Bradley reached out after losing his home in the Eaton Fire and is rebuilding with plans for a dark blue stucco finish — possibly two tones.Question (from Bradley): Hey Ryan! Your article about blue stucco houses was perfect, as I am building a new house that I’m hoping will have a darker blue stucco finish. I […]
Dwain is tackling a new build and wants to know what substrate works best for an acrylic stucco finish.Question (from Dwain): I want to do an acrylic stucco finish on a new build. What is the best substrate to use? I used an LP 1/2″ OSB panel on a home 9 years ago with an acrylic […]
Ray asked about using a hopper to spray cement material onto worn concrete slabs.Question (from Ray): Hi, I would like to use a hopper to spray cement material to fix concrete slabs that have lost some of their top coat, as I believe it would be easier than troweling or using a squeegee and perhaps the […]
Carol reached out with a question about finding a stucco contractor in Southern California for fog coating work…Question (from Carol)Thanks for all your great advice and detailed website. But we need to find a stucco contractor who can do fogging. (We have color coated stucco.) Do you know anyone in Southern California – Malibu area […]
John recently had some second-story stucco replaced and reused his existing windows based on his contractor’s advice. Now, he’s questioning whether the flashing details were done correctly and whether they should be redone.Question from John: Recently had some stucco replaced on the second story of my home. I took the contractor’s advice and reused the […]
Terry has a second-floor condo in South Florida where sliding storm doors were installed, leaving a 1 1/2” deep, 12” high, and 13’ wide gap above a built-out section of the interior balcony wall. He wants to know if he can use foam board to fill the space and apply a light decorative stucco skim […]
Robin has color coat stucco on their house and wants to know if it’s possible to re-stucco over the original stucco without removing it. Here’s some advice on how to handle the situation if someone else is doing the work. Question from Robin: Hello, my house has color coat stucco, and I want to re-stucco the same […]
Danny had a stucco patch done around a window about a year ago and recently noticed staining in one of the corners. He’s concerned that if he paints over it, the stain might bleed through over time. He’s also wondering whether the unpainted stucco could be absorbing moisture and causing rust from the metal lath […]
Alex is working on a retail project in Los Angeles and wants to replicate the exterior stucco finish commonly seen on malls from the 1980s. While this style was widely used at the time, finding specifications and procedures for the application has been challenging. He’s looking for guidance on how to achieve this look and […]
William wants to know if he can apply a scratch coat to a cinder block wall after it has been exposed to a full day of rain. Moisture levels in the block can impact bonding, curing, and overall adhesion of the stucco, so it’s important to consider the timing. Question from William: Can you scratch coat after […]
Stephane is looking to do some quick stucco repairs that will last a couple of years. Since he’s never worked with stucco before, he wants to know what materials to use, what type of texture to apply, and what tools are required to get the job done. Question from Stephane: Looking to do some repairs, hopefully, they […]
Joe is looking to update the color of his stucco home while keeping the existing red roof. Since he plans to paint rather than apply a new stucco coat, he wants guidance on choosing a modern, complementary stucco and trim color combination. Question from Joe: Need guidance on choosing a color for a home purchase that is […]
Henry has noticed a crack running along the inside of the metal control joint on his stucco and wants to know the best way to repair it. He’s curious if it’s a serious issue and what steps he should take to address it. Question from Henry:I have a crack all along the inside of the metal […]
Tom is in the final stages of building a pizza oven and is preparing to apply the base coat. However, he’s having trouble finding Sakrete Scratch and Brown Base Coat, which was recommended by the kit manufacturer. He’s wondering if he can use a Portland Cement and sand mix as an alternative. Question from Tom:I am […]
Henry’s stucco exterior was fog-coated years ago with a specific color from Expo Stucco, but since the company seems to be out of business, he’s wondering if it’s possible to color match fog coat the way one can match paint. He’d like to know how to go about it so he can avoid redoing the […]
Cheryl recently came across a great deal on STO Powerflex medium and is planning to repair the stucco on her cinder block house. She’s wondering if she can apply mortar over the cinder blocks as a base before finishing with the STO product. Question from Cheryl:I have a cinder block house needing stucco repair. I recently […]
Barbara is looking to change the color of her traditional stucco on a rammed earth block house from light sage green to charcoal gray. She doesn’t want to paint the stucco, and prefers it to remain more breathable. Barbara’s Question:We have traditional stucco on our rammed earth block house and landscape walls. I want to simply […]
Chris has a question about installing heavy bistro lighting on a stucco ceiling for his outdoor patio. He wants to know if attempting this could damage the stucco and the best way to securely fasten stainless steel hanging hooks for the job. Question from Chris:I have a stucco ceiling on an outdoor patio and want to […]
Mariana has a great question about stucco control joints. She’s concerned about the lack of control joints on walls larger than 144 square feet. There are only a few small cracks after 18 years, and she’s wondering how much of a concern this should be. Question from Mariana:Hi, I’m under contract for a stucco home built […]
Doug is working on a 26-ft tall chimney with visible hairline cracks, as well as larger cracks that seem to follow the cinder block lines. He’s asking if painting the hairline cracks with elastomeric paint and then applying acrylic paint over the entire chimney after repairing the larger cracks would be a good solution. Question from […]