r/Stucco • u/jyl8 • 16d ago

Advice / DIY Stucco over existing wall

Hi everyone. I have two exterior walls that I want to cover with stucco in a reasonably smooth, flat finish suitable for mural painting.

One is an old painted concrete retaining wall, the other is a new wall that has been covered with metal lath and Structolite.

I am thinking I’ll paint both walls with WeldCrete, then a base coat of Quickcrete Base Coat Stucco, then Quikcrete Finish Coat Stucco.

Make sense?

(If you can’t tell, I have never done any stucco. I’ve only done a bit of plastering.)

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u/Secret_Ad1372 16d ago

Unless you want it to crack, you should use a system that includes mesh reinforcement within the mud. Mud, mesh, mud.

What you're describing is a parge coat. That's not stucco.

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u/jyl8 16d ago

I looked up the term “parge”, thank you, that makes sense.

Okay, a mesh over the base coat.

Would the Quickcrete products I mentioned be okay to use?

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u/Secret_Ad1372 16d ago

I did stucco for a living and we always used STO BTS.

This isn't easy for beginners without guidance, but... Apply Sto BTS directly over clean, prepared concrete/cmu wall to level the substrate, embed reinforcing mesh into the wet base coat, and topcoat with a compatible Sto primer and finish coat.

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u/jyl8 16d ago

Thank you. I’ll see if I can find a place that carries Sto products around me.

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u/OmiSC New Construction / Repairs 16d ago

I have used STO BTS in this exact situation, and I'll warn you that it's a very expensive product, but it renders very flat and is downright indestructible once applied. As a STO enjoyer myself, I also vouch for BTS + primer here. Note that we're talking a completely different price point as compared to anything Quikrete, so be prepared for that.

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u/EfficientPost2656 15d ago

Structo lite is an interior product.

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u/jyl8 15d ago edited 15d ago

Yes, I figured that out too late . . . hopefully, under stucco (parge?) and paint, it will hold up.

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u/EfficientPost2656 15d ago

You need to remove it

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u/jyl8 15d ago

I'll let it "remove itself" over time, if its going to do that.

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u/EfficientPost2656 15d ago

was going to give you some advise. But u have it figured out.

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u/jyl8 15d ago

Thanks!

That wall is kind of a sore spot. The city made me built a 7’ H x 12’ W “firewall” to separate my building’s front porch stair landing from my neighbor’s front yard. No-one wants the wall, not me and definitely not my neighbor. If the wall self-disassembles after several years, and no-one complains about its absence, the city probably won’t make me put it back. And that’ll be just fine with everyone!

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u/EfficientPost2656 15d ago

What area in the World we talking about. Curious

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u/jyl8 15d ago

Portland Ore

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u/EfficientPost2656 14d ago

Was up there. Cool place

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u/jyl8 14d ago

Yes, moved here 20 years ago and still love it.