How to Stucco Your Walls

Stucco walls have always added a touch of elegance and sophistication to the home. While they are very popular, they are not as widely-used as one might imagine; many are intimidated by the stucco process and believe that they are unable to do it unless they are a professional. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth - it's quite easy to stucco a wall, provided you have the correct tools and supplies, a little imagination, and the time to complete this task. Done right, you can even find that applying stucco to your walls can be an interesting and creative past-time.

Before you start your project, take into consideration the type of wall that you are going to be applying stucco to, as there are different techniques, depending on the kind of wall that you intend to cover. Also take into consideration the amount of traffic and handling that your wall will receive - Stucco may not be the wisest choice for a young boy's room or for a kitchen where someone might have to clean up spills and splatters.

How to Stucco Masonry

If the wall that you intend to stucco is made of cement blocks, stone or brick, you will want to treat the wall with a concrete bonding agent and allow this to dry thoroughly before continuing on. Once it has dried, you will then be ready to apply your stucco. This is perhaps the easiest type of wall, because it takes very little preperation time and the stucco is applied directly to the wall.

Begin by applying a ¼ to ½ inch layer of the stucco onto the wall. This will take a little time to cure or harden slightly, before you can continue on. Called a "scratch coat," this thin layer of stucco will then be scratched 1/8 of an inch and then allowed to harden for anywhere from 36 to 48 hours. The wall should be misted, periodically during this time, in order to keep the stucco face moist until you can add the next layer.