Learn the tricks for painting interior stucco.
Stucco is a wall finish that is imperfect. A stucco finish is somewhere between plaster and cement. Its textured finish contains many bumps and dips, making it a little difficult to cover well with paint. There are a few tricks when it comes to painting stucco, especially when painting interior walls.
Curing
Allow new stucco to cure before you try to paint it. Much like the wood of a new deck, new stucco needs time to dry out completely. Wait a few months before painting new interior stucco. This allows the paint to adhere better.
Primer
As with many surfaces, you need to use primer on interior stucco before applying regular paint. Make sure to use a high quality masonry primer and paint for best results.
Extra Paint
Buy more paint than you think you will need. Because of the nature of stucco and its ability to absorb more paint than a traditionally finished wall, you will use more paint than you would think. If you have paint left over, just store it to use for future dings and touch-ups.
Thick Nap Rollers
Using a brush to paint an entire wall can be tedious, especially on surfaces like stucco that are uneven. You may not think it is possible, but you can use rollers to paint even these surfaces. Get a roller with a thicker nap. Look for these right alongside regular rollers at the building supply store. Thick-napped rollers allow you to paint in the dips and crevices of stucco without a lot of extra labor.
Sprayer
When all else fails and if you have the money to invest, buy a paint sprayer, probably your best option. Paint sprayers work well on many different types of surfaces, especially uneven surfaces such as stucco. Load the sprayer with paint and let it do the work. The only downside to using a sprayer is that it is messier, but sprayers get the job done more quickly.
Adding Texture
Some people really like the texture of their stucco walls. Painting them will take this away somewhat. You can add texture when painting your walls by adding some play sand to the paint. Pour some paint out of the can, as the sand will make the paint overflow. Add 2 cups of sand to the paint and stir really well. Roll on as you normally would.
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