How to identify your stucco texture type

What you'll learn

• The names of the most common San Diego stucco textures
• How to visually identify each texture type
• How to describe your texture to a contractor accurately
• How to take useful reference photos for a texture match quote

Step by step

1. Look at the pattern in raking light Stand at a sharp angle to the wall in morning or late afternoon light. Raking light reveals the depth and pattern of the texture. A flat surface with slight variation is Santa Barbara smooth. Irregular swirled patterns are skip trowel. A rough, bumpy surface with aggregate showing is dash or lace finish.
2. Run your hand across the surface A smooth texture you can run your palm across without catching skin is Santa Barbara smooth or fine sand. A surface that catches the back of your hand but is not sharp is a medium sand or skip trowel. A surface that would scratch your hand is a coarse dash or aggregate finish.
3. Check for a pattern or uniformity Skip trowel has a recognizable partial-coverage trowel pattern with smooth areas between raised sections. Cat face has a mix of smooth areas and embedded aggregate. Dash finish has an even, randomly distributed texture with no trowel marks. Sand finish looks like fine, uniform grain.
4. Take reference photos Take at least three photos for a texture match quote: one straight-on, one at a sharp angle in raking light, and one with a ruler or coin next to the texture for scale. These photos let a contractor assess the texture before arriving for an estimate.
5. Note the home age and neighborhood Many San Diego neighborhoods have consistent stucco textures tied to their era of construction. Homes in Mission Hills and North Park from the 1930s-1940s often have cat face or Mission rough. 1970s-1980s Escondido tract homes often have skip trowel. La Jolla and Coronado coastal homes tend toward Santa Barbara smooth. Your home's age and neighborhood narrow down the likely texture.