German schmear gone wrong on exterior of house. How to fix?

last year

last modified: last year

Hello!

How we can fix this DIY project gone wrong? I wanted to change the river rock "cabin" look (top photo) and thought doing a German smear or whitewash would help (middle photo). It made the rocks less "bubbly" but grout lines are much bigger and too white.

The photo at the bottom is photoshopped to show the white grout painted light grey but how do I accomplish it? My thought is we could add new cement (repoint?) but sounds labor intensive, or stain/paint with masonry paint or the Romabio whitewash dyed in light gray and cover the grout, but how do I keep rocks from getting paint all over them. We don't want to paint the rocks. Any thought are greatly appreciated.

Featured Answer

PRO

Beth H. :

last year

last modified: last year

yes, I like this

If you like, you could try adding some wood in the gable similar to this. it adds a bit of warmth to the look. But this garage door is perfect for the house. colors too.

could be westchester gray, web gray or serious gray. you want the grays w/a slight blue or a platinum undertones

here's a list of some grays. westchester is at the bottom.

I also really like this color palette. you could use the dark one for the trim and eaves. these have a slight violet undertone to them.

These 3 would also work perfectly.

If you want more of the blue rather than gray, try these. All but the Amherst would work great together. Hale navy on trim/eaves, black pepper on garage door, cloud cover or the white on the stucco. or vice versa. whatever you like.

BTW, for those proposing he take the rock back to natural color, uh, no.

If he used a Classico Limewash, that could be washed off in the first 72 hours. but anything else isn't coming off without a lot of grinding. Quite frankly, I think it looks better now. the pink and tan would be fine in a desert adobe landscape, but I like the cooler tones it is currently.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (37)

beesneeds
last year
I don't have any advice, but it will be interesting to see what others have to say on this,
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
the german schmear is fine. its the surrounding colors that are throwing it off.

that tan stucco color is clashing w/the whites and grays. the brown garage door is just too dark surrounding by the other tones. the dark brown doesn't relate to one thing on that house.

The tan stucco, the gray/white stone, the dark brown, they're all singing their own songs w/no harmony. That's the best way I can explain it.

paint the stucco and trim, and redo the garage door. (I'd brin in a row of windows and some hardware)

Your pics are so tiny, it's hard to photoshop.

but look at the last one

these cooler tones play so much better w/the stone.

these would also be very nice w/the stone

The tan stucco is the reason why it looks bad, not the schmear.

Get some of these samples and paint (prime the tan first) the inset portion and above the garage door.

