Ground Down to a Sound Base,
Built Back Up to a Sharp Finish
FAIME Construction refinished the exterior stucco band of this Scarborough home by grinding the old failing coating down to a sound base, rebuilding it with a mesh-reinforced cementitious base coat levelled dead-flat, and troweling on FAIME's signature tinted finish stucco. Steps and surfaces were covered before any grinding started, and the job closed out with bold, clean caulk lines along the base of the building. Free GTA site visit and written quote within 48 hours.Exterior stucco refinishing · Scarborough & the GTA · 15+ years' trade experience · WSIB Active · $2M CGL
Project Overview
The stucco band wrapping this Scarborough home — the patio walls, the side steps, and the walkways around the house — had an old coating that was dull, patchy, and flaking away from the wall. Instead of skimming over a failing surface, FAIME ground it off, rebuilt the walls with a mesh-reinforced base coat, levelled everything flat, and finished in a warm tinted stucco that sits crisp against the brick above. Every stage is documented below with photos and video from this exact job.
Stage 1 — Cover & Protect
Before a single grinder was switched on, the steps, patio, and walkways were covered and the windows, doors, and brick line were masked off. Grinding is the messiest stage of a stucco refinish — setting the protection up first is what keeps the rest of the property clean, and the taped brick line is the reason the finished wall stops dead-straight where the stucco meets the brick.
Stage 2 — Surface Grinding
The old coating was ground off with grinding machines, wall by wall and into every corner, until the surface underneath was sound. This is the step most shortcuts skip — a new coat bonded to a flaking old one fails with it. Grinding takes the wall back to material the new system can actually grip.
Stage 3 — Base Coat, Mesh & a Dead-Flat Wall
A first cementitious base coat went onto the ground surface, fibreglass reinforcing mesh was embedded into it, and the mesh was covered with base coat and left to set — a few hours, depending on the weather. Then came the step that decides how the whole job looks: the base was worked and levelled until the walls sat dead-flat and sharp. A finish coat is only as good as the base underneath it — if the base isn't flat, the finish shows every wave and the wall looks bad forever.
Stage 4 — Signature Finish Coat
With the base flat and cured, FAIME's finish stucco — the same finish coat we bring to every stucco client — was troweled on in a warm tint that works with the home's brick, then left to dry for a few hours based on the weather. The texture reads even across every wall, corner, and window return because of the flat base under it.
Stage 5 — Caulking & Close-Out
Once the finish was dry, the surfaces were cleaned up and high-quality, bold caulk beads were run along the bottom corners of the building — sealing the joint where the wall meets the steps, patio, and walkways. The caulking cured, the site was cleaned, and the job wrapped with the scope complete and a satisfied customer.
