Free checklist
Portland cement plaster (stucco)Portland cement plaster (stucco) final inspection checklist
Portland cement plaster (stucco) final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against ASTM C926 / C1063 guidance, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo evidence it needs
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.
Coat application
Scratch and brown coat thickness verified
Scratch coat fully embedding the lath and scored, brown coat rodded straight and plumb, combined base thickness meeting the assembly before the finish coat.
Moist-cure observed between coats
Evidence the base coats were kept damp and given time before the next coat, not stacked wet-on-green or dried out in the sun.
Brown coat floated open and dampened for the finish
Brown coat floated to an even, open surface the finish can grip, no glazed, dusty or dried-out patches, and dampened just ahead of the finish coat.
Coat dates and mix logged for each elevation
Scratch, brown and finish dates recorded per elevation with the mix or premix used and the curing given, against the intervals the specs or manufacturer set.
No photo
Finish coat
Finish texture consistent across the wall
Chosen texture worked the same way over the whole elevation, no trowel-heavy or starved areas, edges kept wet so passes blend.
Color uniform with no cold joints
Color even across and between elevations, no blotching or lap lines where work stopped and restarted, corners and returns matching the field.
Finished wall checked for map cracking and crazing
Each elevation looked at close up and under raking light once cured for fine map cracks or crazing in the field, found areas marked to trace back to mix or curing.
Interior plaster finish hard, true and free of trowel marks
Interior work: finish troweled to the specified smooth or sand texture, hard and true at corners and trim, no chip marks, blisters or check cracks before decoration.
No photo
Joints and terminations
Control joints honored, not plastered over
Control and expansion joints left open and clean through the finish, not bridged by plaster, sealant where the detail calls for it.
Terminations and weep screed left working
Finish stopped clean at casing beads, weep screed weeps and drainage slots not buried by finish or dropped mortar.
Plaster brought full to the bead and screed grounds
Coats built out flush to the grounds at casing beads, corners and weep screed, no thin feathered edges along an accessory that will crack off later.
Cleanup and handoff
Cement droppings cleaned off glass and flashings
Glass, frames, sill and head flashings and adjacent paving washed of plaster splatter before it cures and etches or stains the surface.
Coating over the plaster held until it has cured
Paint or elastomeric coating scheduled only after the cure time and surface alkalinity the coating manufacturer requires, confirmed with the painter.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Brown coat rushed on top of a green scratch coat with no moist-cure, so the coats shrink at different rates and map-crack.
- Total thickness short because the scratch and brown coats were thinned to stretch material, leaving the lath barely covered.
- Finish coat color floated in patches on different days without a wet edge, leaving cold joints and blotchy color across the elevation.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this portland cement plaster (stucco) final checklist cover?
- 13 items across 4 sections, covering coat application, finish coat, joints and terminations, cleanup and handoff. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The GC's superintendent with the plastering foreman, walking finished elevations before turnover walks begin.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After the finish coat is on and the wall has taken its cure, before staging comes down and the owner's punch walk.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 10 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a portland cement plaster (stucco) final inspection?
- Brown coat rushed on top of a green scratch coat with no moist-cure, so the coats shrink at different rates and map-crack. Total thickness short because the scratch and brown coats were thinned to stretch material, leaving the lath barely covered. Finish coat color floated in patches on different days without a wet edge, leaving cold joints and blotchy color across the elevation.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Related checklists
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 14 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.