How To Apply Venetian Plasters

Venetian plasters are decorative plasters that go back more than a thousand years, to the Caesars of Rome and the Greece of the ancient times. The art of using this building material was re-discovered in the 1500s, by Andrea Palladio, an architect from Italy, who re-decorated the great villas of Venice by, what this plaster is known locally as, Stucco Veneziano. By the 1600s, this piece of decorative plaster was aesthetically decorating all the great houses of Venice, the rest of Italy, and then Europe.

Today, this splendid plaster is used to decorate and impart a great finish.

What are Venetian Plasters?

It is a modern term for molded surface coating, also known as stucco, and is made of a number of ingredients, the main ingredients being lime and marble.

Today, other ingredients, such as acrylic and pigment binders are used. The addition of synthetic polymers have made it possible to have Venetian plasters that are highly durable, with a surface plaster that is long lasting.

This outstanding product is marble-heavy, with more than 40 percent of the mix being fine marble powder. The classic mix uses the marble powder from the world famous Carrara marble, and slaked lime – calcium hydroxide, a chemical compound made by slaking calcium oxide (or quick lime) with water.

The Art Of Applying Venetian Plasters

Along with the materials used, which are unique in itself, to achieve the required effect, you need to be skilled in its application, too. Today, pre-mixed plasters are available from your neighborhood hardware store, whereas the craftsmen from ancient Rome and Greece had to work hard and painstakingly to achieve the awesome effect.

Many people mistake this plaster to be like any other paint, but it is not so. You may have spent years painting your home, and may have done a great job, but this does not necessitate your doing a great job with this plaster too.

The key to using this plaster is the preparation involved. The result depends on how the trowel is held, at which angle, how long you stroke it, and how deep or shallow you create the texture. Before trying out, it is best you first try out on a sample piece of the drywall to see the effect you get.

You will also need to try out the different types of finishing to see the type of gloss or sheen you are achieving. If you are adding some colorant to the plaster, try out until you achieve the color you want.

Check out the surface of the wall to be treated. It should be plain and do not have any stucco cracks and deformities. Ensure that the surface is smooth. If the wall on which you wish to give this treatment already has a glossy finish, remove the sheen by sand papering the surface.

• Applying Coat # 1

Every job you do requires the usage of the right tool. So does this job. Traditionally, a trowel that is flexible is used, as against the rigid trowels used for otherwise applying the conventional plaster. This flexible steel trowel is about 4 inches to 6 inches in size. If you wish to add any colorant to the plaster, do so and mix with a stick.

Take some plaster on the trowel and apply a thin coat on the wall, in the corner of the room. The length of your stroke and the angle of your trowel do not matter, as long as you apply a thin and smooth coat. It also does not matter if you miss out in certain places. Alternately, you can use a roller in place of the trowel. Wait until the plaster is completely dry, before you apply the second coat.

• Applying Coat # 2

The second coat also should be a thin coat. Let your strokes – both long and short – overlap each other. Ensure that the surface is covered thoroughly, with no voids visible. Again, wait until the plaster is completely dry before the next stage, which is finishing.

You can apply more than two coats of Venetian plasters. The benefit is that every extra coat makes the surface stronger, and changing your trowel using techniques produces more intricate and pleasing effects. Ensure that every coat you apply is thin.

Decorative Stucco Finish Effect

The topcoat, which requires a trowel to be used, is applied immediately after the plaster dries. This topcoat makes the surface more durable, and should be used in bathrooms and in other rooms that have high content of moisture, such as the kitchen.

To add a good gloss to the surface, the topcoat is applied using a wax paste. Once the topcoat has dried, you can burnish, if you wish to, with a trowel or a knife.

To burnish the surface, you can use fine sandpaper on the surface. A circular motion of the sand paper is recommended, followed by wiping the surface of the wall with a damp piece of cloth.