Which Stucco Finish Texture is Best for Your Tucson Home?

Settled under a strong Arizona sun in the Sonoran Desert, Tucson offers a wide variety of architectural charm with its stucco textures that support the unique desert environment and effectively make all houses’ aesthetics, durability and versatility exceptional.

If you own a Tucson home and are considering your stucco finish options,, we will show you the best stucco styles for your dream home.

In this guide, we will explore seven different stucco texture types.

With over 15 years installing stucco in the greater Tucson area, we’ve handled all types of stucco finish on Southwest Arizona homes.

Different kinds of stucco finishes include Smooth, Sand Finish, Santa Barbara, Cat Face, Spanish Lace, Dash, and Lace and Skip.

Home improvement with stucco finish can greatly improve the curb appeal of your Southwest home, from Adobe style and English stucco finish styles alike.

Based on our recommendations, learn which stucco best supports your needs based on our recommendations and go from there by scheduling an estimate for our stucco services.

Let us explore the traits of each type of stucco that will stop your search here.

Now, we will go through the charming world of stucco finish types.

Common Types of Stucco Finish Textures for Tucson Homes

Smooth Stucco Finishes

With well-done layering and sanding and being a synthetic stucco,​​ Smooth has a modern, industrial appearance.

Because of their unique appearance, you can easily clean, color and customize them.

Despite the Smooth stucco being an excellent exterior modern stucco finishes, it can be difficult to use because it can crack easily and be harder to repair.

Also, of all stucco finish options, it is hard to make Smooth flawless because it needs a substrate with a smooth surface, which can be challenging.

Our company recommends Smooth for its visual appearance but also recognizes that it may not last as long because of how vulnerable they are to damage because of various weather conditions. Smooth stucco is not as smooth as it sounds.

Sand Finish Stucco

With its ideal grainy appearance, Sand Finish, also known as Sand Float Finish, is not only superb in hiding its sand and dust, but it is one of the different styles of traditional stucco that has many positive qualities. 

Some of these qualities include:

• High versatility

• Easy to repair cracked or damaged surfaces, which will further improve how long the texture will last

• Many texture options, such as fine, medium and coarse, to allow you to match your home designs well

• Sand stucco surviving paint well

• Green float matching well with eco-friendly practices

• Working with both traditional and synthetic stuccos

Its reliance on super smooth substrates can be an obstacle. However, we feel the pros of Sand Finish are far bigger than the cons. With strong versatility, aesthetic appeal and reliable maintenance, the Sand Finish is a fantastic choice for a long-lasting, high-quality texture.

Santa Barbara Stucco Finish

The traditional look and smooth finish, when dried, make the Santa Barbara stucco a visually pleasing option.

With sand particles that are finer and softer,  if you use them correctly, the exterior stucco finishes will look like your classic Pueblo-style home. Plus, the variety of colors and base coat methods lead to uniquely aesthetic looks.

The Santa Barbara finishes for stucco are also frequently used in Mediterranean-style homes, which makes these homes especially special.

We feel that although this stucco material may be hard to repair when cracked because it will take an extra-skilled hand to get it back to Santa Barbara style and that it is hard to construct, in general, this stucco will be an eye-catcher for many.

Cat Face Stucco Texture

With large smooth areas and small rough patches, known as inclusions, scattered throughout, the Cat Face needs two coatings sprayed or troweled with hand-finished adjustments to the rest of it to make it a texture you will instantly notice on the streets.

This will also depend on how easily you notice the rough and smooth textures together. 

If you plan to use Cat Face, the variations of these inclusions can vary depending on what you prefer, which allows an artistic and personalized finish right on your exterior walls. 

Unfortunately, Cat Face can not only easily break or crack, but we have found that repairing cat face stucco textures can be tough. 

Therefore, while we recommend the Cat Face for its uniqueness, we also want you to know that the shelf life may not always be great.

Spanish Lace Stucco Finish

Similar to Santa Barbara stuccos, the Spanish Lace is used in Mediterranean homes. 

You can also find it in many southwestern homes. 

Its stellar charm is not only great to look at, but it can also prevent the hot sun from doing too much damage, making this stucco not particularly fragile.

It is also a bigger version of lace and skip.

As a whole, we strongly encourage you to try Spanish Lace.

Dash Stucco Texture Finish

What is a finish that adds lots of character to your home with a unique bumpy or gritty look? How about the Dash stucco, also known as Finedash, Knockdown, Pebble or Roughcast? This is another finish we advise you to look into. 

The versatility sticks out like a sore thumb, with the ability to add gravel, pebbles and more using volumes of all ranges that ultimately lead to a rough stucco texture. This setup makes patching stucco easier if breaks or cracks take place.

We recommend Dash for its unique look, ability to apply it easily and its affordability, making it a convenient option for many.

Lace and Skip Trowel Finish

If you want a stucco finish that has a distinct texture, allows both traditional and synthetic stuccos, and where builders can apply both hand and spray with a trowel sweep, the Lace and Skip Trowel is a great option. 

It also hides flaws well, and builders can fix any of them quickly when they arise. 

From the ability to blend with different architectural styles to its stellar shelf life, we feel Lace and Skip is ideal for stucco siding. 

Choosing From the Different Stucco Texture Types

What Are the Advantages of Using These Types of Stucco Texture on Walls?

With shelf life, stucco types such as Dash as well as Lace and Skip are pure gems that can hide imperfections effectively and are easily repairable. Santa Barbara, Sand and Spanish Lace also stand out for their unique appearances and abilities to not be too fragile to breaks and cracks. These options are our biggest recommendations when looking for different stucco finishes. 

Stucco Types Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Be Aware of with Cracks and Holes?

We suggest you monitor the size of the holes in your stucco and whether the stucco e is detached from the wall and look for signs of water damage before taking the best repair actions possible.

Where Can I Find Stucco Texture Contractors Near Me?

To find the best stucco texture, we recommend searching companies with five-star reviews on Google, using the Better Business Bureau, or asking for referrals. 

You can contact us at Sunset Coatings Stucco & Paint to find the best stucco texture options for your home. With over 15 years of experience and 100% 5-Star Reviews, we are confident we can find what will fit best.