give me a single, larger pic and i'll play w/the garage door and colors

(looks like the homes near me. you in So Cal?)
Related Discussions
Elevation gone wrong
Q
Comments (54)
Robin1190 - Sorry to hear about your experience. What did you end up doing? My husband and I are going through a similar experience; trusted the builder, they drafted the plans, we were never shown a topo survey or a story stick, but we were explicit about not having steps to the outside from the house or the service door of the garage, discussed it in several conversations and there were none on our plans so we felt we were heard...until we saw the foundation already poured and were told we'd have 4-5 steps into our front (side) door and about the same from our sliding door onto our patio (we told our builder "no deck") and 2-3 steps out of our garage service door. A huge problem because we have a narrow lot, a side entrance and the stairs prevent access to the back yard and the lake! Even if we make the stairs so you go up one side to the door then down the other side to the lake what a foreseeable royal PITA for carrying coolers, lake toys, etc from the garage to the boat. Sorry, I don't mean to go on and on...it's just so hard to see something you work so hard for be executed on so poorly and not be able to "fix" it. How did you resolve the matter? Take legal action? Any reimbursement or no charge from your builder for excavation and foundation work? Would you have any pictures of your walkway "ramp" from driveway to front door?
...See More
German smear gone wrong?
Q
Comments (28)
I would try and take a scraping tool or a wire brush to the discolored areas. Try and remove some of the yellow first with hard tools and elbow grease. It is not that bad or noticeable in the pictures. The yellow does look a little like an "antique" application so maybe you can just pass it off as that if anyone notices. My first guess was that the bricks underneath might have had some yellow tone to them and that was showing through. Second thought, it was not properly cleaned before adding the brush coat of mortar. It is a little thick in coverage for my taste. That's why I would try and chisel some yellow off first. You would get more of the upper look on the bottom. You will need to find out exactly what mortar mix the worker applied before you invest in acids and sand blasting. Just don't stress! Do what you can with it and then let it be a happy accident. I am sure after all the furnishings and things no one will notice.
...See More
Exterior is WRONG in every way. What fixes = biggest bang for buck?
Q
Comments (21)
Nice home and yard -- far from a disaster. Would NOT paint the brick. You could paint your front door. Is there a deep bold red wine color that you like that you could use for your door and any storm door frame ... with or without adding a brass or stainless steel kick plate at the bottom. https://www.pinterest.com/carenpinette/front-door-color/ If you painted all the painted surfaces of your home -- gable end, porch, fascia -- a medium gray color chosen from within the brick, the contrast would not be as stark and, in my non-pro opinion, would be an improvement. While I'd not have chosen that roofing with those brick, I'd still NOT change the roof only for looks -- not worth the considerable expense to do so -- but do consider the colors in the brick when actually is time to change the roofing. In the meantime, it is possible to darken the shingles. https://www.hunker.com/13401213/how-to-change-a-shingle-color If you have all bronze window frames in good shape, keep them; however, if you have a mismatch, consider painting them all black. Since the walk path from driveway to front door is soggy, you clearly need to work on drainage. With the absence of a distinctive slope to the yard adjacent to the front of the house, that requires creating a path for the water to run off. Although a French Drain could work, it could also require more maintenance. Instead ... A wide shallow scoop that can be mowed without other maintenance may well be your best option. In your case, the scoop should be an "L" shape parallel to the front exterior wall of the house and turning to be parallel to the sidewalk leading directly away from the house. The scoop may be wider and more shallow or deeper and less shallow depending upon what works in your yard. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435582595190669883/ You'll also need to make sure the water from your gutter downspouts is being moved farther away from the house before it is released into the yard. https://www.twofeetfirst.net/how-to-bury-a-gutter-downspout/ You can have the water released above ground or to the first solid pipe, you can attach a different pipe with holes in it into a buried ditch filled with gravel to disburse the water underground in the same way a drain field of a septic tank would. https://www.thenaturalhome.com/septic/ Another alternative that might work IF you have a drop off near the road: With a slope in your front yard, you might be able to create a very short knee wall about a dozen feet or from the front exterior wall of the house, above which would be your walk path -- paving stones with grass growing between them. https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=grass+and+paving+stone+walk+path&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTxtGI_7npAhVamHIEHYXGA64QsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1324&bih=648#imgrc=nJStdELGb78dmM A very short one step high retaining wall would still enable the yard to drain down to the lower level. https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-build-retaining-wall/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90d68eac94 To create a knee wall for yard drainage, you'd need to dig out the front yard between that knee wall and the road. Have the ground above the knee wall have a very slight slope from house to knee wall so the water will drain off that part of the path/yard to below the knee wall. Put grass above the knee wall with paving stones buried so their tops are ground level and move any shrubs between house and knee wall to below the knee wall. If you need a place to put the dirt you remove to create the lower level, building codes permitting, you could add a raised planting bed either in your yard -- less stooping for your gardening -- and/or create a raised planting bed along side the property line to create a green privacy wall/fence. If Aucuba bushes will grow in your planting zone, they'll keep their leaves and look good year round. If liriope will grow where you live, it makes a good plant outlining a sidewalk and/or driveway and/or parking area. Do know what utilities may be buried in your yard before digging. Consider adding a tree on the left sunny side of the house about halfway from the back of the property to the front -- one that will provide shade in the summer for a side yard patio but let the warmth of the sun come through during winter. Also, consider move the bird feeders a bit farther from the house and add a plain concrete bird bath, also visible from your front window and not far from the feeders. By doing this, you will have even more birds coming into your yard, perhaps even nesting in the trees. If you will add landscaping that includes plants with blooms that attract humming birds, you'll have those birds come by to be enjoyed as well.
...See More
German schmear Disaster. What now?
Q
Comments (28)
" She advised the German schmear (but probably didn’t know who was doing it) lol. I haven’t updated her yet 😬😬😬" Well. Everyone sees things differently. Just above, Beth posted a couple of stand alone fireplaces, schmeared. The pics with the accent chairs tucked near the hearth. The fire is alone. Flanked by windows in one pic, by wall and a sconce in the other. You say okay, big deal so what? But it IS a big deal. Alone.......IS very different than what you have done ( flank w/built in ) Everything exists in a context. Even schmeared to the MAX ? You have ( jmho ) married a horse to a chicken. You spent a lot on a built in, planked the back of the built in. You will add books, or display treasures, photo's .......etc. Yes? It's still going to feel wrong, Me? I'd say oh well, let's quit while we are ahead. Put the horse with a suitable pony, instead of a chicken, at least. That's why drywall, and minimal amount of brick exposed would be better. Better Yet? Drywall, and a new solid surface, or tile area to meet code and address the raised hearth. ( best case would have been to remove it and infill with a solid surface flush.) You've quite accidentally made two focal points, and neither can dominate . They are fighting one another for attention. .............and that is exactly what is bothering you. Best case is drywall and some new solid surface. Second best drywall and paint . Third best is forget the schmear effort, and get a couple of gallons of white paint: ) You need opacity. Yup........opacity. (Apologies to the very talented/wise Beth up there !! ) Remember........just because you can find it on the internet...........? Doesn't make it great. Like below : ( Imagine instead, lovely window views right to the floor. in this pic.. That fire begs for no competition whatsoever, let alone cabinetry, books, photo's and doo dads Design always begs one to edit ideas or you wind up with "odd couples".
...See More
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Wow @Beth H. : thank you! I uploaded

