Tag: smooth wall finishes

When I was contacted about The Exchange in 2013, I was immediately drawn to the difficulty of installing a polished plaster finish to such a vast area.

The finish I created was installed in a 3 layer system of Italian lime plaster, the final layer had mother of pearl added to enhance the look and stone like characteristics of the surface, emulating the look of stone with a semigloss shine and dullish areas.

-Scroll to the bottom to watch the video of the Exchange-

With walls sprawling 5 story’s in the air, complete with 1/4″ FryReglet reveals, detailed vertical battens and a concrete pillar to match. A project of this stature could surely make or break a career. In my life of creating finishes for projects like the Exchange doing the normal is not enough for me, I live for a challenge and the ability to learn and grow in my plastering skills.

 

In the beginning of the specification for the plaster system I gave my experience with long term durability of plaster in commercial spaces, making it a point that the base board and external corners be treated with a stone cap for added protection. We also discussed a design concept for the wall system including a high abuse coating below my plaster on the lower portions of the most hi traffic areas.

Getting to be part of the team involved in creating and building The Exchange was an amazing experience and I thank all those involved. I worked closely with Iredale group, PCL construction & B&O drywall on this project.

The Exchange Office Tower Interior Lobby Arial Drone Footage from Darrell Morrison on Vimeo.

In just over a few weeks we will be starting a legacy project in Vancouver, British Columbia. A 10,000 square foot, 5 story commercial lobby Located at  475 Howe street. The Exchange project is a LEED Platinum  heritage restoration building designed buy Harry Gugger Studio with Iredale Group Architecture.

Our Italian Lime based plaster finish will be installed in panels with 1/4″ reveals. The end result will be a high polished, monolithic lime plaster in an off white colour. The idea is a solid, seamless stone surface resembling quarts or cesar stone broken up into massive panels. We worked with the architects and design team on a drywall system to meet the durability and installation properties capable of polished lime plaster. Part of the work will involve a unique substrate preparation system, in order to provide a high abuse resident surface below the Italian lime plaster in high traffic areas. This will involve installing an anti-fracture membrane with a 1/8″ build over DensArmor Plus . The reveals will be made using a Fry Reglet which will be installed by the drywall contractors. The vertical batons will also be a polished venetian lime plaster seamless from top to bottom.

Modern architecture with matte Tadelakt Venetian plaster concrete looking walls. Venetian Plaster Canada

This Stunning West Coast Contemporary home featured many modern elements including exposed wood beams and stainless steel countertops. The walls were designed using a custom tone limestone plaster that was installed between powder coated steel reveals. The ability to apply the limestone plaster material to unique substrates also made it possible to plaster two doors seamlessly integrated into the wall system that are completely hidden when closed.

The architect for the renovation Kevin O’Leary was the catalyst and idea man. We worked together in designing how the plaster system would work together. Being involved with a project like this from the substrate up to final completion helped insure all the components would flow together seamlessly and any errors could be caught before the project is to far forward. The Tadelakt lime plaster has a smooth velvet touch with a matte finish and subtle texture invoking the touch of your hand as you walk past.

It was equally important the design of the new kitchen respect the quality and intent of the existing architecture, the home originally designed by Seattle-based architect Roland Terry. The new design keeps to a monochromatic colour scheme with a highly crafted use of wood, terrazzo, plaster and steel to mirror the finishes seen elsewhere in the residence.

Integrated Italian Lime Plaster Fireplace from darrell morrison on Vimeo.

Lime plaster over fiber crown mouldings

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Tadelakt pillars inside and out, Fibercrown mouldings installed by and painted to resemble limestone. Italian lime plaster inside and out, antique mouldings, stencils, lath and plaster domes finished in silver leaf even the fountain base was finished by our hands. This house will be one to beat in our book of projects, a true masterpiece and an amazing group of people pulled this all together.

Italian Villa Lime Plaster Full Interior & Exterior Vancouver BC from darrell morrison on Vimeo.

Tadelakt pillars inside and out, Fibercrown mouldings installed by and painted to resemble limestone. Italian lime plaster inside and out, antique mouldings, stencils, lath and plaster domes finished in silver leaf even the fountain base was finished by our hands. This house will be one to beat in my book of projects, a true master piece and an amazing group of people pulled this all together.
-The Villa Work Performed-

-Exterior-
Two tone venetian lime plaster exterior

Install all fibercrown foam mouldings on exterior of house including arches windows and base.

Lime paint all mouldings to resemble lime stone

Tri-color Tadelakt lime plaster pillars

-Interior-
Smooth Venetian plaster walls including all ceilings and walls throughout house

Main interior fireplace install fibercrown, float substrate plaster to resemble walls and carved limestone

Plaster pillars and arches in Tadelakt with glaze and wax for an aged look

All domes finished in lath and plaster then decorated with silver leaf.

All wood beams on interior wood grained

The process, the projects, the finished product: This is an inside look into how I create my Venetian plaster projects, making them come alive.

In this video, you’ll see steps used to create my Venetian plaster projects, including completed project photos of Classic, Carrara, Intonachino and Tadelakt plaster applications.

