Written by Stucco Champions — Southern California’s Authority on Exterior Plastering.
The Heavy Artillery: A Professional Guide to Stucco Sprayers
In the old days, applying stucco was purely hand labor—hawks, trowels, and sore shoulders. Today, technology allows us to "gun on" material, increasing speed and consistency. But not all sprayers are created equal. If you try to spray heavy base coat cement through a lightweight texture gun, you will just clog the nozzle.
Whether you are a DIYer tackling a garden wall or a pro looking to upgrade, understanding the difference between a Mortar Sprayer (for structural coats) and a Hopper Gun (for finish coats) is critical. This guide breaks down the hardware.
1. The Mortar Sprayer (For Base Coats)
Purpose: Applying the heavy Scratch and Brown coats.
Mechanism: These are metal "scoop" hoppers with 3 or 4 large jets. You scoop the cement directly from the wheelbarrow and blast it onto the lath.
Why use it? Speed. It replaces the physical motion of throwing mud, allowing you to build up a 7/8" thickness rapidly.
Top Pick: Toolcrete 3-Jet Wall Sprayer
This is the industry standard for durability.
Pros: Stainless steel hopper, simple design (no moving parts to break), and angled jets for wall application.
Requirement: It eats air. You need a compressor that delivers at least 12 CFM @ 90 PSI. A small pancake compressor will not work.
2. The Hopper Gun (For Finish Coats)
Purpose: Applying the decorative Color/Texture coat.
Mechanism: A plastic funnel hopper on top of a trigger gun. Gravity feeds the material into the airstream.
Why use it? It creates specific textures like "Knockdown," "Dash," or "Orange Peel" that are impossible to achieve by hand.
Top Pick: Marshalltown Sharp Shooter 2.0
Pros: The angled adapter allows you to spray ceilings or floors without spilling. It has a dial to adjust the orifice size, letting you switch from heavy "Dash" to fine "Fog Coat" instantly.
Requirement: Lower air volume. You can run this on a standard 7 CFM @ 40 PSI compressor.
The #1 reason sprayers "sputter" or clog is lack of air volume (CFM), not pressure (PSI).
Mortar Sprayer: Needs continuous high volume (12+ CFM).
Texture Gun: Needs lower volume (5-7 CFM).
If your compressor is too small, you will get 5 seconds of spray and 30 seconds of waiting for the tank to refill.
3. Specialty Sprayers: The "Benron"
For high-end finishes, especially acrylics, we look to brands like Benron.
Their Ez-Tex SprayAll is a beast. It uses a peristaltic pump system (like a concrete pump) rather than just air/gravity. This allows it to push very thick, sticky materials that would clog a standard hopper gun. It is an investment tool ($500+) for serious applicators.
4. Maintenance: The Clean-Up Protocol
Cement hardens underwater. If you let stucco dry inside your gun, the tool is trash.
The Rule: As soon as you stop spraying (even for lunch), you must submerge the gun in a bucket of water and fire it until clear water comes out. Grease the air fitting daily to prevent rust from moisture in the compressor line.
Conclusion: Match the Tool to the Coat
Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, and don't bring a texture gun to a base coat job. Use the heavy metal Mortar Sprayer for the structural layers (Scratch/Brown) and the precision Hopper Gun for the aesthetic finish. Having the right tool ensures the material hits the wall, not the floor.
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Need stucco repair in Southern California? Stucco Champions proudly serves homeowners throughout Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Check out our Service Areas page to see all the cities we cover.