How to Make Natural Earth Stucco for Retaining Walls

Stucco is similar to plaster and resembles a thick paste that installers spread over surfaces such as a retaining wall to improve its appearance. While you can buy bags of dry premixed stucco, you can also make your own natural version. Natural stucco uses sand that is native to your region, which provides a different coloring and is environmentally friendly. Creating the retaining wall stucco mix requires only maintaining the proper ratio of ingredients.

Wheelbarrow
Window screen
Shovel
Sand
Tarp
Cement mixer
20-pound bag of Portland cement
3 lbs. of hydrated lime
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Place a wheelbarrow in a level area of the ground and place a window screen on top of it.
- 2
  Find sandy dirt in the yard that is dry and has the coloring that you desire for your stucco. Do not use clay or dirt; choose only coarse sand.
- 3
  Place one shovel of sand on top of the window screen and use your hands to push the sand down through the mesh to sift it. When all of the sand is in the wheelbarrow, scrape off the sticks and rocks on top of the screen and discard them.
- 4
  Continue sifting sand until the wheelbarrow fills. Then spread a tarp over the ground nearby and dump the sifted sand on it.
- 5
  Continue sifting sand until you have approximately 2 1/2 times the amount of Portland cement. For example, if you are using a 20-pound bag of Portland cement, you need 50 lbs. of sand.
- 6
  Place the sifted sand into a cement mixture or another container large enough to contain it. If desired, you can also mix the natural stucco in small batches.
- 7
  Add one 20-pound bag of Portland cement into the mixer and then add 3 lbs. of hydrated lime.
- 8
  Wear a dust mask and safety glasses and turn the mixer on to begin combining the ingredients.
- 9
  Add water slowly to the mixture until the stucco mix has the consistency of peanut butter.

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