the pic in large format but Houzz makes it smaller. Here is the pic of the house in current state. Yes! I'm in So Cal.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
Sorry but a bad choice for this application the river rock was much better . I agree the siding is now the issue .
Alex Depaul thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Mrs. S
last year
When I first saw the photo, I thought, it looks fine, but now the house needs to be painted. i think Beth nailed it.
Alex Depaul thanked Mrs. S
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
beth took the words out of my mouth. the 90's tan color is the problem, and was before you painted the rock.
Alex Depaul thanked RL Relocation LLC
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
last modified: last year
Oh and the color of the garage door. and I am unclear why they would put a light in a faux window lol.
PRO
lisedv
last year
I agree with Beth H., here's a look at some of the colours she proposed:
Alex Depaul thanked lisedv
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
I would paint the arch part closer to the stone color to "hide" it.
Alex Depaul thanked RL Relocation LLC
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
Alex Depaul thanked RL Relocation LLC
chloebud
last year
“The tan stucco, the gray/white stone, the dark brown, they're all singing their own songs w/no harmony. That's the best way I can explain it.”

That thought hit me right away. There’s just a real disconnect, including with what looks like a brown roof. Beth explained it much better than I ever could. Some great color suggestions, too.
Alex Depaul thanked chloebud
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Thank you everyone! I agree the color of the house is very 90s and the garage door turned out very dark.

@RL Relocation LLC I didn't realize that the trim next to the window was trying to be a faux window! But now that I think of it, you're right!
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
I'm not very good at putting in new stucco colors on a gabled area. I do a lot of copy and paste but I can't do angles or corners for well.

I just put in a darker charcoal color that was on this home. I like this style garage door w/the windows and hardware. check w/your door compnay to see if you can get the window pop ins for the upper row. shouldn't be too expensive to switch out.

You can see how much better the colors work w/the stone. that inset thing, I'd put a large address placque there, or do a vertical wall hanging w/some plants

another darker one w/weathered gray shake, no accent, similar door w/added windows.

That round accent on the gable,is that a vent or just for show? If show, it doesn't do a whole lot.

If you want a gable accent, try replacing w/something like these (without the window).

maybe some wood or white trusses in the corner portion. remove the round piece.

Or you can brng in a diff siding material.

Here's how that would look. (ignore these colors. they're pulled from two diff photos just so you could see how adding something above the garage would look)

(do you have any more of that river rock? wondering if you could patch the inset area)

I took this photo and stuck your rock on the sides of the door. (this would be similar colors to the very first one in my first comment, or the one lisedv mocked up for you:

YOu can barely see the gable vent, but it's similar to your dimensions. what do you think of the colors, or adding something like siding or these shake shingles above your garage door?

And, do you like the added row of windows?

