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Venetian Plaster Wall Finish
   
There has recently been a real peak in interest in the Venetian Plaster wall finish. The episodes of Trading Spaces in which Doug did a hand applied plaster finish to the walls and then waxed it were viewed by millions of people.
There has always been an interest in Venetian Plaster but having someone else do it for you is pretty expensive for most people. New application techniques can broaden the range of options that contractors can offer their clients now. In the past five or so years, new products have been catching up with the market giving customer who want an elegant high-end finish some less pricey options.
Venetian Plaster is an ancient building material which originates with lime and marble. Lime that can be brought up to a high polish, low polish, matte finish, and smooth to the touch. It can also have a granular texture.
The term Venetian Plaster also can refer to the method of application. Natural lime plasters have been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians and peoples of Antiquities. Originally, they were strictly used for the protection of structures. The Venetians took it to another level. They added natural pigment to add a decorative use both interior and Exterior.
 One option is SprayStone, a spray on Venetian plaster made of limestone and just enuf acrylic to allow it to be sprayed on. After this product is sprayed on, it is usually trowled and sealed. It is not quite the same as traditional hand-trowled Venetian plast4er and it has a more porous plaster look and is not as glossy as the hand applied finish. But when light hits it, it does have a lot of light-play as light bounces off the finish.
Old world Venetian plasterers were made from slaked lime. Due to the nature or slaked lime and the Spray-Stone finish, you get what is called 'dual refraction' meaning that because of the crystal formation of the components, when light enters, it is bounced around and you end up getting more light out. This property is present in limestone, some granite, and slaked lime plasters.
The Venetian plaster products can be tinted using universal paint tints, but the most popular choice is the 'Old World' colors of buff, light yellow, off white, and shades of yellow ranging from cream to mustard.
Spray-Stone is an environmentally friendly sprayable plaster that captures all the beauty and texture of plasters used by European craftsmen for centuries, according to their website, Spray-Stone is easily mixed with a drywall mixing blade and a high powered drill. Spray-Stone colors faster than paints so start slowly and dry a test patch. Spray-Stone can be applied over dry-wall, concrete block both interior and exterior. There is a nice demo video on the Spray-Stone web site. One very interesting statement that they make on the web site is: " The lime will slowly carbonate and get harder yet can actually heal it's own small cracks over time, a unique feature to cured limestone." www.spray-stone.com
 Another product option is LusterStone.... LusterStone™ is a decorative architectural trowel-on coating, which produces beautiful natural looking reflective stone patterns. They say that no burnishing is required for designer quality results. This product can be used to produce a wide variety of dull or high sheen dimensional finishes, or combinations of highs and lows. The Faux Effects® line of products was developed as an environmentally safe, water-based, VOC compliant product line for the discriminating faux painter, decorative finisher, and artist, and can be applied to a variety of surfaces through traditional methods. Faux Effects Inc. offers Instructional Workshop Classes at their Studio adjacent to the corporate headquarters in Vero Beach FL.and also by Faux Effects'® International Network of accomplished artists and distributors.www.fauxeffects.com
 Then there is Vella Plaster. Vella Plaster offers free 2 hour training sessions every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday currently (2008), 2 sessions are available per day. These classes are offered free of charge. Vella Venetian Plaster comes pre-mixed in a white base and ready to use. Choose from any of the exclusive Vella colors or create your own custom color. Vella Retailers will add universal color tints to the Vella Base to achieve your desired color. Vella Plaster can be shaken by the retailer or mixed thoroughly with a drill.This system requires that two coats of plaster be applied using either a hawk and trowel, pan and drywall knife, or a 1/2" nap paint roller. The first coat will smooth out any minor imperfections in the wall while creating a consistent base surface. With a good base coat of plaster the second coat will give the desired Venetian look and smooth effect. Vella Venetian base coast can be applied by using a 1/2" nap paint roller and standard paint rolling techniques. While still fresh, trowel or spread the material smooth in a random pattern with a 12" drywall knife to remove any marks from the paint roller. After the Vella Plaster has thoroughly dried, apply two thin coats of Vella clear or dark wax with a sponge. Buff the wall with a cloth or a power buffer soon after application to seal the wall and bring out the sheen.www.vellaplaster.com
 Behr Venetian Plaster has a Venetian Plaster Technique online. They offer their own plaster product that is available at Home Depot. Behr Premium Plus with Style® Venetian Plaster and the Venetian Plaster Topcoat. This heavy-bodied, water-based product can be burnished to create a marble-like appearance. Apply 2 coats on smooth surfaces. The Behr product is applied with a steel trowel. They suggest that you round the corners of the steel trowel with 100-grit sandpaper or a file to reduce edge marks during application. Then follow up with 400-grit sandpaper for a smoother edge. Spread the Venetian Plaster thinly across the surface using long and short random strokes. Venetian Plaster takes texture even further, producing a wonderful three-dimensional, marble-like appearance. It comes in 24 colors, but can also be colored to match any color in the BEHR Premium Plus® range. You don't need to be a professional plasterer! Simply apply two coats of Venetian Plaster with a trowel in a random pattern, letting the original wall show through, and then burnish it once it's dry. You can also add a topcoat for extra durability. www.behr.com
