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stucco is a term loosely applied to nearly all kinds of external plastering, whether composed of lime or of cement. The principal varieties of stucco are common, rough, trowelled and bastard. Cement has largely superseded lime for this work. Common stucco for external work is usually composed of one part hydraulic lime and three parts sand. The wall should be sufficiently rough to form a key and well wetted to prevent the moisture being absorbed from the plaster, demand for smooth plastering is still growing; just like lace finishes and other coats. Rough stucco is used to imitate stonework. It is worked with a hand float covered with rough felt, which forms a sand surface on the plaster. Lines are ruled before the stuff is set to represent the joints of stonework. Trowelled stucco, the finishing coat of this work, consists of three parts sand to two parts fine stuff. A very fine smooth surface is produced by means of the hand float. Bastard stucco is of similar composition, but less labor is expended on it. It is laid on in two coats with a skimming float, scoured off at once, and then trowelled. Colored stucco: lime stucco may be executed in colors, the desired tints being obtained by mixing with the lime various oxides. Black and grays are obtained by using forge ashes in varying proportions, greens by green enamel, reds by using litharge or red lead, and blues by mixing oxide or carbonate of copper with the other materials. Roughcast or pebbledash plastering is a rough form of external plastering in much use for country houses. In Scotland it is termed "harling". It is one of the oldest forms of external plastering. In Tudor times it was employed to fill in between the woodwork of half-timbered framing. When well executed with good material this kind of plastering is very durable. Roughcasting is performed by first rendering the wall or laths with a coat of well-haired coarse stuff composed either of good hydraulic lime or of Portland cement. This layer is well scratched to give a key for the next coat, which is also composed of coarse stuff knocked up to a smooth and uniform consistency. While this coat is still soft, gravel, shingle or other small stones are evenly thrown on with a small scoop and then brushed over with thin lime mortar to give a uniform surface. The shingle is often dipped in hot lime paste, well stirred up, and used as required.

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European Stucco (Real Stucco) has become one of today's most fashionable wall finishes, demand plastering European Stucco (Real Stucco), or mortar, is a building material used since Roman times. Part of the traditional construction methods in the Mediterranean area, stucco (or mortars), a mixture of lime and sand, have been used for centuries for wall finishing. Renaissance artists have first used this durable wall finishing material for wall decoration - they used colored mortars not only to protect the wall, but also to make it more beautiful. This is how the traditional mural art technique called Sgraffito appeared. There are numerous Sgraffito murals in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean area and in Central Europe. Modern mortar (lime, sand, and cement) is even more resistant and it is usually called European Stucco or Real stucco. Other terms used for European (real) stucco are in demand plastering is durable: old stucco, traditional stucco, and conventional stucco. Stucco as Art specializes in quality wall decoration in colored European stucco (real stucco) for residential and commercial architectures, for both the exterior and the interior: decorative stucco finishes, decorative stucco art panels, and stucco murals (including stucco trompe l'oeil). European stucco (real stucco) consists only of natural ingredients (lime, sand, cement and pigments). We at Stucco as Art prepare the material right from ingredients; we even create the colors we need from a handful of basic-color pigments. By not using pre-prepared or pre-packaged material, we retain absolute control over the quality of the material we use, as well as complete freedom in terms of colors and textures. In our stucco technique, there are no limitations to the number of strata, the way they are laid out, their texture or mixture of textures, the colors or shades, or to the design possibilities. We can use stucco as decorative wall finish, in unexpected and exquisite colors and textures, and we can use stucco to create art - from decorative panels to large-scale mural art, demand plastering uses good techniques for exterior stucco plastering.

European stucco (Real stucco) is like a natural skin for the wall, which can "breathe" through it: because it is porous and not waterproof, even if it absorbs moisture, real stucco dries easily, without damage to the structure. Because of its ingredients, real stucco is fire retardant. And best of all, real stucco is abrasion-resistant and very difficult to damage.European stucco (Real stucco) can be applied on virtually any surface: cement, brick, drywall, plywood, wood, styrofoam, etc.