When it comes to my projects, it’s Stucco Italiano Italian lime plaster that is my one and only choice, and I think this video shows you why. When you think interior stucco think Authentic lime based Venetian plaster.

 

16,000 square feet of Classic Venetian plaster was used to turn the walls at “The Grandview Business Center” Located in Morgan Crossing South Surrey, BC into a major conversation piece.  Its not often you get approached to do a full interior Italian Lime plaster in a Commercial setting.  Why you ask would you want to choose a venetian plaster finish for a commercial space?

Why Lime Plaster
-Lime Plaster  has vertually no VOC’s making a pleasant enviroment to work in and be around

-Stronger than drywall and paint finishes Venetian plaster will hide scuffs marks and abrasions

-Endless possibilities of texture and sheen

-Most damage is easily repaired

-Seamless finish from start to finish only stopping in corners.

Here are some photos of this recent full interior Venetian Lime Plaster

Well, we’re already three weeks into our massive Italian lime plaster commercial project in South Surrey, BC.

As you can imagine, a lot of work is going on around us on the project every day, so while we’re trying to keep productivity at a maximum, we also have to keep trade damage to our work at a minimum.

This week, focus has been on the main floor’s lobby, the corridors, ceilings, and that awesome barrel ceiling covered in Venetian plaster.

It’s a big challenge, a ceiling like that, but to know me is to know I love my job.

Everyone around me knows how much I dig the challenges and the change that come from project to project. My passion for what I do and for getting my clients what they want is what makes my work so successful.

This one’s got even more challenges, and people to satisfy, than anything I’ve done because it’s the largest project I’ve ever worked on, and I hope it proves I belong on both the artisan and big commercial side of plastering.

This barrel ceiling’s a huge focal point, so I took extra care and due diligence, as it’s a heavy use area and we want it looking as fantastic years from now as it does opening day.

To get there, I started off by applying a two-coat Intonachino Lime plaster finish, and closed it up with a buffed super-smooth finish.

When you’re talking a “true” Venetian plaster, it’s actually a very thin finish. It can be somewhat delicate, and that’s something to consider on a project like this versus, say, a large home for a family of four. Given the massive building size, and the likelihood of foundation settling over coming months or years, I wanted a thicker plaster, just in case the building shifts any or nails decide to move any, and that extra coverage (and more work) should ensure longevity.

Craziness, I know, but it’s better safe than sorry, and it’s easier to do the job thoroughly the first time than to fix any problems a year or five years down the line.

Make sure your craftsmen don’t just think about how your job looks the day you have to sign the last check. You want them thinking about how that space will work for you over the coming years. Have that conversation with them, if you’re not sure they’re thinking in those terms — because they should be.

Look at this colour depth! This is what happens when I really push the envelope on the “maximum tint allowance” per bucket. Pay-off!

“Wax-on, wax-off.” Laying down the layers, pic by pic:




The end result? A stunning shiny show-stopper.

In this instance, it’s really a labour of love. It’s nine steps from start to finish — a lot of prepping, buffing, and grunt-work. There’s no easy way out on this one, it’s all about pushing through the burn thats the true nature of real venetian plaster.

At the end, all you see is how great it looks, and that’s okay with me.

Cheers,
Darrell Morrison.

When you’re a guy working in the building trades, it’s not very often you get to travel for work, let alone work in a place like Banff, Alberta. This fantastic retreat in the mountains has been a dream-like project for me, and I’m happy to share with you this video of a walk-through of how the project’s coming.

As the build got further along, more plaster work got added to my slate. I love an owner getting excited about my technique and wanting more as the work progresses, especially in a place like this. By the end, Stucco Italiano’s Italian plaster was used throughout, stretching from the bottom up to the third floor.

 

Please set your viewing to high-def for all the detail!

Take a look at the waxed deep magenta plaster walls in the powder rooms, which includes that awesome entry feature and incorporates those subtle smooth textures across the walls and ceilings, on all floors.

Why would you want to use Italian plaster over both walls and ceilings? You have to consider the characteristics. No paint will match the beauty or durability over the long-term like Italian lime or Venetian plaster, and when you’re creating a mood in a room, why would you neglect the ceiling?

When the colour is fortified right off the bat, as I hand-mix plasters for application, including base coats, it gives a rich layered finish that doesn’t look man-made — it looks like it just belongs that way. It’s natural, rustic, and amazing for creating a mood in big and small spaces.

Lime plaster builds an atmosphere you just can’t get with only paint, and I’m a painter saying that.

When you’re talking about any kind of art or space, lighting means everything, and it’s definitely true with Intonachino plaster approaches I use in my Venetian/Italian lime finishes. As light moves across the room, during dusk through to dawn, and the light shifts from season to season, it changes the way the plastered surface appears, and you’ll always notice something different. It’s almost like your walls are a living part of your space.

This video will provide a perspective on the feel created with these finishes, but if the same video was shot at different times of day, you’d get more a sense of why I say that lightning — natural or electrical — is plaster’s best friend.

It’s been a while since this amazing journey began. Have a look at how far we’ve come, and how this plaster came to life. Click here to see the beginning blog posts.


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