Stucco

Author: MagnaColors.com

Stucco for Building Color and Texture

Traditional portland cement plaster is an extremely versatile, time-tested exterior finish, frequently referred to as “stucco.” It consists of portland cement-based materials and sand, mixed with water to form a workable plaster. The key ingredient, portland cement—the same material that is the basis for the hardened properties of concrete used to build super-highways, bridges, and skyscrapers—provides strength, durability, and toughness in portland cement plaster.

Stucco

As an exterior cladding, stucco is cost-effective and tough enough to resist damage. That inherent toughness is beautifully complemented by the variety of colors and textures available. Color is determined by selecting cement and aggregate color, and quite often modified by adding mineral oxide pigments to the plaster mix. White portland cement makes it possible to achieve the widest range of colors for the stucco finish, including bright white. Factory-prepared finish coat products, which are available in many areas, often contain white cement. These pre-pigmented, packaged cements offer ease of use for achieving the desired stucco color, but it’s also possible to add preweighed mineral oxide pigments to the finish coat stucco during mixing.

Stucco

Texture gives substance and character to the plaster surface. It can be used to provide highlights, depth, continuity, segmentation, and even achieve the look of a completely different construction material such as wood timbers, brick, or stone masonry construction. Texture is achieved by selecting aggregate size, controlling finish mix consistency, and using special treatment techniques during and after application of the finish coat plaster.

Stucco

Stucco, or portland cement plaster, is a versatile facing material that can be applied to flat or curved surfaces either inside or outside any building or structure. Stucco has great appeal as a surface finish because of its utility, low first cost, and minimum need for maintenance.

Stucco

In its hardened state, plaster is a desirable facing material: hard, strong, fire-resistant, and color-retentive. Because plaster is also breathable, or able to transmit moisture vapor, water that gets behind it does not become trapped. That makes it resistant to rot and fungus. Plaster has proved to be a durable wall cover in all climates, whether wet, dry, hot, or cold.

Stucco

The final appearance of the finish coat can be varied by changing the size and shape of the aggregate, using colored cement, adding pigments, changing the consistency of the finish mix, the method or equipment used for plastering, and the plasterer's skill in manipulating the finish coat.