How to hard rubber float a stucco wall, plaster wall expert
Howdy all you DIY guys and gals, in this video we explain how, why and when to use a hard rubber float on a brown coat.
Thanks for watching and have a great New Year,
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Kirk Giordano Plastering Inc.
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How to hard rubber float a stucco wall, plaster wall expert
Hi Mr. Giordano which one is the hard rubber float is it the brown float thank you
Hello Gil,
The brown one is the hard rubber float. For me they work the best.
Again, best wishes with the New Year.
Kirk Giordano Plastering
If Im using my green sponge float, is it having the same effect? Because it has been helping me plane the surface and remove unwanted blemishes. So.. My question, does a soft sponge float create the same desired effect as the hard rubber float?
Hey Defender dude, good question. A green sponge float when properly used will bring out the sand for a sand finish. This is the most popular finish in the stucco trade. A hard rubber float will compress or compact the second coat, and also create a wall that’s true and plum and somewhat free of sand grit. Each float does have a specific use.
Have a groovy day!
Kirk Giordano plastering
Lookin good Kirk.
Evening jameshem, thank you, your the man.
Also thanks for or watching and have a good evening.
kirk Giordano plastering
Very useful information in video. I would like to know – how long I have to wait before I can float the stucco. Thanks
Morning Keith Lee, thats depend on many things such as the temperature or heat, if you wet the scratch coat down for a minute or an hour. The ideal time is before it's sets and after it's had a chance to dry where your using skill instead of strength.
In other words Keith, the ability to know when it's ready takes a lot of practice.
Best wishes,
kirk giordano plastering
Thank you.
Hi and thanks for the videos. Quick question here.. I have some experience here with lime plaster (venetian finish) but indoors only. I want to try to incorporate that fine aggregate plaster on some block columns. I'm thinking of stucco (med. aggregate), float it and after this video you mentioned letting it cure for some time.. i'm thinking of using maybe some mixture of stucco and vp with maybe an acrylic bonding agent for strength if i go heavier on the vp .. but 'after' that 2 weeks then just hitting it with a steel trowel as i would indoors.. what are your thoughts regarding this..
Hi Bred, OOOOOO, I see. No, I haven't used Venetian Plaster on any exterior walls, but you can use what we did on this home, Santa Barbara Smooth Mission finish. it's about the finest exterior grit available. It 's a bit heavier than the Venetian, but thats why we do two coats.
cheers!
kirk and family
Hi Isomina Bred, Sorry bro I'm not familiar with what you're going to do. Usually bonding agents are for bonding not for any strength value, and if you allow the plaster to set for two weeks you won't be able to trowel it down, In fact if you let it set for a half day you might not be able to trowel it down,
best wishes,
kirk and family
@StuccoPlastering i should've asked you if you've ever done vp on exterior walls and if you had to choose a grit (mesh?) with portland what you would do. for interior it's so fine layer on layer.. anyways thanks for the vids again very entertaining and informative better than the boobtoob
Very helpful video, Kirk. However I didn't see this until after I completed a 3/8" skim/brown coat on the first segment of my 2 coat stucco on cinder block project. I eventually want to do a smooth finish. I used a sponge float, so now it's fairly course with some of the aggregate sand on the surface. How can I get this segment ready for eventual smooth coat?
@Keith Granger Hi keith, easy peasy lemon squeezy, take your trowel or putty knife and scrape it with the edge of a trowel the sand will come off easily and give you a smoother finish, then hit with water prior to a smooth finish. next type in Santa barbara smooth mission finish. or SBSMF and our video should appear like magic,.
it will show you how to apply both finishes.
Remember, clean tools, drill bit, buckets and such as one fat grain of sand will create a lot of extra work, like what might be on your newly applied wall.
plus, If you don't get all the loose sand off your existing work, when you trowel on your new finish this action will loosen them, they will be so big compared to the super light sand if the finish coat of any fine finish coat that it will be a real drag to pick them out.
Best wishes, You Can Do It.
kirk giordano Plastering
Best wishes
KIRK,i am going to stucco over a sponge finished stuuco wall, i am using a bonding agent but how do i keep it flat , like plywood flat, im doing two coats can you give me some helpful hints..thank you mike
Evening Mike Crisco, steel trowel your second coat as flat as possible then follow the instructions on this video, Cheers, Kirk giordano Plaster
@Giordano's plastering & stucco repair videos , So put my scratch coat over old stucco using bonding agent (1st)Then steel trowel finish coat and when it gets hard enough finish with hard rubber trowel ?Thank you very much for even responding. I watch many of your videos and they are Awesome
thank you, this is close, your second coat can be steel trowel, this will be really smooth, but will often hairline as this steel troweling seals the stucco so it can't breath, however, a hairline crack is no big deal. If you hard rubber the second coat it's less likely to hairline as now it's more breathable but won't have a steel troweled look, but doubtful you or anyone else would notice this slight difference in appearance. Cheers. kirk giordano plastering
Kirk is it ok to use a green or white float after the brown coat to make it true and plumb and then apply a synthetic fine finish ?
Evening Gilbert dude,A hard rubber float will compress the wall making it stronger, and true and plumb if you know how to float properly,Why not use a green sponge float for this? Good question, glad you asked, a green sponge float is used to bring out the aggregate or sand thus give what we call in the plastering industry a sand or float finish it does nothing to compress a wall.Plus if you use a green sponge float the large granules of sand will mess up your fine finish as they will bleed through, been there not good. Live long and plaster, Kirk giordano Plastering
Kirk Giordano plastering Inc. thank you for the great heads up I've been examining the different ways to make a wall true and plumb I have never used a hard rubber float but I am going to pick one up and follow your techniques! thanks Kirk I wish you and your family the best !
Kirk, you apparently haven't read Robert Harlow's The One Handed Plasterer mystery series…
Good evening Dsas dude, I'll have to look it up. Live long and plaster Sharing the plastering knowledge
Ginge rough neck
Howdy Stuart, not sure the meaning?
Peace, love, and harmony to all
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Hi Kirk: I just bought the neoprene float from your link… Would this work to float a 1 coat system skim on a concrete wall and not use the green sponge float? I think the green float brings out to much sand on the pre-mixed mortar bags? Thanks so much