It never ceases to amaze anyone how complicated processes are taken and made simpler. For example, there is the case of stucco trim. If you were to ask a contractor to apply stucco trim in the usual fashion, it would take days to get it just right, and weeks for it to thoroughly dry out.
Stucco is typically a really thick plaster paste that is either splattered and blown onto the sides of a house or smeared on thickly with a trowel and swirled to give it that stucco look. Now you can skip all that and request extruded stucco trim, which is made in a factory and is ready for installation in minutes. Here are some of the other key differences you might find encouraging if you want the stucco look without the stucco hassle.
It Is Stucco, but Lighter
Extruded stucco boards are indeed coated with stucco plaster, but they are extremely lightweight. That is because the stucco is applied to foam board instead of brick or wood. It makes it easier to transport the stucco board in mass quantities for less than it would cost to ship dozens of bags of dry plaster and flat brick for your home's exterior.
It Insulates
Foam board is, by nature, an insulator. Stone and plaster are not exactly insulators; they are blockers. If you chose traditional stucco on flat brick, you could keep hot or cold air indoors and the outside air outside, but that is not real insulation. The foam board used in extruded stucco is a true insulator.
You Can "Stucco up" Extruded Aluminum Too
If you want all of your aluminum window frames, door frames, and eavestroughs to have stucco on them as well, manufacturers that extrude these aluminum parts can do that, too. As the aluminum is pushed through the extruder and molded into trim, it passes onto a conveyor that dips or sprays the aluminum with stucco plaster. They are almost always white so that you can choose to leave them white or paint them the same color as your extruded stucco facade. You could try that with traditional stucco, but it would be quite the mess and far too heavy for these aluminum components.
There Is No Drying Time
All of your extruded stucco is already dry and ready to go when it is brought to your house. You can run your fingers over the exterior and you can spray paint it. The only thing you cannot do is hit it with hard objects; the adhesive needs time to cure.
