Category: feature

Tadelakt A Shower To Dream Of In Venetian Lime Plaster

By on May 28, 2011 in Architectural Wall Finishes, Bathrooms, blog, feature, home, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster, Plaster Showers, Polished Plaster, Tadelakt, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver

If you know me, you know I’m a busy guy. It’s work, work, work, these days, and when it’s not about work, it’s about time with my wife, my girl, and the pups.

Needless to say, like most of us, I seldom get to do the projects around the home that I dream of doing.

That all changed in the last month, because not only did I finally get to do a bit of home reno that my family gets to enjoy, but I also got to try something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time — a heavy-duty Italian venetian plaster treatment to a bathroom shower stall.

This work was done in our main-floor bathroom, which had been wanting TLC for a while.

Doing any project for the first time, especially when it’s a bathroom, can make it hard to estimate all the work involved, so getting a chance to explore the process on my own time was great.

It was a major project by the time I finished, as you can tell by the end results, but what did it take to get there?

Here’s how the Home Shower Venetian Plaster Project evolved, start to finish.

This ’70s bathroom came with tons of cedar, which all had to come down. Luckily, it was installed by someone who didn’t make much effort to do it right, so only a couple nails in each board ensured they popped right off. Removing the shoddy work made investing time in improving the room that much more satisfying.

The first thing I wanted to do was move the shower-head up by about two feet. No one wants to crouch for a shower.

Before now, I never had the need, or an opportunity, to work with copper. I decided I’d take a kick at the copper can instead of calling a plumber, and working with the pipes was easier than I expected. I might do the odd fix-it job here and there now, but I’d certainly never do my whole place.

Next, I installed plywood. I’m sure some of you building guys out there are wondering “why not concrete board instead of plywood?”

It’s a preference, really. I find plywood’s just easier to work with, and it comes in big old 4×8-foot sheets, making for less cutting in some situations, but, most importantly, I find plywood’s a big help when it comes to installing lath. (Shown later.)

Next up was installing the water-proof membrane. Obviously a quality project is needed for a shower, and I used a local company’s product, called, “SuperSeal” you can learn more about it here.

Continue Reading..

Wood Staining And Finishing

By on May 3, 2011 in blog, feature, home, Wood Staining & Clear Coating

I’ve written before about my love for wood staining. In a world of laminate from Ikea and pre-finished wood from Home Depot, we forget that wood staining isn’t just a dramatic statement, it’s a real artform, but it’s dying out.

We’re doing our part to keep it alive.

I’ve been lucky to work on this home’s extensive staining project over the last few years. The architectural detail and craftsmanship in the woodwork is fantastic, and my job as the wood staining expert is to not only ensure I’ve got colour matching throughout all the areas, but also to make sure the wood grain doesn’t get lost in coverage.Other things I’ve had to watch for has been dripping and even making sure finish on all the surfaces offers a similar shine. When you’re talking this much surface area, that takes a lot of attention to detail.

Staining is always a labour of love but there’s nothing better to do for good quality woods. With mass-produced MDF and laminate everywhere, what little great woodwork we have should be stained, and not painted.

Today’s enviro-friendly stains are durable and good for Mother Earth. I only use Earth-friendly products, and I stand behind them. If I can’t work with a stain at home around my family, I wouldn’t put it in your home.

Quality staining and clear-coating can last for decades if done right. So, we do it right, but with Earth-friendly products.

We’re not just plaster-and-paint guys, we’re the guys you call for great wood treatments that will last for ages, whether it’s staining or clear-coating existing finishes. We’ll do woodwork all over the Lower Mainland, so keep us in mind if you have a project (big or small) you’re thinking of, or if a friend’s 1930 fireplace mantel needs rescuing.

Venetian Plaster Project Walk Through Video

By on April 3, 2011 in Architectural Wall Finishes, blog, feature, Full Interior Projects, home, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Full Interiors, Venetian Plaster Vancouver, video

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.

Sather residence Banff Italian Lime Plaster Interior

By on January 21, 2011 in Architectural Wall Finishes, blog, feature, Full Interior Projects, home, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver

Another week has come and gone, and I’m a week behind on my blogging — with pretty good reason, too!

My crew has been working really long days and straight through their weekends in order to keep up with production on the house, since the trades are all making huge advances these days, and there are a lot of pictures to prove it.

