Stucco News

Question and answers on Stucco and Plastering-- April, 2013




     Swami's rope trick

for curves.

Curved walls are simple with this mystic rope trick from the ages.
Ropes are put on for screeds.
 Another view of the rope. 
Ropes are put around the wall about every 5 feet.
 		  Nails are bent over the rope to make them easy
to remove later.
Mortar rodded off between the ropes.
 Ropes pulled off stucco stairtower in Washington, DC
The wall is then filled in between the ropes and rodded off with a 6 foot rod.
 We cut grooves along the bottom and the top of
 the ropes and pulled them out.
Grooves are filled in. Wall is straight and round.
 stucco stair tower in Washington, DC
The grooves are filled in and the wall is ready for the finish coat. The stair tower is nice and round and straight.
 The brown coat on the stair tower is as straight and round as you want.
This is a slick trick for round walls and barrel ceilings. For smaller curves, and more precise applications, a
running mold or a form template must be made.
Another good method is to use an old hose. Most plasterers have an old useless hose lying around.
For inside plaster, you can even leave the hose in the mortar and it won't crack.