Professional Plastering in Puerto Vallarta
Plastering — known in Mexico as aplanado — is one of the most skilled trades in construction and one of the most visible determinants of quality. Perfectly flat, smooth walls that paint evenly and age gracefully begin with mastery of plastering technique. Poorly plastered walls show every imperfection under paint, crack at mortar joints, and delaminate when moisture infiltrates — creating an endless cycle of repair. PVR Contractors employs experienced plasterers who understand mix proportions, application sequence, and the specific requirements of Puerto Vallarta's climate.
Plastering Services We Provide
Interior Wall Plaster (Aplanado Interior)
Interior plaster creates the smooth substrate for paint, wallcovering, or tile. Our standard interior system uses a two-coat sand-cement mix for masonry walls: a scratch coat applied with force to bond to the block, followed by a finish coat floated and troweled to a smooth, flat surface. On drywall and previously painted surfaces we use a gypsum skim coat — faster drying and exceptionally smooth.
The critical quality indicator for interior plaster is flatness: we check walls with a 2-meter straightedge during application, ensuring no highs or lows exceeding 3 mm. This level of flatness eliminates the shadow lines and undulations that make painted walls look unprofessional, especially under raking light from windows and lighting fixtures.
Exterior Stucco (Aplanado Exterior)
Exterior plaster in Puerto Vallarta serves double duty: it provides a smooth, paintable surface and acts as the primary weather barrier for the masonry structure beneath. Our exterior system:
- Scratch coat: 10–15 mm sand-cement mortar applied to clean, dampened block with bonding agent. Keyed with a float to provide mechanical bond for the following coat.
- Brown coat: 8–12 mm leveling coat, floated to a flat plane. All corners reinforced with PVC or metal bead profiles for crisp, durable edges.
- Finish coat: 3–5 mm fine sand-cement or acrylic finish coat, depending on specified texture.
Expansion joints are tooled or cut at maximum 4-meter intervals and at all structural transitions to control cracking — the single most important detail for exterior plaster longevity in Puerto Vallarta's thermal cycling environment.
Integral Waterproofing Admixtures
All our exterior plaster mixes include waterproofing admixtures (Sika-1, Mapelastic, or equivalent) incorporated at the mixing stage. These crystalline or hydrophobic additives dramatically reduce water absorption through the plaster layer — providing a first line of defense against Puerto Vallarta's heavy rainfall before water even reaches the waterproofing membrane beneath.
Venetian Plaster
Venetian plaster (stucco veneziano) is a centuries-old Italian decorative technique producing a luminous, polished surface with extraordinary visual depth — mimicking the appearance of marble or stone. The process involves multiple thin layers of lime putty mixed with marble dust, each burnished with a steel trowel while still slightly wet. The result is a surface that appears to have light emanating from within — impossible to replicate with paint.
Venetian plaster is the signature finish in Puerto Vallarta's most sophisticated interiors: master bedrooms, feature walls, hotel lobbies, and restaurant accent walls. We apply both traditional lime-based Venetian plaster and modern acrylic Venetian plaster products depending on budget and application requirements.
Decorative Textures
Textured wall finishes add character and hide minor surface imperfections. Popular textures we apply in Puerto Vallarta properties:
- Skip trowel: Random, irregular texture created by skipping a loaded trowel across the surface — very popular in Mexican and Mediterranean-style interiors
- Orange peel: Fine spray texture resembling the skin of an orange — commonly used on ceilings to hide imperfections
- Sand finish: Uniform fine-aggregate texture from a sand-floated exterior finish — practical and durable for facades
- Rustic / rough plaster: Heavy, hand-textured finish for walls seeking a colonial or artisanal aesthetic
Pool Plaster (Marblite)
Swimming pool interiors are plastered with white cement and marble aggregate (marblite) or quartz plaster to create a smooth, white, algae-resistant surface. Proper pool plastering requires specific mix proportions, accelerated surface finishing to prevent dehydration, and acid washing 28 days after application. We coordinate with our hydraulic team for complete pool construction and renovation projects.
Plaster Repair & Restoration
Cracked, hollow, or delaminated plaster on Puerto Vallarta properties — especially older homes in Centro and Zona Romántica — requires careful repair. Our approach: locate all hollow areas by tapping, remove and replace unsound plaster, match existing texture in the patch area, and apply flexible acrylic caulk at all cracks before patching to prevent recurrence. For historic lime plaster in older buildings, we use compatible lime-based repair mortars — incompatible cement repairs on lime plaster cause further delamination.
Plaster Costs in Puerto Vallarta
- Interior plaster (2-coat sand-cement, painted finish): $12–20 USD/m²
- Interior skim coat (gypsum, on drywall or existing plaster): $8–15 USD/m²
- Exterior stucco (3-coat system with waterproof admixture): $18–30 USD/m²
- Venetian plaster (multi-layer, polished finish): $35–70 USD/m²
- Decorative texture application: $10–22 USD/m²
Contact us for a free on-site evaluation and detailed quote for your specific project.