Stucco is a popular exterior wall finish in commercial and residential buildings.  It is fire resistant and low maintenance when installed right.  Today there are many different Stucco finishes you can use; these are applied in the final coat – Color Coat.  The actual stability and endurance of the stucco comes from the under-layers: 
The framing:  You want to make sure your framing studs are as even as possible, 16” apart and are not bowed or cracked -- this will prevent them from having a wavy wall surface finish.  It is recommended that blocking will be used between the studs. 

Wood structural panel wall sheathing is beneficial in earthquake-prone regions.  These walls create a strong, rigid, rack resistant structure that minimizes building deformation under seismic conditions.  The increased rigidity of sheathing greatly decreases cracking of brittle exterior finishes such as stucco.  Wall sheathing also ties the roof, wall, floor and foundation together increasing the strength of the structure. 
Paper: Installing building water proof paper over wood structural panel wall sheathing when applying stucco will help protect the framing from moisture permeation through the stucco, and act as an additional weather resistive barrier.  Flashing should be installed around windows and doors to protect these locations from water penetration. 

Wire lath: Stretching a metal lath, rib lath, furring lath or paper backed lath - nailing it in intervals of 6” on center with proper stucco nails - is the key for a flat surface.  In the event of an earthquake, if the lath is not properly installed on a building major cracks can appear and possibly detach the stucco from the framing.  This weight endured movement can cause serious damage to the framing and roofing of the house, therefore causing cracks and possible leaks in the interior and exterior layers.  It is recommended to use the proper sill screeds and casing beads in this process.   
Scratch coat:  This is the cement base of the stucco. It is recommended to keep its thickness between 3/8” – ½”.  The scratch coat should completely cover the lath and immediately scratched horizontally.  This method will insure a proper adherence of the next coat which is the brown coat.  It is recommended to hydrate the scratch coat starting a day after the installation.  Curing contributes to the unified hardening of this layer.   
Brown coat:  This coat should be installed as evenly as possible to create a plane surface for the color coat.  It is important to wait 3-4 days between the scratch and brown coat applications.  The brown coat needs 7-10 days of watering before the color coat is applied.  The slower a base coat dries, the stronger it remains. 

Color coat: There are endless possibilities for the final texture in color and texture.  Choosing the finish texture can be challenging since many times the samples come in a 4”x4” samples.  We always suggest you take us to a house that has the look you prefer and have us match it for you.  In our meeting we will advise you on the pros and cons of each finish.  The colors are totally up to you.