STUCCO RECIPES WITH STEPS FOR APPLYING STUCCO

Hi I’m Jody Smith Owner/Artisan of Overlay Solutions, LLC based out of Summerville, SC. I wanted to pass this NEW & very useful information along with the link from Mortarsprayer.com  I have one of the sprayer units from Mortarsprayer.com  I absolutly enjoy spraying with it. The unit is solid and saves so much time in the field. If you don't have one you should check out http://www.mortarsprayer.com/ today! 

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Stucco Recipes with Steps for Applying Stucco

This stucco sprayer is a fast application tool. A two-bag mixer (also called a 6-cubic foot mixer) is the appropriate mixer to use. These mixers usually come with a 5- to 8-horsepower gasoline engine. Most stucco requires one cubic foot of cement (Portland cement, blended hydraulic cement, masonry cement, plastic cement, hydrated lime, fly ash etc…), three cubic feet of plaster sand (coarser than masonry sand), and from four to seven gallons of water.

Cement comes in 1 cubic foot bags. Masonry cement usually ranges from 70 to 78 pounds. Plastic or stucco cement usually is 80 or 94 pounds. Portland or blended hydraulic cement is usually 94 pounds. Some companies make “half-bags” of cement. A 47-pound bag of Portland cement is not a cubic foot, but a half cubic foot. Lime is usually packaged in 1.25 cubic foot bags which weigh 50 pounds.

Three cubic feet of loose, damp sand fill four 5-gallon buckets level full.

With the first batch of stucco to be mixed, you will not know the amount of water that will be required. If the stucco is made too wet, it is often easier to throw the batch away rather than to try to salvage it. Even though you have a two-bag mixer, your first batch should use one bag of cement. Fill one bucket with water to about 1.25 inches from the top (this is 5 gallons). Fill a second bucket half full (this is about 2.5 gallons).

•Clean out the mixer, including chipping off loose material.

•Lock the mixer drum in the upright position.

•Start the mixer, put it in gear, and speed the engine up to a very rapid idle.

•Add about 3.5 gallons of water from the fuller bucket. Insure that your helper does not refill the bucket as it is set down.

•Add 2 buckets of sand.

•Break the cement down into two buckets. Add one of the buckets slowly.

If the mix remains soupy, proceed with adding the remainder of the cement. If the mix becomes stiff, add additional water. After all of the water is added, the mix should have the consistency of toothpaste. Mix until there are no lumps remaining.

Add the remaining sand. As the sand is added, the mix will become stiffer. Add additional water as needed to maintain a mix that rolls freely off the mixer blades.

    

When the mix appears correct, take the mixer out of gear and reach into the mixer with a long-handled cup (if you are going to put your hand into the mixer with the mixer running and in neutral, please buy extra insurance before you do so) and obtain a sample. First test is to place the sample on a steel plastering trowel and then tip the trowel. If the mix slides off before the trowel is at a 40 degree angle, it is probably too wet. Second test is to apply stucco to the substrate that you are applying stucco to. If it sticks well, it is a good consistency. If it peels away when the trowel is removed, it is probably too wet or too dry. Adjust the water and retest.

Determine the amount of water that was used for the one-bag mix. In the future, add 75% of this amount of water to the mixer if making a 1-bag mix or 150% of that amount if making a 2-bag mix.

After the mixer is dumped, add the water for the next batch and let the mixer run for a few minutes. This keeps the stucco from hardening in the mixer.

The second and later batches are much easier to mix. Be sure and measure the sand and water for the next batch while the previous batch is mixing. With the mixer running:

Add 75% of the water needed.

Add half of the sand.

Add cement.

Add remaining sand and remaining water.
Mix for 4 minutes after all components are in the mixer.

People using the stucco should report to the mixing crew with recommendations for adjusting the water and the sand concentration. The Tirolessa USA Mortar Sprayer can keep up with a crew of four people mixing and wheel-barrowing so, be prepared!

Read the full section of information at http://www.mortarsprayer.com/stucco/mix-designs/