 In 1996, Firenze Enterprises, Inc. began promoting Italian lime finishes to North America . They did so in association with FirenzeColor-Marmorino®, a highly respected company in Europe and became the exclusive importers for this product. Today there are a multitude of companies promoting their so-called "Italian plaster" or "Venetian Plaster" or "Marmorino Venetian Plaster". Many companies have attempted to copy FirenzeColor-Marmorino®. The formulation of Firenze Marmorino products has continued to be a favorite among Italian plasters applicators. Our signature product is made of a natural lime-based plaster, which contains no synthetics and has a minimum of 42% real marble. Firenze Enterprises carry many types of Italian Plaster. They offer instructional DVD's and Firenze Enterprises, Inc., will provide you with all the information you need regarding the art and production of Venetian plaster. We offer two lines of Venetian plaster products: Firenze Color-Marmorino®. Both lines of Venetian plaster are imported from Italy, produced using the ancient & modern techniques developed in the old world..www.venetianplasters.com
 For over 30 years, Decoplast Systems have been used all over the world. Some of theri products include: Makeup, Marblestone, Marblestone Plak, Stucco Veneto, Pepsale, Marmoreous,Marmomix, this company makes industrial sizes of many commercial exterior finishes.You can see photos of large scale projects on their site. Catalogs, DVD's and samples are available upon request according to the ad in Walls & Ceilings. www.decoplast.com
 Another product is from TexSton. They offer three plaster wall finishes. One of them, they call Veneciano, the other is Marmorino venetian plaster. Veneciano is very hard and durable and is ideal for interior commercial as well as residential applications. Veneciano Plaster may be burnished to a high polish. Veneciano may be waxed for an added level of protection. Tinted Veneciano will dry approximately 40% lighter than it appears when wet. The Marmorino Plaster is a versatile and beautiful version of the ancient polished stuccos used throughout history. Consisting of traditional quality ingredients including marble flour, slaked lime, and fine sand, Marmarino can be used to create stunning stone-like finishes. Marmorino can be finished smooth and polished to a high sheen. Marmorino can be used to create beautiful distressed finishes. Marmorino is water resistant and excellent for kitchens and bathrooms. Distressed Marmorino is a particularly good finish for color washing. The translucent glaze will stain the pitted areas darker than the smooth areas, further enhancing the aged quality of the finish. Their web site is all Flash and Shockwave, so I find it difficult to navigate. The links may be dead or just not working in Firefox browser.If you have trouble, use the sitemap, I had better luck with links on it. If you can get to the technical application sheets, they have a lot of good detailed info. www.texston.com
 LaHabra "Venetian Plaster"--LaHabra Venetian Plaster is a 100% acrylic finish. A decorative and protective coating designed to create a unique Old World polished plaster look. Available in convenient 1 and 5 gallon pails, LaHabra Venetian Plaster comes ready to apply over interior drywall and smooth, plastered walls. Offering infinite possibilities for color and texture, it provides a durable and dramatic finish to suit any style or taste.Standard and custom colors avilable..You can add a gold, silver or pewter metallic Venetian Plaster Topcoat to create a rich, dimensional look. Can be buffed or polished with steel spatulas or metal trowels to create a hard, polished marble appearance. I can't imagine how a 100% acrylic product could look like limestone, but then I have never seen it in person. www.lahabrastucco.com
 Valentino by Omega Products International manufactures high-end interior and exterior decorative plaster finishes. The Valentino line includes several products with different properties. They have a full line of acrylic-based and lime-based finishes, including true Venetian plaster and other Italian-style finishes.Venezia Finish is a unique blend of marble dust, slaked aged lime, and other materials for the authentic Venetian plaster polished finish. When applied in layers, Venezia Finish creates a rich color variation that gives the perception of depth. Travertino Finishes are cementitious, polymer-modified interior/exterior finishes manufactured with integral color and a mixture of various size aggregates designed to achieve a variety of sedimentary stone appearances. Valentino offers regular training classes for professionals in the plastering and construction industries.Classes have been held all over the Western United States; most frequently in Southern California, Northern California, and Las Vegas. www.valentino.omega-products.com
 Olea Specialty Products Venetian Plasters -
They call their product Cebo Venetian plasters and say it is for the beginning plaster applicator or the seasoned professional. This fine grained natural venetian plaster consists of fine aged lime and marble powder. To add sheen and protection to this polished plaster apply a coat of wax.. Sold in 11 lb. and 44 lb. tubs. They also offer a Venetian plaster kit: La Calce Del Brenta for the DIY market. Costs about 200 dollars. Easy to Use: Roll on Base Coat--Spatula applied Venetian plaster in two or three coats--Wipe on Wipe off liquid wax for an easy shine. Lots of good "how to do venetian plaster" pages on this website. Several versions of Venetian Plaster offered. www.oleaspecialtyproducts.com
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