Tag: Vancouver Venetian Plaster

Recently, I finally got the tool I’ve been wanting to add to my company’s arsenal — a 12-colour carousel tinting machine.

You’re likely saying “A what?”

When I Say “Any Colour”, I mean It More Than Ever

For years, I’ve been creating custom colours. Many times, I’ve been unsuccessful because of technicalities, like not having proper colours available to me or a way to distribute them evenly or quickly among all the products I needed to mix to get the job done and done well.

Stuck working with these technicalities, a lot of my colours were found in one part of the colour spectrum — browns or tans, and even beiges now and then.

With the size of new lime-plaster interior projects and the new direction I’d like to take my Venetian plaster work in, I knew the time was right to get this tool that would make the difference in meeting my standards on a large scale.

As an example, I’m currently working on a 10,000 square-foot Intonachino lime-plaster interior. With so much surface to cover, the client is having a hard time choosing the perfect colour. We’re close, so they now only want slight shifts in shade and/or hue. (How are “shade” and “hue” different? Learn more by following this link.)

Picky? Not at all. Like me, they know job satisfaction is all about the details.

I’ve now taken great care to create 20 different colours for this project. That’s a bit of an extreme for any project, maybe, but you have to live with the colour long after I’m gone, and we need to get it right. I won’t get upset or rush you for a colour at the beginning of a project, because preparation and work can begin while we take the time to do the right things to help you come to a decision you literally can live with.

This tint machine makes my life easier and helps me live up to my dedication to getting you a a truly livable colour for your environment. Now, at any point in time, I can change a colour’s direction. You want a 25% lighter shade? Okay, not a problem. We don’t need a paint-shop pro or a chemist to guess it out. Let’s get that done ourselves — between you and me, and save ourselves a lot of headache and reduce wasted materials in the process.

Breaking It Down:

◦                                  Whatever your favourite material — Tadelakt, Intonachino, Carrara or Classic — I have full control over the colour and tint of the end-product.

◦                                  Your money gets saved because I’m not wasting materials or gambling on a factory’s ability to get those pallets of lime plaster tinted just the right way.

You want it lighter? Darker? I can change that on a dime now, so you get what you want when you want it. Hue by hue, shade by shade, we’ll nail the colour of your dreams.

On June 1st, I begin a great project — a 10,000 square-foot (Venetian) lime plaster interior. This project calls for a smoother finish with minimal texture, a “Tuscan” influence.

To get that look, I’ll be using Stucco Italiano Intonachino.

For an accent in the basement level, I’ll be creating a woodgrain finish (also known as faux bois) for all the crown moulding.

This home has a view to die for and architecture I’m excited to be taking to another level with my finishing techniques. I’m scheduled to reach final completion in early August.

With a Tuscan/Mediterranean feel throughout this home, getting the perfect colour so a client can be comfortable with their final decision is a tough task, but it’s got to be perfect — just look at the stunning architecture! Anything less than perfect would be a crime.

You might wonder how a “young” guy like me in this industry is landing big projects like these large interior Venetian plaster jobs, but I think my work speaks for itself — and it should, anyone’s should. I love the work I do, I do it the best way I can, I use the best materials that are available to me, try to deliver the best customer service, and have finished work that blows expectations away.

Whether it’s in my work’s detail or in the way I work for my clients, I know it’s the little things that make the difference. My guys and I are tidy and clean, flexible, and we all know how to work well with other trades.


Isn’t that how it should be?

Enjoy the read and the photos.

Cheers

Darrell Morrison

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to work on the new Bosa building in White Rock, BC, with one of my favourite designers — a big fan of my style of Venetian Plaster. She’s always pushing me to try new things and stretch my creativity, so it’s a great working experience to be around her.


When meeting a new client and designer, the most important part of the meeting is being able to absorb their ideas and use that as inspiration for creating a unique design that’ll reflect the best of everything they want.


I think I pulled that off, and it’s even reflected in the materials we used.


For this project, I used Carrara Marmorino. It’s different because of its small granules, which allows it to polish to a beautiful satin finish. For added durability and a beautiful finish, I sealed the surface with natural beeswax.

