How to Create Stucco Walls for Your Home

By Tom Moates
Published on December 1, 1999
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Progression of steps: Studs and insulation sheetrock, sheating etc., masonry wire and roofing nails, rough scratch coat and smooth finish coat.
Progression of steps: Studs and insulation sheetrock, sheating etc., masonry wire and roofing nails, rough scratch coat and smooth finish coat.
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Sand type
Sand type "N" mortar mix water Recipe: 3 parts sand, 1 part mortar mix. Chop thoroughly when dry. Carefully add water and mix with hoe to desired consistency.
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Spread as you would icing on a cake.
Spread as you would icing on a cake.
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Diagram: Top view of wall section.
Diagram: Top view of wall section.

Learn how to create stucco walls for your home using these details instructions. (See the stucco wall diagrams in the image gallery.)

Progression of Stucco Steps

“Aren’t you sick of squares!” Carol exclaimed, summing up our feelings after framing and sheetrocking the main section of our saltbox-style home. Even though our wooden house in the forest blended nicely with the natural surroundings, its framing, siding and paneling all met at sharp angles and created flat surfaces.

When it came time to add on a bathroom, we laid a meandering stone foundation, at first ignoring the fact that all the materials on the job came in rectangles. We figured out how to frame and sheetrock curved walls on top of the stone work. We installed a roof system from rough-cut lumber . . . no easy task. But when finally it came time to choose a medium to seal our walls — one that would flow with the curves and the arched ceiling — we were left scratching our heads. I’d used mortar stucco for chinking log cabins and for flat exterior walls, so we decided to try it on the bathroom. The result is a classical masterpiece, complete with gentle, artistic curves and a gray earthy texture. And to top it off, it was affordable and fun to install.

The Materials

The basic stucco described here consists of a layer of masonry wire (also called diamond lathe) and two coats of mortar in order to create stucco walls for your home. The masonry wire provides a rigid structure upon which you put a “scratch” coat followed by a finish coat of mortar. Regardless of the surface to be covered — be it a flat or curved wall, a ceiling or a space between two logs — if you can shape and attach the masonry wire effectively over the surface, the stucco will adhere and stay put.

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