New impact windows making the old knockdown look dated? Most homeowners who call about smooth stucco start with the front. The street-facing wall, the entry and the garage face carry the look of your house. A smooth stucco finish there makes a 1990s knockdown home read as modern next to new windows and a fresh paint color. This work belongs to our residential stucco service, under the main stucco hub. We do the front only, the front plus sides, or the whole house in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade. A smooth wall forgives nothing, so we float the base true before the finish goes on.
Smooth stucco cost: $7–$10 per sq ft skim, $14–$23 per sq ft re-stucco
| Scope | Typical size | Installed range |
|---|---|---|
| Skim coat over light sand or fine knockdown to smooth | 1,500–3,000 sq ft wall area | $7–$10 per sq ft |
| Skim over heavy knockdown or Spanish lace (grind first) | 1,500–3,000 sq ft | $9–$13 per sq ft |
| Re-stucco: new brown coat plus finish, any texture | 1,500–3,000 sq ft | $14–$23 per sq ft |
| Smooth finish on the front elevation or entry only | 300–600 sq ft | $4,250–$7,000 |
| Add texture to a smooth wall (skip trowel, Santa Barbara, sand) | 1,500–3,000 sq ft | $6–$9 per sq ft |
| Whole single-story house smooth, crack repair included | 1,800–3,200 sq ft | $25,000–$40,000 |
| Prime and paint over smooth finish, elastomeric or acrylic | per house | $12,000–$21,000 |
About these prices. These ranges are starting points based on typical South Florida projects. Your final price depends on the condition of the property, access, the materials or system specified and the full scope of work. We confirm every number after we review your project in person or from the drawings, and the price in your signed proposal is the one that applies.
Pricing covers prep, crack and hollow-spot repair, bonding agent, base coat, finish coat and texture. Paint is separate, unless you choose an integrally colored acrylic finish (color mixed into the material), which needs none. Two-story homes add roughly 10–20 percent for scaffold or lift.
Curious what your front would cost? Send a photo through our project form for a first read.
Why start with the front elevation
Not ready to redo the whole house? A front-only job is the common choice. It puts your money where the street sees it, our crew finishes in days instead of weeks, and we work around your schedule while you live there.
The catch is the change in color and texture at the corner. We end the smooth finish at a natural break, such as an inside corner, a column or a control joint, so you don't see a seam. If the sides are due for paint in a couple of years, we tell you, so you can decide whether to carry the smooth finish around now.
Doing the front also lets you stage the project: windows first, then smooth stucco, then paint. If arched openings are on the elevation, square them off beforehand, and have cracks and hollow spots handled through stucco repair so the skim has a sound base.
Textures compared
Smooth. Steel-troweled or sponge-floated, with no visible aggregate (the sand in the mix). It shows every wave in the brown coat, so we straighten the base with a darby (a long, flat float) first. Fine hairline cracks show more than on a textured wall, which is why we usually recommend an acrylic finish or elastomeric paint.
Sand float. The default South Florida finish: cement with fine sand, floated in circles. It hides small flaws and takes paint well.
Knockdown. Sprayed or dashed on, then flattened with a trowel as it sets. Common on homes built from the 1980s to the 2000s. Easy to patch, hard to make look current.
Skip trowel. A thin coat laid in irregular passes so the base shows through in places. More hand work than knockdown, and it reads Mediterranean.
Santa Barbara. A two-coat troweled finish with soft variation and rounded corners. Close to smooth in cost and prep.
Spanish lace and heavy dash. High-relief textures. Going smooth means grinding the peaks first, which adds a day or more per elevation. The full comparison is in stucco textures explained.
How we convert a textured front to a smooth stucco finish
- Inspect and repair. We tap your wall for hollow stucco and mark the cracks. Repairs come first, because a skim over a failing base fails with it.
- Prep. Pressure wash, then grind any peaks higher than about 1/8 inch. Windows, doors, lights and the roof edge are masked.
- Bonding agent. An acrylic bonding agent is rolled on so new material holds to the old painted or chalky surface.
- Leveling coat. A polymer-modified base coat is troweled over the texture and floated with a darby. Heavy texture takes two passes, with 24–48 hours between.
- Finish coat. Smooth acrylic, or cement troweled and floated hard, applied wet-edge across the full elevation so there are no lap marks.
- Control joints. Existing joints are carried through. A long wall without them gets some cut in, since smooth stucco shows shrinkage that texture hides.
- Cure and coat. Cement finishes cure 7–14 days before primer. Integrally colored acrylic needs no paint.
Smooth stucco in South Florida conditions
Sun and heat. A west-facing wall in July moves more than the same wall in January. Smooth cement finishes show cracks more for that reason, so we suggest acrylic or an elastomeric topcoat.
Have a west-facing front? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll help you pick the finish that holds up.
Rain and mildew. Smooth walls shed water and hold less mildew than textured ones. If a sprinkler hits the base of your wall, we'll ask you to adjust it, because stains come back regardless of finish.
Impact windows. Stucco returns at new frames are rebuilt as part of the skim, so the elevation ends up as one plane.
HOA approval. A texture change alters the look of the elevation, and many communities in Weston, Parkland, Boca Raton and Wellington want a submittal. We give you a sample board and spec sheet to file.
Permits. A finish change on its own needs no permit. Stucco over structural repairs does, and we pull it.
For the base material, see Portland cement stucco, and for a full new coat on every wall see full-house stucco. If you also want a stone accent on a column or entry wall, ask us about stone veneer.
Need a sample board for your HOA before you commit? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll put one together.
What the estimate lists
- Wall area by elevation and the current texture
- Count of crack and hollow-spot repairs
- Grinding, if the texture is heavy
- Base coat and finish system, cement or acrylic
- Added control joints, scaffold or lift, paint or integral color
- Sample board for HOA, if needed
Smooth stucco by area
Boca Raton · Fort Lauderdale · West Palm Beach · Weston · Wellington · Jupiter · Delray Beach · Miami
Planning guides: Stucco repair cost per sq ft · Crack repair vs re-stucco
Workmanship warranty on every job; materials carry the manufacturer's warranty. Terms are in your written contract.
Prefer to send photos or plans? Send us your project
Smooth stucco FAQ
What does smooth stucco cost? A light texture skimmed smooth, heavy knockdown ground first, a front elevation alone and a whole single-story house each have a starting range in the cost table above. Final pricing is confirmed after we review your project.
Can you skim over painted stucco? Yes, after a pressure wash and an acrylic bonding agent. Peeling or chalky paint is removed first, otherwise the new coat lets go with it.
Will smooth stucco crack? Hairlines show more on smooth than on texture. An acrylic finish, or elastomeric paint over a cement finish, keeps them closed, and control joints on long walls help.
Do I have to paint afterward? Not with an integrally colored acrylic finish. A cement smooth finish needs primer and paint once it has cured.
How do I get an exact price? Send a photo of the front of your house and a note about the look you want to (561) 556-7509 or through our project form. We measure on site, test the wall for hollow spots and send a written proposal that separates the front from the rest of the house.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.