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Typically, professionals recommend two coats of paint for even coverage. However, you may be able to get away with one coat if you’re painting over a light color with a darker or similar-shade color. But if you’re going from a darker to a lighter color, like white to black, you may need up to three coats.

If you’re going from a darker to a lighter color, like white to black, you may need up to three coats. Buying high-quality paint and using primer on the walls beforehand can save you the extra labor and cost that comes with adding more coats of paint.

Stucco by itself is durable, but even paint made for harsh environmental conditions requires regular maintenance and upkeep. In other words, repaint your stucco every five to 10 years, depending on its current condition. Trust your senses. If it looks fine, it probably is fine. If it looks cracked and worn down, give it a new coat.

A traditional German schmear uses mortar, making it unsuitable for adherence to painted surfaces. Professionals recommend removing any existing paint before applying mortar. However, you can rough up the painted surface and clean it to test if the mortar will stick. Remember that the underlying paint's texture and color may affect the schmear's final appearance—so starting with a bare brick wall will ensure the ideal finish.

First, make sure that you tape off all the areas that you don’t want to paint black. It’s harder to paint a light color over black than to touch up any lighter spots you missed. Once you’ve taped it off, make sure that the surface is clean and smooth, and then prime the wall with a tinted primer in gray. This step will help to transition from a lighter color to a darker one.