly mixed stucco will be uniform in color and consistency, which usually take three to five minutes.
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Tips & Warnings
While stucco mix can be made cheaply by combining Portland cement and hydrated lime, prepared stucco mix is plentiful, easy and not prohibitively expensive. Use clean white sand, preferably conforming to ASTM C144, that is free of impurities to prevent damaging the mixer and creating chunks in the mix.
While not particularly dangerous, the lime content of stucco can be a skin irritant and can leave a dry, flaky spot if left to dry on the skin.
- Photo Credit Goele
