Is parging a realistic DIY project?

Small cosmetic touch-ups are realistic for an experienced DIYer, while full walls and repairs over failing material are harder to get right. The work that decides whether parging lasts happens before the coat goes on, which means chipping loose material back to a sound edge, cleaning off dirt and paint, dampening the wall and using a bonding agent where needed. The mix also has to be the right consistency and cure slowly, above freezing, for the first couple of days. A patch that skips any of those steps often looks fine at first and lets go after one or two winters. If you try it yourself, start on a small, low-visibility area, use an exterior parging mix rather than general patching cement, and work in mild, overcast weather. For anything larger, see how a professional parging repair is done.