Friends Lathing and Plastering

A family tradition of pride and quality for over 70 years

How to choose which color is right for your project

Choosing the right color can be hard for some. There are a lot of different variables to consider in deciding which colors are right for you.

Lighter colors tend to dry more evenly with less variations, modeling, and shades in color. Darker colors have more character, and modeling. If you like the shade of a color, but want it darker we sometimes use double color. This will slightly decrease the strength of the finish coat, but will allow you to achieve a darker richer shade. If you want a totally even uniform dark color with no imperfections it is best to paint after stucco has fully dried. . If you do decide to paint keep in mind that paint seals the pores in cement and restricts the ability of the product to evaporate water which decreases the life expectancy.

Personally I like a little  color variation in smooth finish, it gives walls character, and makes them unique. I love working with combinations of colors. We can combine colors and easily embed tiles in the walls, entry ways, or special places. Above we have a grey santa barbra smooth pillar, a 20/30 smooth joining wall, a  2 coat eisenwall smooth on cap and floor, and a pink 20/30 sand  finish on the house. You can see how the white color has very little variation in color while the darker cap has different shades. The tiles I purchased at the ventura harbor, and match the house and joining wall.  My top three colors are 504 blue grey, 73 eggshell, and 50 crystal white (there under la habra on the links page).Above we have a 16/20 catface re-stucco over a pre-existing texture. The owners bought tiles that they hand picked, and allowed us to embed them in the walls. This is my personal favorite texture for a re-stucco. It is cheaper to do than smooth, and it covers imperfections as well as a textured finish. You can see some modeling, and color variations due to the dark color and heavy troweling.  

All that aside the I think the two most important questions to consider in picking out your color are: 1) What colors will your product be surrounded by? ( what color is your trim, windows, doors, roof, driveway, fences, block walls, etc) , and 2) How does it make you feel?

 

 

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