Stucco finish?
Question:how do i give stucco that stucco finish, i used rapid-set stucco mix, it just stays too smooth.
Answers:
Did you put it on with a sponge float or a steel trowel?
Most modern stucco has a color coat of some sort and it is probably this that you are referring to. this can be many designs but a basic track house finish is what it called skip troweled. this is a 2 step process. After your brown coat is dry and cured. a color coat base (white) is mixed with the colorant. it is then applied in a circular motion to the wall with a sponge float this gives you the grainy, sandy, stucco looking finish. then as this is still wet another pass is made with a steel trowel and more color mixture this gives you the real rough finish that you have probably seen on other houses. When putting this on you load your trowel on the board and then starting from the bottom going up ride the trowel just close enough for it to "skip" across the wall, as you do this a very thin layer of coating will adhere to the wall giving you this texture.
This cant really be done with just stucco mix as you have described. If you are not going to add a color coat, to achieve the sandy, grainy texture apply your stucco with a red sponge float. this is a very dense rubber not the green spongy one. as you are applying this do so in a circular motion and try to keep a "wet" edge as with painting. as you are applying it just keep in your mind circles like washing your car..
1.Scatch coat
2.Brown coat (sounds like where you are at)
3.Finish coat (aka stucco coat, color coat, texture coat )
That maybe your problem - the rapid set mix, because you really have to 'work' the trowel to get the traditional swirl trowel marks - The stuff the pros use is sticky like merigne almost -
Try mixing some Paris plaster powder to thicken it up like butter consistency , so when you work the trowel it will pull points in your stucco finish.
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