Hi, We have 2 tall cinder block retaining walls in front of our house. We'd like to try to make them less ugly...any suggestions? We're thinking of maybe putting some sort of stucco or texturizer on and then painting that to match the house color. Anyone ever tried this? Know if it would work? Other thoughts? Thanks!
Stucco over cinderblocks is how they build houses in Florida. I think using the pre-colored stucco would be better than painting it. The paint could chip off then you would have to repaint. Could you possibly attach lattice to them and plant fast growing vines to climb up and hide the walls instead?
I'm with Toni, some evergreen foundation planting and then something flowering to climb the walls, roses maybe? Gardengater
Planting ivy would be nice along with something else that flowers...plant something in the top that can cascade over the top while the fast growing vine climb up and cover the wall. It would be easy to attach lattice to the cinder block. Using a masonary drill bit and attach the lattice.
All great ideas! The problem with planting someting is that large parts of the walls are along our driveway with no earth/dirt above or below, some parts have dirt only above, and another part has dirt above and about a 4 inch strip of dirt below at the base. Also, we've only been in Flagstaff, AZ 2 growing seasons but we've had a heck of a time growing much here. So I'm thinking the pre-colored stucco to cover the whole thing and then try to get a couple vines started where that is possible before winter...? Anyone ever done the stucco stuff before?
We used a product called Surewall over the blocks in the foundation of our house. It was easy, meaning that we can do a good job of it with no previous experience. It was a challenge because the surface and product are rough and the motion is hard on your arms. We went through several pairs of gloves and were really tired when the project was over, but it was definitely worthwhile.
A possibility and a great look would be Decopierre check there web site for a local dealer. Also cast stone or brick will give a great look as well. There are many stucco products out there but some are not a good quality and some don't work in all climates. So do your homework.
Our homes(in FL.) are indeed stucco,over concrete blocks however it dries the color of concrete, then is painted our choice of colors.
Stucco would be fine You can probably do it yourself, might not be as beautiful as when a professional did it, still a big improvement over the current blocks.
