Do It Yourself Stucco Project

Stucco is a thin plaster or cement that allows you to cover walls and ceilings with a thick, textured layer that can be worked into textures that add depth and hide flaws. There are numerous ways to work the texture into the stucco, with one standard being to simply "pull" the wet stucco out with a flat trowel or grout float so it forms peaks. If you've never applied stucco before, it's a good idea to practice your technique on some scrap wood before you start the main project.

Tarps
Stepladder
Paint rollers
Primer
Stucco paint
Rubber grout float

Instructions

- 1
  Take all the furniture out of the room. Lay tarps over the floor.
- 2
  Cover the ceiling in primer, applying it over the whole surface with a paint roller. Let it dry for 24 hours.
- 3
  Apply stucco paint to the ceiling with a roller, starting at one end and spreading it over as much area as you can comfortably reach from one position on the ladder. Roll it on thickly, using as much as will stay on the ceiling.
- 4
  Press a rubber grout float into the stucco paint, setting the flat surface of the float firmly into it. Pull the float straight down, creating textured peaks.
- 5
  Press the trowel back into the stucco paint right next to where it was before, and pull it down again. Repeat and continue, texturing the stucco over the whole area.
- 6
  Spread stucco paint over the next section of the ceiling and repeat the texturing process with the float. Step back after you texture every few feet and assess the surface from a slight distance to ensure the texture is consistent.
- 7
  Do the whole ceiling. Let it dry for 24 hours. Move the furniture back in.

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