Polishing stucco seams

Question

I stuccoed this wall in many iterations but was unable to do it seamlessly.

The conspicuous seams divide daily application areas. Is there a way to polish these seams so there are not visible? One idea was to mix a custom mix of more cement and less sand and apply it with a taping knife instead of masonry trowel, which is what I used for this. I find that it is impossible to achieve smooth surface with a trowel and hope I can use something more flexible, like a taping knife for drywall compound. I would also be open to buying some kind of ready mix equivalent to drywall joint compound that comes in buckets.

I plan to prime and paint it with regular exterior paint.

Answer 1

If the seams aren't smooth there is nothing you can coat them with that will mask that. The color variations will be covered with paint.

Typically stucco has a texture that hides the seams. If you want a smooth stucco finish the entire area must be done at one time. However you should have an expansion joint to mitigate cracks. Where that is depends on the type of surface you are covering. (You could stop and restart at the joint) . Rather than try to cover your uneven joints, scrape or grind them smooth then apply a thin layer of new stucco and use a brush to blend it all together. Wet the old surface before applying the new stucco.

Let the whole wall dry for at least a day. Apply a surface pre-paint sealer. Another day to dry and then you can paint with any good grade exterior latex paint.