Stucco is great for its durability and versatility. For Calgary stucco companies, it’s a great material to work with as it not only protects homes from the elements but adds style to a home.
For a popular material, it may seem easy to dip your toes into working with it. However, it’s a tricky material to work with if you aren’t comfortable using a trowel like most stucco contractors. If you’re willing to give it a shot, we have you covered with a guide on how to stucco an exterior wall.
Stucco Materials & Tools
With any DIY project, it’s always important to gather the necessary materials before starting it. Listed below are what you will need to begin applying stucco to exterior walls.
- A plastic container
- Drill and Agitator
- Finishing Trowel
- Notched Trowel
- Steel Trowel
- Sponges
- Bags of stucco
- Compatible stucco colour pigments
- Water
You can generally find these materials at any local home improvement store.
Prepping Stucco
When it comes to stucco, make sure you’re working with the material in a cool dry place.
In addition, working with stucco means to clean the surface to be covered. The surface should be solid, cleanly so no foreign particles end up in the stucco and ruin its adhesion. Look out for: grease, dust, oil, paint, etc.
After, prepare your stucco mix.
Have a clean container to pour 4 to 4.5 L of water per bag of 22.7 kg. Gradually add dry ingredients of the bag by mixing with a drill, by equipping with an agitator of the same type as the paint mixers.
Mix for about three minutes while scraping the side of the container. Keep the composition consistent. If the mix is too thick, add a bit of water. Be careful about adding too much water – you also don’t want it to be too thin either!
Applying Stucco
Once the mix is done, start applying the stucco.
Keep the temperature of the surfaces and product running between 5 °C and 35 °C during application. Additionally, it’s best to keep that temperature range for 72 hours after finishing up.
When applying stucco, you will need to do two coats. For the first coat, you will want to apply it with a steel trowel while making sure to tamp well. When you combine the two coats, it should give a minimal thickness of ¾.
Go over with a notched trowel to obtain a rough surface – this helps increase adhesion for the second coat.
Before beginning the second coat, you will need to wait approximately 24 hours for the first coat to dry. Once the first coat is dry, dampen the first coat and start applying the second coat with your choice of either finishing trowel, a brush, paintbrush, or sponge to finish the job.
Once all dry again, dampen the surface often for three days after.
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