Free Seamless Textures-Stucco

Stucco is a type of finishing plaster that is commonly used on the exterior of buildings, and has been used in construction for centuries in various forms. While it can also be used inside, specially designed interior plasters have replaced stucco for interior use in most regions. In ancient times, interior stucco would be made by mixing marble dust, lime, and water to create a smooth plaster which could be molded into elaborate scenes and painted. Spanish, Greek, and Mission style architecture all prominently feature stucco, which helps to reflect heat and keep homes cool.

A variety of materials can be used to make stucco. Traditional stucco uses lime, a material made by baking limestone in kilns so that it calcifies, along with with sand and water. These elements are mixed into a paste which can be troweled onto a surface or molded, as used to be common with interior stucco. Stucco made in this fashion is durable, strong, and heavy. Because lime is somewhat soluble, cracks in the stucco will fix themselves, as the lime will drip to fill them if moistened. More commonly today, stucco uses finely ground Portland Cement, sand, and water, which results in a less durable form of stucco that easily cracks.

Stucco can be applied to a framework like chicken wire or wood, or it can be plastered over bricks and masonry, as long as they are roughened before hand. Classically, stucco is white, as can be seen in Spanish and Greek architecture. It can also be colored with the addition of pigments, as was done on ranch houses in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Once applied, stucco can be scraped smooth or textured with a tool or the introduction of rocks or vegetable matter.

Information taken from WiseGeek.com