If you like that color palette:
Foggy day is a close match to the garage color. Can't see your front door, so don't know if the red would work.

But I really like the Cheating Heart color. and the Silver lake.

some other blue/grays

Another similar look to yours w/the siding.

this is a brick and siding house, But your home this portion is really all you see.

maybe some batten panels?

I love this garage door/color w/your stone. and this is only a partial cover of the gable, but I like adding something else. Of course you can paint it white or gray first to see how you like it,

But I think doing this in the batten panels would look great

I did these colors on my own home.

my home is very similar style to yours. above my garage door, they put wood panels. perhaps you could try something similar. (or any of the other suggestions)

You can see how I painted the underside of my eaves the darker trim color (Wrought Iron) for more contrast.

this was a few years ago, so ignore the ratty landscaping.

see the gable above the door w/the wide placed battens? something like this. (no lights). what do you think?
Alex Depaul thanked Beth H. :
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
@Beth H. : Thank you for all of these great ideas, you are definitely helping me think outside the box. I thought the problem were the rocks but now see that everything is clashing. I sigh every time I leave and come back to the house.

Painting the house and adding siding would be pricier than removing the rocks, but it would definitely transform the house (in a good way this time).
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
if they remove the rock, now you have to fix the stucco and try to match it. ($$$) Stucco patching rarely works well. And that patch will be front and center, very noticeable. stucco patching is also prone to cracking in the joints. ask me how I know.

If you find a really good stucco guy, he can prob match it up ok. But now you have to match the color.

you're going to have paint the house anyway because they won't be able to match that current tan color (especially if it's been up for a bit. the color out of the can will be diff)

(Besides, that tan color just needs to go. save the money and repaint the house)
Alex Depaul thanked Beth H. :
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
@lisedv what tool did you use to make that image? I like the colors.
PRO
lisedv
last year
I copy the image (photo) in PowerPoint then do a colour match for the shapes, add shading, etc.
Alex Depaul thanked lisedv
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
I added more images to my previous comment. reread if you can. (did you see my house?) added some other colors too

I really like the look of this garage door w/your rock. (I like the rock. I think the schmear came out really good. I wouldn't remove it. then you'll have a plain old stucco house like everyone else!)

Imagine this stucco in white or soft gray or the light blue/gray color.

doesn't this door and niche look way better?

This door w/new paint colors, and something diff in that inset fake window. put a tall plant, some more river rock, paint it and add your address numbers, a diff light (that's a must either way)

here's the light I used.

and get a potted plant to cover up the space below it.
Alex Depaul thanked Beth H. :
PRO
lisedv
last year
Alex Depaul thanked lisedv
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
looks good lisedv. could you also do these colors?

(try the dark colors for the trim and eaves)

try using this door too

maybe remove the heavy trim around the vent, and stick in a wood truss for the gable
Alex Depaul thanked Beth H. :
ShadyWillowFarm
last year
Can you take a hose or lower pressure power wash to the schmear? Some of those products take a couple days to set up and you can wash them off to tone it down.
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
The schmear is fine. I wouldn't mess w/it at all. The color of the stucco is the problem.
Lau Rie
last year
Backlit house numbers in the false window?
Alex Depaul thanked Lau Rie
decoenthusiaste
last year
Loved your original rock! Hate that you tackled the wrong issue here and made it look worse. Hope you find a solution. I agree with Shady Willow that you should try to undo the mistake.
Alex Depaul thanked decoenthusiaste
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
Yes, love the back lit house numbers that is a really good idea!
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year

Decide what look you're going for. See examples of rock walls that have more mortar applied to the face or whitewash applied so the contrast is not as great.
Alex Depaul thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
Jilly
last year
last modified: last year
I’m not seeing strong MCM elements as a good pairing with the style of this house. For instance, an MCM garage door with your traditionally paned windows.

And I’m wondering how (in person) some of these colors and elements would look with the roof and rest of the house, especially the front door area, back of house, etc.

I think I’d find a nice off-white to paint your stucco, something a bit darker for your trim, and figure out a way to undo or tone down the schmear. I’d stay with the house style and warmer tones.

It might be worth calling in a local pro for a consult about the stone, especially if it’s not in the current budget to change so many other things to work around the stone mistake.

How far does the stone extend? Is it just in the front?

