Q: What type of Stucco should I use? Can I just get away with 2 layers of Base Coat stucco? Or do we need a Base Coat first and then a Finish Coat - or can I just apply two layers of Base Coat or 2 layers of Finish?
A: The recommend method is to apply a layer of Base Coat, and after that has cured / hardened for about 3 - 4 days, then you will apply a final layer of stucco - the Finish Coat.
Do we have any issues with just using Base Coat (ONLY) or Finish Coat (ONLY) for the 2 layers? No.
We’ve had several customers tell us that they only used 1 type of stucco for both layers of stucco on the oven with no problems.
.
.
The key to a hairline crack-free stucco finish is to keep the stucco moist during the curing / drying process. Make sure you keep damp towels on the stucco - or at least spray the stucco every hour or two with water from a water sprayer.
I ended up using two layers of base (scratch) coat and then finished with a third layer of finishing coat stucco that was mixed with stucco paint. This finishing stucco was left over from the professionals who had recently applied it to my workshop project. The added benefit is that it’s waterproof and matches the stucco on the workshop which is next to my pizza oven. I was also able to get better texturing with the finish coat as compared to the base coat since the finish coat seems to be thinner and easier to spread.
If using two types of stucco (base/scratch and finishing), how much of each do we need? My kit instructions just say “200 lbs of dry/powdered stucco”.
For the 28" Mattone Cupola, is it as simple as (qty 2) of the 100lb bags of dry stucco?
That is correct! You only need (2) of the 100lb bags of dry Stucco on all of our oven kits (except the 36" & 42" Cupolas - you will need 3 bags).
You can use (2) bags of Base Coat / Scratch Coat… or you can use (1) bag of Base / Scratch and (1) bag of Finish Coat. Since you will be applying a veneer or paint to the stucco - it doesn’t really matter what type of stucco you use.