This past week I was working on a Metallic Bronze & Copper Distressed Ceiling in a lovely home in Morgan Creek.  I was very excited, as it has been a while since I’ve done a plaster ceiling finish in this style I’d say almost 3 years to be exact and I truly enjoy this type of decorative finish.  A break down of the work involved begins with applying a black base  metallic plaster made by Golden after that is left to dry over night. I then return to apply the bronze plaster also made from materials made by Golden.  Once the texture is created and the designer likes what she see’s the final step is “waxing”.  Now for this step I like to us an old school material called Bri-Wax. I don’t mind sharing the information as its a easily available in most cities. One thing I will tell you is this stuff has a nasty and strong odor.  One more step to go adding copper mica flakes to the wax, this involves melting the the materials in order to make that possible, I advise using caution if you choose to attempt this your self as this portion requires a high degree of safety.

In recent weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to be working in a lovely Greco-Roman home in Burnaby, BC.


It’s an awesome home, clearly designed for entertaining guests.


Well, when I first got out to the jobsite, the drywall wasn’t even installed. I’m a visual guy, but, for me, it’s difficult to get a sense of a home with all those studs and joists running up and down and everywhere. But, after awhile, I figured the home out, and I’m glad the project’s moving along.


We’re into the process now. Here, I was commissioned to install a distressed lime plaster finish, using something called Intonachino (in-tone-a-kino).


It kind of looks like it has a slight tint of yellow, but when paired up with the floor, it presents as a sand-beige. When I finish the project off, I’ll glaze the plaster with raw umber, adding a little character and an old, aged sense to the walls.

CLICK IMAGES TO ZOOM


One of my favourite things to do on the job is when I get to take something old and outdated and reinvent it all new and awesome.


In October, I got to do exactly that to a 50-year-old sandstone fireplace.


Not only did I lower the height of the fireplace by a whole eight inches, but I also created baffles for the Heatilator’s vents.


The plaster I thought best for this job was Tadelakt, but I got tricky and added Mother-of-Pearl to make the finish a one-of-a-kind fireplace.


I hope you enjoy checking out the pictures.


The Fireplace Before

We have had an amazing summer at Decorative Painting & Plastering Concepts and the fall is just beginning!!!! First off I must thank my clients for challenging me on their projects and giving me the opportunity to work with them. We spent a lot of time this spring marketing and teaching our clients about the benefits of Green and low V.O.C. materials not only has it been better for us and the environment but the advancements that companies like Benjamin Moore & Stucco Italiano have made make it possible for me as an applicator to provide the best quality materials and customer service knowing that they will hold up for years to come.

This is a photo of one of our recent full interior paint project in downtown Vancouver, it also included a custom metallic paint finish in the master bedroom and a custom Tadelakt pillar to match their existing Solus Stone Fireplace.

For this project the main goal was to repair the ceilings. There had been some major cracks cutting through in a straight line for sometime in this home after a major renovation. Now I know most people dread the thought of having to work above their head especially doing a Lime plaster finish. For me though its just another day at the office. I love ceilings, they have a feeling of a challenge like hiking a mountain or running in a marathon. You see when you start any venetian plaster finish their is no stopping you must complete the task. So if I am distressing a 300 square foot ceiling I have to complete it in that day. The beauty of this project was the creativity, I was able to come up with ideas like the rosettes, which added a great deal of architectural detail. I hope you enjoy the video.

Cheer’s

Darrell Morrison

If you would like to see the video in High Definition click this link
http://www.youtube.com/user/MorrisonDarrell

Welcome to my news letter. Inside you will find detailed information of my recent projects and favorite finishes. You can view it here

The features in this issue include

1. “Uniquely Daring” a subtle carrara marmorino feature wall

2. “Inspirational Thoughts” for you or your clients design ideas

3. Featured project “Diplomatic Immunity Clothing Inc. On South Granville, A classic white venetian plaster with a twist.

4. “The Grand Entrance” a full interior paint project in Tsawwassen including lots of wood finishing and wood graining a lost art.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think??

This is one of our current projects on the go located in the new district of south surrey, both bathrooms will be completed with Carrara Marmorino completion date is the 21st of September check back for the completed photos.

******* Update this is the finished shot of the master bathroom***** a dark grey finish with a hint of brown.


Contact

Office:: 604.628.7855 | Direct:: 604.779.4233 | 9am to 5pm Monday – Saturday

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