Hope you update us, would like to see how it turns out. Very nice house. :)
Alex Depaul thanked Jilly
PRO
lisedv
last year
Really like this colour combination from BeverlyFLADeziner:
Alex Depaul thanked lisedv
Jilly
last year
Sorry if this was mentioned already and I missed it … I’ve never used Romabio, but am wondering if you could go over all of it, then wipe it off just the stones before it dries? Then whatever color you choose would change just the grout.

From what I’ve read, it has a working time in order to accomplish various looks. Maybe try contacting them for advice.
Alex Depaul thanked Jilly
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Good morning! Loving the color combination ideas and the backlit number sign suggested by @Lau Rie.

@Beth H. : that grey garage door is beautiful and goes with the house style. The vent is not an actual vent so we could remove or embellish. My front door's color is close to Foggy Day you proposed.

I like what you did to your place by painting the underside of your eaves. Are the wood panels you mentioned the white part of the gable? Here are the colors you suggested with darker trim and Dove-white stucco.

@ShadyWillowFarm I can't hose off the lime wash as we didn't use Romabio's product, but regular white tile mortar that is hard as a rock now.

@BeverlyFLADeziner when we originally applied the German schmear it was whiter and it looked like it clashed more. We ended up polishing/grinding it off the rock which resulted in grey looking stones. The actual river rocks are in the pink/brown family. Not to my liking.

@Jilly thanks for the feedback. The house is from the 90s and you're right in saying that it doesn't have MCM features. Is this comment related to the glass door I wanted to use? The river rock is only found on the front of the house and it extend about 3 feet towards the sides. The tile roof needs to be power washed but it is a brownish color. Regarding going over it with Romabio and changing the grout color, that's what I was considering when I posted my question. When I photoshopped the grout with a light grey I thought it looked a little better. However, now when I see the picture I can only think of the ugly tan stucco :(

@decoenthusiaste live and learn, right? My husband wasn't too happy when he saw me adding mortar to the river rock and by that time it felt like we were committed to finishing the project *sigh!*.
Jilly
last year
last modified: last year
Alex, seeing the up close pictures really helps.

I think just painting your stucco and trim colors to coordinate would do the trick, and be in keeping with the style of your house. It all needs to be taken into account — your porch area, front door, window style, roof, garage, back of house, etc (as you stated it’s not in the budget right now to make big changes).

There is still warmth in the stone that would look nice with a warm white color.

I don’t dislike your original stones or the new look of them … I think you can make it work nicely without spending a fortune, until you’re able to do more.

ETA: This is a fun thread! Lots of brainstorming, and you are so gracious. :)
Alex Depaul thanked Jilly
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
Thanks @Jilly and @Beth H. : for your time! I have a lot to think about. BTW I’m a woman ☺️. The guy on the pix is my hubby.
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
did you show him this? I really like the door, the colors and the removal of the circle. In it's place I would do this wood gable accent. the warm wood tones really ground all the cooler tones.

placque for the inset w/some kind of plant for your ledge

I'd grab some samples of all of these to see what works best

Driftwood Gray garage door with carriage hardware. I like this one too

White garage door w/added window inserts

gable truss accent. you could do any type of wood, style, even a grayed out wood or a carbon color:

Hard to photoshop, but you get the idea
Alex Depaul thanked Beth H. :
Nidnay
last year
The major problem with the stone is the contrasting color between stone and mortar. I would definitely redo the mortar in a simple gray color that would blend in much better with the stone….no contrast! It might be a simple matter of doing an over-grout technique right over what is already there (no need to scrape out existing mortar and no need to painstakingly keep the mortar off the edges of the stone because the mortar would overlap the stone edges a bit when doing over-grout).

And although the house could use a different paint color due to the new colored stone, IMO it doesn’t matter what color you repaint the house, it will NOT change the look/feel of the stone and the problem of the unattractive contrasting mortar.
Alex Depaul thanked Nidnay
Alex Depaul
Original Author
last year
Thanks @Beth H. : yes my husband saw the different options and likes the color palette!

@Nidnay I appreciate your feedback!
cat_ky
last year
I like the white stucco above, a lot. I do not however, like those timber things above there at all. Iike the octagon thing you have better than those timbers.
Alex Depaul thanked cat_ky