Though it’s a bit early to predict the interior design trends for 2009, some are alreadysaying that Asian culture will be a major influence.
Tamara and Alison were working on using Japanese character stencils in the last Textures & Metallics class, but unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures (though you can see plenty of shots of other great work from that class here).
Here’s one of Aaron’s samples that uses Marmorino Classic and an Asian influence:
Have you used an Eastern aesthetic in your Venetian plaster work? Send me your photos if you’d like to see them posted here.
Rough walls? Orange peel or knock down or worse? Want a nice smooth polished plaster finish but no interest in skim coating and painting before proceeding? Try this Venetian Plaster Technique to minimize your labor and still create a beautifully smooth finished result:
1 - Start with a first coat of Intonachino Medium or Coarse. This should start to give you enough volume to bury the unsightly texture. Intonachino can be applied over sealed drywall indoors, over conventional scratch and brown or modified Portland cements and of course over hydraulic lime scratch coats on exteriors. Let dry overnight.
2- Follow with 2nd coat of Intonachino, same grade as the first coat. Full layer. When this goes to set(firm but not completely dry), push a 2nd layer of Intonachino into it. Use steeper angle on your trowel to push the grain into the set layer. Let that layer go to set and now you are ready to break out the Marmorino Carrara. Push your carrara material into the firm layer. Don’t go in too soon! You’ll find you are able to start polishing with your Marmorino material and that your Intonachino has created a buffer against the original texture of the wall.
Variations - For a really smooth, high polish finish use another coat of Carrara. For a distressed, smooth look leave some openings back into the Intonachino. For a really high sheen finish you can also do this technique with the Carrara instead of Intonachino on the first coats and Classic on the final coats, as long as the original surface is not too rough.
This is a great finish and technique. Fairly easy to do and great results! Check out one of our Venetian Plaster Classes in Seattle if you’d like a little more help.
With the current state of the housing economy, you might expect people making interior design choices to choose thrift over quality.
However, many of today’s forward-thinking consumers are more interested than ever in building green and using non-toxic materials to ensure long-lasting, healthy homes.
A must-read article in The Daily Green, written in January, is holding true and proving building green is more than a passing trend.
Excellent taste is also an excellent investment, and natural, lime-based, Venetian plaster is beautiful, non-toxic, and hotter than ever.
We just heard from one of our recent Venetian Plastering 2 class graduates who is doing some really creative and impressive work with Stucco Italiano.
Grant Johnson, AKA Mud Man, tells us, “I thought I would send you a couple samples of something I am having fun with. I produce these small clay balls, and apply the marmorino and polish with small stones to get various effects. . . been able to get some great marbling effects.”
Click on the thumbnails to see all the beautiful details– great work, Mud Man!
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to Study Venetian Plaster Finishing Under an Authentic Italian Master Artisan
When: October 26-November 4, 2008
You already know that advanced technique is the key to differentiating yourself from your competitors.Your best customers crave authenticity and impeccable craftsmanship. Imagine being able to tell them you’ve studied with a true Italian master of your craft, and enhanced your education by studying masterpieces of decorative plasterwork in their original setting.Intrigued? We just added a new page about the trip to Italy. Find it in the “Pages” section located on the right-hand column of this blog, or click here to continue reading to learn about your chance to become a Master Venetian Plasterer in Italy.
Here’s a video we just posted with a tip about transitioning your distressed Venetian plaster finishes from the sample board to the wall:
Aaron discusses the importance of considering scale when planning the composition of your distressed Venetian plaster finishes. The example in the video is a distressed Stucco Italiano Intonachino.
This is a really helpful little trick for calming down your Venetian Plaster finishes, especially the more saturated colors. Pay careful attention, though, about not overtinting your wax, be conservative and always test a small area first to be sure. You have to wait until it dries back to really know what you’re going to get.We’ll post more short subject tips in the future so stay tuned.
