Stucco is a very durable finish which is commonly used on exterior walls. Stucco is normally made from sand, cement and lime and is applied while the mixture is still wet. While stucco is very resilient it can still be damaged. In this article we will look at how to repair stucco when an accident occurs.

This repair method is best for a damaged area that is less than two square feet. If the repair is much larger than that then the stucco should be removed completely to the surface of the wall and built back in layers for best results.

The most difficult part of repairing stucco is achieving a perfect match to the existing stucco. Stucco comes in numerous different finishes and textures, so the best way to match it to your existing stucco is to try several different finishes until you get the best possible match.

In order to complete this project you will need a few tools and some materials. The tools that you will need are a trowel, a putty knife, a utility knife, a wire brush and a small whisk broom. The materials that you will are paint, premixed stucco, a metal primer and a bonding adhesive.

To start, remove all loose stucco using a wire brush. Use a utility knife to under cut the surrounding stucco so that the new patch will fit securely. Using the wire brush, clean away any rust and loose stucco that may have came loose when you under cut the stucco. Make certain that the area is clean before proceeding to the next step.

In the next step you will need to apply a bonding adhesive to the broken edges of the stucco which will ensure the bond between the old stucco and the fresh patch which you will be putting in. If you do not wish to use a bonding adhesive, you can wet the damaged area thoroughly and make sure it remains damp for at least twelve hours prior to applying a fresh patch in order to prevent the moisture from being drawn out too soon from the patch.

Next, apply a generous amount of stucco using your trowel or if the damaged area is very small you can use your putty knife. You will want to overfill the hole just a bit. Feather the edges of the new patch until it blends in well with the surrounding stucco.

Using your whisk broom or trowel you will now want to attempt to match the fresh patch to copy the existing texture. While it is oftentimes difficult to achieve a perfect match, you will need to just continue to try and match the patch until you have found the best possible finish.

Allow the fresh patch to fully dry, which is usually two to three days. After the patch is dry you will need to apply a coat of primer to the repaired area. A latex primer should be fine to use in this instance. After the primer has fully dried you can now touch up the repaired area using your wall paint.

Trying to achieve the perfect match when repairing stucco requires some patience so just keep at it until you get that desired finish.