Los Angeles County
New Stucco Installation in Los Angeles
New stucco is a layered system, not a coating. On new construction we install the full assembly weather-resistive barrier, metal lath, scratch coat, brown coat and finish coat so the wall performs as a drainage plane first and a finished surface second.
We install new stucco for general contractors and developers on ground-up commercial and multifamily projects, and for owners adding square footage, ADUs or new elevations to an existing building.
The three-coat stucco process
A conventional three-coat system is applied over metal lath in distinct stages, each with its own purpose and cure time.
- Weather barrier and lath — building paper or approved WRB is lapped shingle-style over the substrate, then metal lath is fastened into framing with accessories: casing bead, weep screed at the base, corner aid and control joints.
- Scratch coat — the first plaster coat is pressed through the lath so it fully embeds and keys around the metal, then horizontally scratched to give the next coat something to bond to.
- Brown coat — the leveling coat. This is where the wall becomes flat and plumb, floated straight to the screeds and accessories. Nearly all of the finished appearance is decided here.
- Finish coat — the color and texture layer, applied over a properly cured brown coat in the selected texture: smooth, sand, dash, lace or a custom match.
Why the brown coat decides the job
Owners judge stucco by the finish coat, but a wavy, out-of-plane brown coat cannot be hidden by texture. Long commercial elevations show every deviation in raking afternoon light, which is exactly the condition most Los Angeles buildings live in.
We float the brown coat to the accessories and let it cure before the finish goes on. Rushing this stage is the single most common reason a new stucco wall looks amateur once the scaffolding comes down.
New stucco on commercial and multifamily construction
On commercial projects, our scope is coordinated with the trades before and after us. Windows, doors, decks, roof edges and penetrations all need to be flashed and sequenced correctly, because stucco covers the details that keep water out of the assembly.
We handle the accessories that make an elevation look intentional — control joints laid out on a rational grid, clean reveals and bands, consistent corner detail, and a weep screed line that stays straight across the whole building.
Finishes available on new work
- Smooth — contemporary, unbroken planes; the least forgiving and most modern
- Sand (float) — the standard Southern California finish, available in fine to heavy grain
- Dash — sprayed texture with a durable, uniform look common on commercial buildings
- Lace and skip trowel — traditional California texture that hides minor substrate variation
- Custom color and integral-color finish coats
Service areas
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a new stucco system take to install?
It depends on square footage and access, but the sequence itself requires time between coats for curing. A schedule is set during the walkthrough and coordinated with your other trades — we do not compress cure time to hit a date.
Do you install stucco for general contractors?
Yes. We bid lath and plaster scopes on new construction and renovation projects and work to the plans and specifications provided.
Can you match the stucco on an existing building for an addition?
Yes. New additions are finished to match the existing texture and color as closely as the original finish allows. See our texture matching page for how that process works.
What is a weep screed and why does it matter?
It is the perforated accessory at the base of a stucco wall that lets incidental moisture drain out of the system. Covering or burying it traps water at the bottom of the wall, which is a frequent cause of failure in older buildings.
Related work
Other stucco and plaster services
Lath & Plaster
The structural half of a stucco system — weather barrier, metal lath, accessories and plaster coats installed correctly.
Commercial Stucco
Exterior stucco systems, restoration and repair for apartment, retail, office, hospitality and industrial buildings across Los Angeles County.
Re-Stucco
Complete exterior renewal — a new finish coat over a prepared existing wall, restoring color, texture and uniformity.
Stucco Texture Matching
Blending repairs and additions into an existing exterior so the patch is not the first thing anyone sees.