Stucco can be used to cover your exterior. Its inexpensive, its quick to apply, and it looks great. But, there will come a time in the life of any home where you need to make some changes, and that may require you to know how to cut stucco.
While stucco is a solid exterior covering for your home, its fairly easy to damage if you dont know what youre doing. However, if you follow the tips in this guide, youll be well on your way to learning how to cut stucco for your next project.
What Youll Need
There are several tools that can be used to cut stucco. The key is to use a diamond blade (or at the least, a carbide tipped blade) to make a clean cut through the stucco. First, choose the saw thats best for your needs:
- Circular saw(great for cutting a large area)
- Angle grinder is great for almost all purposes
- Oscillating tool (great to make smaller cuts or detail work).
- A power drill with a hole saw attachment is great for cutting circular holes.
These supplies will be needed after you have chosen the right saw for the job.
Step 1: Preparing The Area
Before you begin cutting, youll want to prep the area where youll be cutting. Tape painters tape around your hole.
Stucco is prone to chips and cracks, and taping off the perimeter will help minimize the chance that you damage the good stucco in the surrounding area as you work.
Step II: Getting Your Shop Vac Ready
Toxic dust can be generated by cutting through any type of masonry material. Particularly stucco, which generates tons of dust, can make it difficult to see what you are doing.
While you can skip this step and do this job on your own, having a helper and a shop vac can help to dramatically cut down on dust, making it easier to see your work as you go.
Even when you use the shop vacuum, there will still be dust. It is important to ensure that both you and your helper have respirators so that they don’t inhale any dust particles.
Before you start, ensure that your shop vacuum’s filter is clean. Otherwise, the vacuum will only pull dust from your work area, and then spit it out.
As you cut, have your helper follow a few inches behind the saw, pointing the nozzle towards the area that youre cutting. This will help to eliminate the majority of the dust and make it much easier to see where youre cutting.
Step III: Making The Cut
Now you are ready to start the actual cutting part of the job. Regardless of the saw, youre using for the job; the process is fairly similar. Heres what youll need to do depending on the type of saw youre using.
Circular Saw
For most stucco cutting, a circular saw is the best tool. Although it is not ideal for small cuts or details, it will work well if you are going to cut a large section.
To ensure your safety, don’t forget to wear gloves and safety goggles before you start cutting.
Take your circular saw, push the blade guard back, and turn the saw on. Before you start your cut, let the saw reach maximum RPM. Then, make your first plunge cut with the circular saw.
Slowly and carefully cutting will reduce the chances of cracking or chipping the stucco. Keep cutting until you reach the edge of the area you are cutting. Then, continue to cut the other sides until you have a clean hole.
Angle Grinder
A great tool to cut stucco is an angle grinder. Its powerful enough for larger cuts, but its small and manageable enough to handle smaller cuts as well.
Before you start cutting, turn on your angle grinder and let it reach maximum RPM. Slowly insert the blade into the surface. Continue to work slowly as you complete the entire perimeter of the cut.
Oscillating Tool
An oscillating tool is a solid option for smaller cuts and detail work. But, the blades do tend to clog as you work, so they may not be the best choice for larger jobs.
If youre using an oscillating tool, turn the tool on and allow it to reach full RPM. Next, slowly and carefully plunge the blade into stucco. You will need to trim around the perimeter of your hole until it is complete.
Using A Hole Saw
A power drill with a hole saw bit is the best way to make circular holes in stucco, and it may be the best option for you depending on the job youre working on.
The first step is to load the bit into your drill. Next, tighten it. Before you begin your cutting, pull the trigger on the drill. To increase precision, I use my free hand as a steadying tool to hold the drill’s body while I cut.
Slowly work your way through the material until youve cut through the entirety of the stucco, then pull back, revealing a perfectly circular hole.
Final Word
Learning how to cut stucco is an important lesson for any DIYer, and its bound to come in handy for you in the future. Although cutting stucco can seem daunting at first, there are many ways to achieve great results.
Regardless of the method you choose, always make sure to work slowly and deliberately to avoid damage.
