How to Stucco an Exterior

Stucco on the exterior of a house gives a classic old southwestern look that also provides durable protection against the elements. Stucco is essentially cement mixed in specific proportion with mortar and sand to stick to the wall. It's applied in several coats, and the top coat can be mixed with paint to provide whatever color you want. Leave yourself a few days to mist the bottom and top coats after application, which helps it cure more solidly.

Things You'll Need

• Staple gun
• Waterproof building paper
• Razor knife
• Wire mesh made for stucco application
• Wheelbarrow
• Cement trowel
• Standard rake
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Roll out your building paper over the siding in horizontal rows, overlapping the edges slightly. Affix it to the wall with your staple gun.

2. Use your staple gun to install the mesh over the paper. Don't overlap the mesh sheets, but butt the rows up next to each other.

3. Mix your stucco according to the packaging in a wheelbarrow for your scratch coat.

4. Apply stucco with your trowel starting at the top of the wall and completely covering the mesh. Working in sections, run your rake across the section to put lines in it. Do the entire wall.

5. Apply a second coat of stucco in the same fashion immediately after your full scratch coat is applied except don't scratch it. Get it smooth with your trowel. The two coats combined should total about 3/4 of an inch thick, including the embedded mesh. Mist the wall with your garden hose.

6. Let the stucco set overnight. In the morning, lightly mist the surface with a garden hose. Mist it again every few hours of the day, then do the same the next day. Let the stucco set for two weeks before applying the top coat.

7. Mix the stucco for your topcoat, adding approved paint if desired. Lightly mist the surface of the undercoat with water.

8. Apply your stucco with your trowel, working from the top down, making it about 3/8 inches thick. Work in sections, applying the stucco, then working it into whatever design you want.

9. Gently mist topcoat with your hose, taking care not to disturb the pattern in the stucco. Keep the surface misted for two consecutive days, doing it every few hours during the daytime.

Tips & Warnings

• Design options include swirling the surface with your trowel; pressing and pulling the flat side of trowel to the set stucco to create multiple small peaks; and just flattening the surface.

• If you're going to paint the surface, allow it to cure for two weeks before applying the paint. Remove any vinyl, aluminum, wood, or shingle siding before applying stucco.

References

• Stucco Siding Application.
• Stucco Exterior.
• Stucco Application.