Pull stucco from a bucket with a trowel.
Proper stucco tools reduce the neck strain and shoulder pain associated with stuccoing ceilings, soffits and eaves. Applying stucco to overhead surfaces might seem daunting at first, but the right tools make it just as easy as applying stucco to walls. Whether you choose to use traditional hand tools, like the trowel and float, or power tools, such as the stucco sprayer, a familiarity with stucco tools allows you to choose a tool that fits the scope and scale of your project.
Stucco Sprayer
The stucco sprayer uses pneumatic force supplied by an air compressor to propel mixed stucco onto ceilings and walls. Many building professionals refer to the stucco sprayer by the name of its largest component, the hopper, a rectangular container that holds the stucco mix. Adjustable nozzles allow this tool's operator to manipulate the rate of stucco application as required for successive coats of stucco. The stucco sprayer is a point and shoot tool; it reduces the shoulder and neck strain that results from sustained periods of ceiling . While these tools are costly to purchase, they are widely available for rent at hardware stores and tool shops.
Hawk
A tool called a hawk allows a stucco worker to transport stucco from a mixing container to a wall or ceiling. The hawk is a square-shaped piece of metal, such as stainless steel, with a straight handle protruding from one of its sides. Instead of carrying an entire bucket or container of stucco up a ladder and to a ceiling, a worker scoops and holds a portion of stucco on the hawk's flat side.
Trowel
Trowels are the most common stucco application tool. A trowel is a flat, rectangular piece of metal with a hooked handle protruding from one side. Stucco workers use trowels to scoop stucco from mixing containers and to press and spread stucco onto ceilings and walls.
Float
The float smooths or textures wet stucco once it is applied to a ceiling or wall. The float, like the trowel, features a rectangular base and a protruding, hooked handle. The float's base is made of soft material, such as sponge, rubber or soft plastic. The float's soft surface redistributes and manipulates the surface of wet stucco, rather than removing it.
Mixer
Stucco mixers save time and labor during large stucco jobs. A do-it-yourselfer is usually satisfied with a drill-mounted paddle mixer, while a professional might require a stationary machine similar to a cement mixer. The drill-mounted paddle mixer looks like an attachment commercial kitchen's stand mixer; paddles, or fins, rest at the end of a long rod that attaches to the average electric power drill. Once activated, the drill spins the paddles to combine dry stucco mix with water. A commercial-grade, stationary mixer features spinning paddles inside of a rotating barrel. Water and dry stucco mix are combined within the barrel as it rotates and its paddles turn. Drill-mounted mixers often cost less than $20 in 2010. Commercial mixers are costly but readily available for rent at tool shops.
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