Ah, stucco. So many finishes, so little time. Stucco has been a beloved home exterior cladding material since the early 1800s. Advances in mixing and applying the substance have made it faster and easier than ever to apply, and if it’s done correctly, it’s extremely durable. If you’re sold on stucco, the only questions you have to answer are what style and color you want.

First let’s look at color. Time was the word “stucco” brought to mind a hacienda with a Spanish-tiled roof. Colors were desert-inspired: Sand. Sierra. Adobe. Puerto Rico’s stucco homes are a sherbet rainbow of colors — mint, marine, peach and coral — and if you can’t find a particular color of stucco in San Francisco, it doesn’t exist.

But today’s popular “colors” for stucco are neutral — leather, canvas, tumbleweed. Creams, grays and pale yellows are still favored as well, but if you’re a terra cotta or a burnt orange type, it’s not considered that out of the ordinary.

As important as color is texture, as any good designer will tell you. Stucco can be styled in endless ways, but most can be categorized into four main textures.

  1. Smooth, scraped, Santa Barbara — these are all names to describe the same style: flat. Achieved by scraping with a steel tool, this look is clean and even, and it gives your property a smart, sharp look.

  2. Float or sand finish brings just a touch of texture to your exterior, and it goes on quickly and easily. It’s also easy to patch or repair, should any damage come to your finish.

  3. Lace or cat face is a combination of smooth and textured. With this design, the wall is smoothed, then indentations are made at regular intervals to form a pattern. In another version of this pattern, most of the wall is smoothed, leaving small portions in their original rough state.

  4. Dash texture can resemble some sprayed-on ceilings — bumpy and knobby. The look is created by leaving the stucco in its rough state; however, some finishes are much rougher than others — it depends on your tastes.

Though these are the most basic stucco finishes, variations on each are virtually limitless, and if you have a skilled craftsman, you can truly have a one-of-a-kind look.

If you are considering a stucco finish for your home, look no further than the expert team at Renovation by Burbach. We have applied hundreds of stucco finishes for happy homeowners all over the Salt Lake City area. Call us to set up a free consultation to see what kinds of beautiful stucco finishes would look best on your home.