If this is the first time you’re dropping in to looking at this project, I’d suggest going back to the beginning of this amazing Rocky Mountains Italian lime Venetian plaster project in Banff, right here.

I’ve been loving the level of work from everyone involved in this project. Get a load of this amazing buffalo design in the stone flooring, at the main entrance.

It’s almost like a giant puzzle, isn’t it? I bet there’s a lot of people who’d love to put a puzzle this size together, but I sure wouldn’t. The precision needed to lay this tile is a pretty rare skill, even at this level of the game.

Talk about a mistake getting set in stone… Not for me, thanks. I’ll leave that to the pros.

Here’s another look at the stone buffalo, from the second floor.

A little trivia for you: Did you know that Alberta’s home to one of the two last continually wild North American buffalo herds?

After the Venetian plaster finish on the kitchen ceiling got polished off, other teams got to put the beams up. I’m loving the look and the contrast of the smooth wood against the rustic lightly-pitted plaster, but can’t wait to see it stained.

Another shipment of material showed up this week, which meant more walking up hills and stairs covered in snow, hauling plaster supplies.

Ahh, the boring world of drywall… but progress here means moving on to what we love, the plastering.

Details are critical with a masterful build like this one, where everyone’s brought their A++ game. Here’s Kelvin getting all those reveals smooth and level. It’s looking great, and we know he’ll keep it up.

The beams in the master bathroom are installed now, getting closer to a  finished look.

The outside of this place is getting just as much detail work as in the inside. Here are some shots of the exterior. Now this is some serious craftsmanship going on here.

Here’s one of my favourite areas of the whole build: the back patio, with its massive fireplace.

Can you imagine summer nights, friends, wine, a fire crackling, and those towering evergreens all around?

All work and no play makes Darrell and the boys unhappy. I’m no dummy, we can’t have that! No trip, not even a work one, to Banff, Alberta, is complete without hitting the local slopes. Here’s us, off to Sunshine Village for a little powder action.

Sometimes accidents happen… Would you believe a darn tree just jumped right out at me? 🙂

Thanks for sticking around as my epic work adventure continues.

Stay tuned for more soon!

Cheers,
Darrell Morrison

Venetian Plaster Interior — Banff: Phase 2

By on January 10, 2011 in Architectural Wall Finishes, blog, Decorative Finishes, feature, Full Interior Projects, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver

It’s great to be back in Banff!

The progress from other trades has been awesome! I’ve come back to see the millwork going up on our lime plaster ceilings in the dining room, and the drywall’s being installed throughout the home.

With such a positive start for the new year, we’ll have a super-productive month.

Having lost some time to travel early this week, we’ll be working straight through the weekend. We’ll be focusing on the kitchen, which means Venetian plastering the ceilings so we can finally take on the walls.

After arriving in town, we spent the week preparing all these areas for the next seven days of work. That meant we had to prime all the walls and ceilings, and float some walls to get them perfect and level so they’ll the right canvas for our work.

Old-school methods like floating walls don’t get a lot of talk on the home reno shows on TV, but they can really make the difference in the level of craftsmanship seen in work like ours.

Remember, we’re working with natural products like wood, and one warped 2×4 can mean a world of trouble for more than one trade on a job like this. Using today’s tools and yesterday’s know-how, our finishing techniques transform trouble spots that could make an elaborate plastering job like this seem less than perfect.

Sometimes, it’s what you don’t see at the end of the job that makes the difference between good work and great work.

Here’s the dining room. I can’t wait to see this room get further along!

The design is just amazing, and look at all the windows. I’m in love with the look of this space and keep trying to imagine the final result. With all the lines, the angles, the textures, the light, I know it will be stunning.

Below is a detailed shot of the first floor’s drop ceiling.

The architecture here blows me away, I can’t get enough of it! It demands that we spend way more time on the finishing work, sure, and our necks and shoulders are cramping up with the strain and effort it takes, but that’s the way it goes.

It’s honestly a privilege to work on such a high level of craftsmanship, in such an amazing natural setting, and if it takes an ice bag or two, that’s okay.

These ceilings are something else, aren’t they?

I think the slight sheen and subtle rustic texture bounce the light nicely while adding lots of character. What about you? Can you see this in a space for your project?

Can you imagine enjoying an Irish coffee, reading a mystery book, and the glow of a roaring fire casting shadows on this pitted ceiling? If you’re a designer, would your clients enjoy this?

