Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Stucco Italiano Certified Installer Norman Petersen has been working in all aspects of residential construction since his teens, from building new, high-end homes to the simplest remodel projects.
Here’s a project Norman did for Pat and Barry Conger, who won a Venetian Plaster finish at the annual R.A.Y.S. auction. They chose to have the plaster done at their local business office, 4th and Morris Dentistry.
Norman created a lightly distressed Carrara Venetian plaster finish in a grayish red tone.
In addition to Venetian plaster, Norman uses Golden Proceed products, like on this cabinet…
…and this sign…
Norman’s clients benefit from his commercial and residential construction experience.
From his bio:
- I work in a clean, efficient and safe manner.
- I understand most aspects of the building trades. Some very relevant to painting. Such as; will that wall settle and cause the new Italian plaster to crack? Will this electrical issue need to be repaired before we paint this wall? Should we do the mill work before or after the painting? How can we best protect this carpet? Etc.
- I can interface in an informed, knowledgeable way with the other contractors and designers on the project.
Unlike most painters, who tend to have knowledge limited to surfaces, I’m mindful of the full spectrum of the job.
I’ve applied decorative paint and plaster in Street of Dreams projects, doctors offices, design showrooms, for state senators and in luxury suites for captains of industry. I’m just as experienced in humble apartments and single family homes.
From simple paint glaze techniques to multi-layer plaster to intricate Trompe L’Oeil work, I am passionate about what I do.
Contact Norman Petersen:
Norman’s website
Norman’s blog
E-mail Norman.
Call Norman: 206-335-2513.
Want to be our next featured installer? E-mail Katharine.
Posted in Featured Installer, Golden Proceed, Projects, Venetian Plaster, photos | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Stucco Italiano Certifified applicator and talented artisan Mariella Russo sent us some great pics of her recent projects…
In the first one she used Marmorino Carrara on the walls and Golden metallic paints and powder pigments on the ceiling. She also painted the designs in the middle.
And here is a distressed Carrara finish…
A lovely Marmorino Classic finish…
Here is a table before Mariella started…
and after a Carrara finish…
Click on the thumbnails to see more photos of Mariella’s work:
Contact Mariella.
Have some Stucco Italiano project pics of your own to share?
Send them our way.
Posted in Golden Proceed, Projects, Venetian Plaster, photos | 8 Comments »
Sunday, December 7th, 2008
I’ll be up in Edmonton this Friday and Saturday at our newest distributor’s location teaching a two day Stucco Italiano certification workshop. Anyone interested email me directly aaron@stuccoitaliano.us or call the studio - 206 838 5888.
I’m bringing my flannels.
Aaron
Posted in Classes, Event, Techniques, Venetian Plaster | 2 Comments »
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
We’re all looking for ways to ride out this economic downturn…
For those looking to earn some extra income:
- Environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional building materials, like installing Venetian plaster using our natural, lime based materials, is still a growing segment of the building industry. Smaller projects can be done on your own time (well, your client might have some input on that as well), so it can work for you as a supplemental income.
For those who are already professional contractors:
- If you’re already a plaster artisan, the material you’re using can have a big impact on your productivity. Experienced independent contractor Mozelle Spencer describes how using Stucco Italiano plasters helps her maximize her time and profits:
“I am so impressed with this product line. We love using Stucco Italiano on our job sites. The ease of use when burnishing the Marmorino has enabled us to create numerous gorgeous finishes. Finishes that once we avoided due to how labor intensive the high polish plasters were. The Carrara and Classic are our favorites. The clean up on job sites is easier and the use of time is more productive and profitable.“
For the plaster-curious, as well as the master plasterers who haven’t tried our superior lime-based plasters, we’ve provided a link to download our print-ready Stucco Italiano catalog.
Simply click on the picture below (be patient… it’s a large file).
And you can always visit our site, www.stuccoitaliano.us, for more plaster perusal.
What are your suggestions for riding this weak economy?
Posted in Business Tips, Green, Intonachino, Marmorino, Projects, Stucco, Tadelakt, Tips and Tricks, Venetian Plaster, photos | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Last week we had a round of our Venetian Plastering classes with new students from all over the country. One of the great benefits of our Stucco Italiano Certification (VP2) and Advanced (VP3) courses is the opportunity to not only perfect your techniques by working on the sample boards, but to also get the feel of working on larger surfaces, and even real walls. Scroll down to see photos of Gary helping remodel our new conference room, building his real-world Venetian plastering expertise.
Here are some photos from Venetian Plastering 2:
. . . and Venetian Plastering 3 . . .
If you’re a former student of ours and are looking to update your skills, consider taking advantage of our Portfolio Builder and Product Update Workshop next month: November 14-15. You pay for supplies only, have the chance to work on large surfaces, and learn the hottest new finishes. And of course, network with your fellow artisans as we go out to dinner Friday night!
Posted in Business Tips, Classes, Green, Intonachino, Marmorino, Stucco, Tadelakt, Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Venetian Plaster, photos | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Friend of the studio Darrell Morrison has a new website for his business, Decorative Painting & Plastering Concepts.
He has tons of great photos of Stucco Italiano finishes and beautiful rooms. Check it out!
Posted in Intonachino, Marmorino, Projects, Tadelakt, Venetian Plaster | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
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.
Posted in Intonachino, Marmorino, Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Venetian Plaster | 1 Comment »
