We’re on year there and I was going to veneer it so I never sealed the shell…so, now I’m thinking just to get some protection on there I should seal it this year just in case I don’t get around to applying a veneer but if I do this will the veneer stick over the sealant? I’m thinking of just painting it with exterior paint.
Hi Ryan,
I don’t have a good answer for you on this. I’m lighting up the Bat-Signal. 
If you want to seal the oven… say for 1/2 a year or so, simply spray the oven with an organic sealer. It will last for about 1/2 a year before naturally breaking down.
You can reseal the oven, or give the oven / shell a good scrubbing w/ a hard bristle brush and an organic cleaner. Once it’s been dry for about a week, you can apply a veneer… or coat the stucco shell with 3 or 4 layers of OUTDOOR latex paint.
Paint does look good - And you can apply a new coat each spring and your oven will look like new every year!
Isn’t stucco pretty much weather-ready? It’s used as siding and finishing on a lot of outdoor kitchens. Does it need to be sealed or is that just a preference?
We live between Seattle and Vancouver BC… If we didn’t paint (seal) the stucco, it would never be dry and the masonry oven would retain moisture like a sponge.