# ways to finish a concrete block wall



## 3bar

i have an existing building which is constructed of concrete block walls.
i'd like to give the exterior walls a finished look...maybe like stucco or dryvit.
can a layer of concrete be sprayed or troweled over the surface? will cracks show through? any flexible coatings? any specific products to use?


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## Chris Johnson

Dryvit can work, you can even add a layer of EPS to help keep it warmer on the inside


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## thom

In my part of the country that's an everyday job. Just stucco over the block. If you use synthetic stucco for the finish coat you can do your brown coat directly on the block. If you use a standard stucco color coat you might want to paper, lath, scratch and brown before finish. With standard stucco directly on block the stucco dries faster over the cavities than the joints so the joints cure a different shade and are always visible.


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## 3bar

Chris Johnson said:


> Dryvit can work, you can even add a layer of EPS to help keep it warmer on the inside


i'd like to have the look of dryvit, but not the expense of doing foam also. can the dryvit material itself be applied to concrete block walls?



thom said:


> In my part of the country that's an everyday job. Just stucco over the block. If you use synthetic stucco for the finish coat you can do your brown coat directly on the block. If you use a standard stucco color coat you might want to paper, lath, scratch and brown before finish. With standard stucco directly on block the stucco dries faster over the cavities than the joints so the joints cure a different shade and are always visible.


interesting point. i wouldnt be against painting over the finish in the end, if shading is a problem.


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## loneframer

3bar said:


> i'd like to have the look of dryvit, but not the expense of doing foam also. can the dryvit material itself be applied to concrete block walls?


You would have to parge the wall first, to get a smooth base for the Dri-Vit finish.

I've seen the Dri-Vit finish coat used over stucco brown coat many times.


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## darr1

over here i would put sand and cement on that it would give it a neat finish


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## Raywill49

We have a product called ProGaurd. It is a concrete faced insulated sheathing product. You simply screw this to the block wall, tape and seal the joints. This material will increase the insulation value of the wall and replace the scratch/lath coats. You are ready for the finish coat or thin brick/stone application. Should be a tremendous labor savings and you won't have to relying on anything bonding to the CMU.


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## greg24k

Quikrete elastomeric coating, it can be used to coat concrete and stucco, good product because, it does 2 things, bridges cracks and also seals them to prevent cracking :thumbsup:


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## CrpntrFrk

Give the block a light spray with water then stucco direct to it. Is an everyday thing around here.


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## dhutchinson

I'm planning to do this too in the future. The answers I read here really is a big help. Thanks. This is the beauty of joining forums like this. You can get great answers for your construction problems. You all a great bunch of people. :thumbup:


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## FRAME2FINISH

heres a good solution for you, my house is architectural block, very porous jagged stuff, however it isn't cheap

when we did my buddies log cabin he cheaped out and parged his block,

looked like crap when he was done,

so when it was time to do my garage i use cheap block and i used a drywall splatter gun, and portland cement

hell yeah it works good and it holds up well too, and it is goodlooking imo


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## 3bar

FRAME2FINISH said:


> heres a good solution for you, my house is architectural block, very porous jagged stuff, however it isn't cheap
> 
> when we did my buddies log cabin he cheaped out and parged his block,
> 
> looked like crap when he was done,
> 
> so when it was time to do my garage i use cheap block and i used a drywall splatter gun, and portland cement
> 
> hell yeah it works good and it holds up well too, and it is goodlooking imo


you know, i was thinking of doing that.


anyways, this building belongs to my father. he ended up getting STO brand stucco. we started doing some patchups on friday. hopefully it goes good. we're carpenters, and never done plastering before, lol.


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## CrpntrFrk

Don't forget the darby!:thumbsup:


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