Color & Texture
Stucco Home > Color
& Texture Stucco for Building
Color and Texture
 Traditional
portland cement plaster is an extremely versatile, time-tested exterior
finish, frequently referred to as “stucco.” It consists
of portland cement-based materials and sand, mixed with water to
form a workable plaster. The key ingredient, portland cement—the
same material that is the basis for the hardened properties of concrete
used to build super-highways, bridges, and skyscrapers—provides
strength, durability, and toughness in portland cement plaster.
As an exterior cladding, stucco is cost-effective and tough enough
to resist damage. That inherent toughness is beautifully complemented
by the variety of colors and textures available. Color is determined
by selecting cement and aggregate color, and quite often modified
by adding mineral oxide pigments to the plaster mix. White portland
cement makes it possible to achieve the widest range of colors for
the stucco finish, including bright white. Factory-prepared finish
coat products, which are available in many areas, often contain
white cement. These pre-pigmented, packaged cements offer ease of
use for achieving the desired stucco color, but it’s also
possible to add preweighed mineral oxide pigments to the finish
coat stucco during mixing.
Texture gives substance and character to the plaster surface. It
can be used to provide highlights, depth, continuity, segmentation,
and even achieve the look of a completely different construction
material such as wood timbers, brick, or stone masonry construction.
Texture is achieved by selecting aggregate size, controlling finish
mix consistency, and using special treatment techniques during and
after application of the finish coat plaster.
Color and texture add dimensions to your projects. To confirm the
suitability of a desired color and texture, be sure to ask your
plasterer to provide a sample panel for evaluation prior to starting
work.
ASTM C 979, Specification for Pigments for Integrally Colored Concrete
|
 |
|