How to Mix & Use Stucco

Stucco can easily be mixed together.

Stucco is a type of plaster coating used for wall surfaces and architectural decorations. It is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. Lime, cement and sand are mixed together to form stucco. It is then applied to the wall similarly to any other type of compound or mortar mix. When installing stucco, the most important thing to remember is to verify it has been mixed together properly. Does this Spark an idea?

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Five gallon buckets
Sand
Cement mixer
Hammer
Chisel
Cement
Long-handled cup
Steel plastering trowel

Instructions

- 1
  
  Fill up one five-gallon bucket of water 1.25 inches from the top. Fill a second bucket of water exactly half full. Fill four buckets with sand. Stand up the cement mixer and lock it into the upright position. Chip out any loose pieces in the mixer with a hammer and chisel.
- 2
  
  Start the mixer and put it in gear. Speed up the engine to a very rapid idle speed and pour in 3-1/2 gallons of water from the full bucket. Add in two buckets of sand. Fill two more buckets with cement and add the first bucket into the mixer.
- 3
  
  Add more cement if the mix is soupy and more water if it is stiff. Mix until it has the consistency of toothpaste and there are no lumps remaining. Add the final two buckets of sand to the mixer. Add water as necessary to keep the mix running off the blades.
- 4
  
  Take the mixer out of gear and dip a long-handled cup into the mixer. Scoop out a small sample of the mix and pour it on a steel plastering trowel. Hold the trowel at a 40-degree angle and verify the mix does not slide off. If it does, it is too wet and more cement must be added.
- 5
  
  Dip the back of a trowel into the stucco mix and push the back up firmly against the wall beginning in any bottom corner. Move the trowel up the wall while applying pressure. Change directions slightly when you are close to running out of stucco on the trowel, and lift up on the trowel as you run out. Continue around the entire area applying stucco to the wall with the trowel until everything is covered.