7 Different Types of Stucco Finishes: A Comprehensive Overview

What Is Stucco?

Stucco is made of Portland cement, sand, water, fiber, pigments, Hydraulic cement, and lime. It is applied as a stucco finish on the exterior phase of the home in multiple layers of about thickness is one inch.

Also, the texture of stucco is varied from smooth to textured kind finish, completely depending upon how stucco is applied.

Commonly stucco is popular in the western and southern U.S., Midwest. Modern stuccos have polymer and other agents to improve flexibility and that is improving resilience.

The Stucco is used in many buildings as a low-cost coating, and it is available in varieties of colour and texture ranges, also Experts is used white Portland cement as a base which is help to achieve an exact shade of the colour.

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Types of Stucco

The main two types of stucco are described below,

• Traditional Stucco
• Synthetic Stucco

Traditional Stucco

Traditional stucco is made of sand, lime, water, cement, and other raw material. It is durable and heavy as compared to synthetic-type stucco.

Traditional stucco is attractive, weather-resistant, wall covering, and durable, and it is used on both sides of the building an exterior phase and interior phase, which is applied in two or three thin layers.

Traditional stucco is directly applied on brick masonry, stone masonry, and Solid masonry and, the biggest disadvantage is traditional stucco is pretty expensive to apply and repair.

Synthetic Stucco

Synthetic Stucco is also known as EIFS, Which is exterior insulation and finishing system, the main aim is to give a stucco-like finish on the exterior side of the home with a less expensive price tag.

Synthetic Stucco is not durable as compared to traditional stucco, this stucco generally adheres to wood or gypsum board.

If stucco is not placed correctly then high chance to pass moisture and this leads to mold, mildew, and termite-like problem.

EIFS Stucco consists of six-layer stucco but is easy to install as compared to traditional stucco.

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Types of Stucco Finishes

The following 7 types of stucco finishes are given below,

• Cat Face Finish
• Pebble Dash Finish
• Lace Finish
• Sand Finish
• Smooth Finish
• Santa Barbara
• Worm Finish

Here, the above types of stucco finish are described briefly,

Cat Face Finish

Cat Face Stucco finish looks like a cat faces, generally, this finish gives a smooth surface with various rough patches throughout the wall.

This rough patch size can differ according to preference.

Techniques

This stucco finish can be achieved by applying two coats to the wall. Firstly a rough base coat is applied and leaves to dry it and then accomplished with a stucco sprayer or a trowel.

The second step is to apply the topcoat and smooth it down with the help of a metal trowel and the irregular size patches of the topcoat look like cat faces.

Dash Finish

Dash finish stucco is also known as roughcast stucco and it gives a heavily textured look to the surface.

Also, the surface is rough and uses a spray that makes the surface gritty and bumpy. It includes a knockdown finish, fine dash finish, pebble finish, etc.

Techniques

 For creating dash finish stucco, firstly apply a base coat of dash on the wall surface and the stucco is sprayed on the wall using a pressure gun or hopper gun.

Alternatively, stucco can be dashed form on onto the surface with a help of a brush or trowel. When you spray a finer then the result will get in a fine dash finish and with a heavier spray then you can achieve a heavy dash finish stucco.

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Knockdown Dash Stucco Finish

A Knockdown dash finish is an additional step, Achieving this look using smooth strokes, peaks of stucco are knocked down on the surface metal trowel.

Pebble Dash

In this type, dash finish added a shell, fine gravel, or pebble in the mix, so that is called pebble dash finish stucco and this pebble is stuck on the surface and gives a unique texture.

Lace Finish Stucco

This lace finish stucco gives a unique look to the wall, it is commonly used stucco due to its forgiving nature, and lace stucco is hide imperfections and flaws.

Techniques

Firstly apply a smooth base coat and then a textured coat this textured is achieved by using a skipping trowel or knocking down the wet trowel across the wall.

Using these tools creates a unique and modern design, you can make a fine, heavy finish and medium according to your choice.

Sand Finish Stucco

Sand Finish stucco is also known as a float stucco finish,  during the mixing process using beach sand which is give a grainy, fine texture.

This stucco finish is versatile and hides surface unevenness.

Techniques

You can achieve a sand stucco finish first spray sand finish and trowel its downside, and then give a smooth finish using foam float.

Smooth Finish Stucco

Smooth finish stucco is a Mediterranean-style house and nowadays gaining in popularity. They give a look simple and elegant but required skilled labor.

Techniques

The fine cement mixture is used for creating a base coat and they give a solid and smooth finish with the help of a pool trowel.

Santa Barbara Stucco

Santa Barbara finish stucco gives a natural and mottled design, an irregular and semi-smooth finish.

Technique

Santa Barbara stucco is required two coats of finish so first applied a base coat and dry it then apply a thick topcoat with the use of a pool float trowel.

Worm Finish

Worm finish stucco is uncommon; this worm stucco is available in the heavy, fine, and medium finish.

Techniques

The worm stucco is applied by hand and specially mixed in the worm to add texture.

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Application System of Stucco

The following steps are used for stucco application,

Coat Stucco hard Coat System

A single-coat stucco system is sometimes used as a 2 coat system on the wall surface. In this stucco, foam and cement base material are used as a stucco coat.

The one-coat stucco use mixture of sand, Portland cement, water, and chemical.

In the hard coat, system texture is obtained by a brown coat and combining scratch in one-time application in 3/8” to ½” thickness.

Also, it is applied exterior phase of the wall with a lathe and rigid board. So that the cladding effect can be created.

3. Coat Stucco Hard Coat System

In 3- a coat stucco system makes a waterproof weather-resistant barrier using asphalt-filled paper and then applied on the wall surface.

The chicken wire layer is installed on top of it and the base layer of sand, cement, water, and lime is mixed properly and applied as a scratch coat then lastly topcoat or brown coat is applied.

This hard coating layer is applied with a trowel and makes the surface smooth and evenly with a different texture also it has given excellent durability.

The main disadvantage of this system, it is more expensive as compared to a one-coat stucco system and also requires skilled labor and more time.

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Advantages of Stucco

• The ingredient required for making stucco is easily available.
• The stucco finish has good insulation properties.
• To avoid repainting at building regular intervals, stucco is the best choice.
• Stucco finish has an excellent fire resistance capacity.
• Stucco is available in a wide range of colors and texture finishes.
• Stucco gives a seamless and extraordinary look to your home.

Disadvantages of Stucco

• Stucco is inflexible in nature.
• Stucco finishes required high maintenance and repair costs.
• The stucco finish is not suitable for all climate conditions.
• Stucco finish surface is prone to water retention which leads to water damage.

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