Stucco is a very popular option for home construction. Stucco is a versatile building material that homeowners love for its durability. A stucco exterior can be customized to match the texture of your home. You can also choose from brighter colors than exteriors made with brick or siding.

Stucco Systems

Three different methods can be used to apply stucco. Each system provides a unique finish and durability. One-coat stucco systems are the fastest. They have a base coat and a finish coat that’s sprayed. The three-coat (also known as hard coat) stucco system features two base coats along with a finish coat. This makes them more durable and long-lasting than single-coat stucco finishes. EIFS, or synthetic stucco, is made up of two coats of stucco on top of a foam insulation panel. It can be durable if it has a proper water drainage system.

Common Finishes

Whatever general stucco technique you choose, it is important to select a finishing texture. The majority of stucco companies offer a choice of four textures: dash, lace, scraped or float. A scraped stucco finish is the most smooth. It’s simply created by smoothing the stucco using a steel instrument. A dash finish is a rough stucco with small peaks of stucco. Sand texture finishes are similar to grains of sandy sand. With a look that resembles a heavy lace fabric, lace texture finishes offer more visual appeal.

Decorative Finishes

You can also apply decorative finishes to your home to create a personal look. They are usually done using a three-coat stucco system. Stucco can look like brick or a wet-grooved plaster treatment to make it look like tiled walls. Trowel sweep finishes can also be used to add decorative touches. These include a repeating fan design, combed, which has thin vertical lines and briar, which uses random lines that are created by pushing the trowel into the stucco.

Paints and Colors

The stucco finish offers homeowners more options for choosing a color for their home. The home can be painted, colored stucco, or an acrylic finish. Stucco colored with color cracks and stains easily, but it is easier to add decorative finishes. The best option for painted stucco is synthetic stucco. This gives it a brighter look but needs to be maintained every few years. Acrylic stucco has the longest-lasting finish and is less susceptible to cracks than colored stucco.