The following are common kinds of stucco finishes, each of you may want to try before deciding:


Use only a roller to create a stippled effect. This is not the best option if you need to cover uneven or blemished walls.
Use a trowel to spread on the stucco paint in a thick, uneven pattern. This is commonly used for outside walls. This is the best option if you are trying to cover up a heavily marred surface.
Use a sponge to create a square pattern. You can dip the sponge in the paint and apply it directly to a surface, then repeat in a geometrical or random pattern.
Use a stiff brush or a comb to create "draw" onto the stucco or textured paint once it has been applied. You can draw waves, stripes, cross hatches or circles.
 Give your stucco the best chance to adhere to your wall by prepping your surface first. Of course, how you prep your surface depends on what kind of wall you have:


For concrete, brick, or block walls: Apply a coat of concrete bonding agent onto the wall. Allow it to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
For wood walls: Nail roofing felt over the wall, also called "building wraps" or "stucco wraps." Then, cover with 17-gauge metal netting, which comes in 150-foot (45 m) rolls. Nail the netting to the felt using galvanized roofing nails.
 The scratch coat is the first layer of stucco, usually applied to a wire mesh lath, which is then scraped. These scrapes provide teeth for the next coat of stucco to hold onto. Whether you decide on a scratch coat depends largely on how much wall you want to stucco: Doing a whole wall probably requires a scratch coat, while intermittent patches probably don't.


Shoot for the scratch coat to be about 3/8-inch thick.
Score the scratch coat horizontally with a ½-inch notched trowel when the stucco is firm, but not yet dry.This scoring is what gives the scratch coat its distinctive name, and allows it to bite and hold the next layer of stucco properly.
 Again, try to get it so that it's about 3/8-inch thick. If working out in the sun, be sure to periodically spray the coat with a light mist of water to keep the brown coat workable.
 Wet your darbie first. Next, get your darbie true and plumb to an even point on the wall (use your drip-screen, perhaps), and then use the darbie to smooth out the surface of the brown coat.


Once your brown coat is true and plumb, wait 7 to 10 days for the coat to dry. Any cracks, shrinkage, or imperfections should manifest during this time, giving you the opportunity to correct them before applying the last coat of stucco.
 The finish coat of a stucco wall should be pretty thin, about 1/8-inch thickness. This is where you blend in the texture of the new stucco to the old stucco, if necessary, or create a whole new texture if you're starting from scratch. You have some options about how you want to apply the finish coat:


Mix your finish coat with a little extra water to get it soupy. Then use a "dash" brush to spray or flick the watery finishing coat onto the brown coat. This is called a dash finish,
"Float" the finish coat with a hard rubber float. Move the float in a circular motion, pressing hard against the stucco.
Give the stucco finish a style of your choosing by using a sponge, a towel, a brush, etc., imbuing the coat with your own pattern.
Spread some stucco on a sheet of plywood to experiment with the kind of texture you would like to create.
Prep your wall to receive the stucco.
Apply the scratch coat of stucco using a trowel and a hawk, if necessary.
Apply the second coat, also known as the brown coat or leveling coat.
Go over the brown coat with a darbie or feather edge to smooth it.
Apply the finish coat, texturing or "floating" the stucco as desired.
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