Stucco is a popular surface material for southwest Florida homes and businesses that provides a low-maintenance, durable finish unmatched by most other materials. Similar in composition to plaster, stucco is more commonly used for exterior walls, while plaster tends to be used more for interior surfaces. However, due to its durability and pliability, stucco is increasingly being used for inside surfaces, too. Plaster and stucco are both comprised primarily of cement and sand, but stucco uses lime as its binding agent, while plaster relies on gypsum. There is also a synthetic form of stucco made from acrylic resin that is considered more pliable and resistant to water damage than traditional stucco.   

In addition to its durability and low maintenance, stucco allows for creative design options through texturing. Stucco surfaces can be swirled, raked, smoothed, pebbled, laced, combed, webbed, cat-faced or patterned in any number of other ways. While stucco can be integrated with dyes to provide surface color, stucco can also be painted. In fact, incredible surface designs can be created with the right mix of texturing and paint color.  

That said, choosing the correct type of paint is very important when painting stucco. Oil paints should never be used on stucco, because the material needs to breath. Acrylic paint is typically recommended due to high permeability value, though elastomeric paints are a viable option, too. If confused about how to effectively paint stucco, consider consulting with painting experts, such as those at Naples, Florida-based FCI Painting.     

Stucco Textures to Consider for Your SW Florida Home or Business 

There are dozens of potential textures you can create with your stucco surface, with a half dozen or so considered popular in the southwest Florida area. Some of the most popular include:  

Smooth 

A smooth stucco finish looks like polished concrete, feels almost velvety, and can provide a modern industrial look. Due to the difficulty—and added cost—of creating the surface, smooth finishes tend to be used more for interior surfaces than exterior.  

Orange Peel 

Orange peel is simple to apply and offers a classic style. Resembling the rind of an orange, this pattern can offer understated but alluring dimension and texture to indoor spaces like dining rooms, bedrooms, and studies. 

Cat Face 

The cat face texture consists of smooth areas interspersed with lightly roughened patches that someone described as looking like cat faces when the style first emerged. Cat face textures can vary widely depending upon how large the rough patches are and how spread out they are from each other.  

Dash 

The dash stucco finish in one of the most popular across America. It looks great with all colors and provides a gravelly looking rough texture. There are actually at least five distinct dash finishes—light, medium, heavy, tunnel, and knockdown—each of which provide a different degree of gravelly roughness.  

Spanish Lace 

Similar to dash finishes, Spanish lace provides the appearance of a roughened surface, but the surface is actually smooth with irregular grooves interspersed underneath. This texture is achieved by leveling all the bumps at a specifc level.  

Sand 

This simple finish provides a sandy texture that can vary from a fine sand to a coarser sand appearance. Easy to apply and maintain, sand textures are especially popular with southwest Florida-area businesses.  

Learn More with Your Favorite Naples, FL Painting Company  

All of these distinct stucco textures can be aesthetically enhanced with paint. If you would like to learn more about how to bring out the best with your stucco textures with paint consult with FCI Painting. We’ve successfully painted stucco surfaces throughout the Naples, Florida-area during our 25 years of professional service. To learn more, contact FCI Painting online, or by giving us a call at (239) 435-1001.