Here’s a ceiling shot taken before the drywall was installed. You can really see the jagged edges and the revealed planks underneath.

Our work is literally cut out for us!

This is the biggest wall in the house, area-wise — and the tallest. We have an amazing design happening for this, which is carved in, with half-inch reveals. You don’t get to see how cool it looks until next week’s blog posting, though.

If you’re enjoying Week One of the exciting second phase of this big project in Banff, Alberta, then stick around for more excitement — now that almost all the prepping is done, you can expect to see change happening quickly and dramatically.

Stay tuned!

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2011,
Darrell Morrison

Grandview Business Center, Venetian Plaster Interior

By on December 2, 2010 in Architectural Wall Finishes, Bathrooms, blog, feature, Full Interior Projects, home, Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver


Guess what I’ve always dreamed of scratching off my bucket-list? Plastering a high-end commercial building.

Soon, I’ll be scratching it off! (Or I can change the bucket list to “super-big high-end commercial building,” maybe. Then, after that, add “downtown”.)

Starting April, 2011, I’ll be starting an amazing adventure with my team as we begin a massive lime plastering project in the Grandview Business Centre in South Surrey, BC.

It’s a great building, an important part of the new “Morgan Crossing” district, which is an area that has just exploded over the last two years.

The mall, The Shops At Morgan Crossing, has great businesses like the Steve Nash Sports Club and a favourite of mine, because we all love a good wine: the “Everything Wine Store”.

Located so close to the mall, the Business Centre’s a great location for professionals looking to be accessible and convenient for clients.

All right, let’s talk project details.

The Builder Double V Construction will be creating the blank canvas for this amazing project.

We’ll be putting lime plaster in all the common spaces (including lobbies, corridors, and washrooms) on the Morgan Crossing Business Centre’s 1st, 3rd, and 4th floors.

We’ve chosen the palette already.

The corridors will be a slightly polished sandy/cream-coloured lime plaster with subtle pitting and black flecks.

Washrooms will be treated with a cement-based plaster that incorporates subtle pitting, almost like a honed travertine, but seamless and free of any joints.

The lobby ceiling will have a shiny finish that resembles the look of polished marble.

I can’t wait to see so much of my work in one place. A lot of what I work on is in private homes, but this will be a project that I can “visit” for years to come — and close to home, too.

Stay tuned while I prepare for this awesome undertaking, because I plan to share the journey with you by blogging the process in words and video while things come to life.

Cheers,

Darrell Morrison

Venetian Plaster Interior Banff, Alberta Week 1

By on November 19, 2010 in Architectural Wall Finishes, blog, Carrara Marmorino, Decorative Finishes, feature, home, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Intonachino Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Tadelakt, Tadelakt full interiors, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver

I remember my parents telling me their stories about how hard life was “back in the day,” when they’d have to slog through heavy snow, up snowy hills, all while braving the freezing weather. Now that I’m working in Banff, I can finally tell my daughter the same kinds of stories.

Except that my stories will involve my struggles this week — hauling some 2,650 pounds of Italian lime plaster up a snowy, icy hill, down some stairs to the lower level’s entrance, and all in chilly -14 degrees Celsius weather.

Yep, just another wintery day’s work in Banff, Alberta.

Laying down the base coat

There’s a reason they call short people “vertically challenged,” and my work in Venetian plaster and the constant need to do ceiling treatments means I’m proof of the “challenged” part.

Ladder, please!

I often need a little extra height, and that perfect height still means a world of work but a lot less pain!


Living and working in one of the mildest climates in Canada means I’ve never experienced the difficulties of building in high-altitude severe winter climate like that found here in Banff.

I’m enjoying seeing how different practices are needed for success here, and I’m super-impressed with how the builder deals with nature’s wrath, tenting exterior areas so the work on the home’s landscaping can continue throughout the season.


This is the exciting part, for me! Just last week, the main floor had barely any drywall hung. That was then and this is now! The build team has really pulled together, everyone’s always on the move, and they’re working as a team to get ‘er done. There’s a lot of good nature on the build site, with everyone being very friendly and communicating clearly, all things that are very important to me in a work environment.

It feels wrong to post without sharing another photo of the area. Here’s the town as we head to our lodgings after a day at the job site.

Banff is such a lovely place. I have so much more of it to experience while I’m here, and that’s really exciting. It’s not just a mountain town, it’s a winter wonderland, and it’s feeling like an epic journey’s just getting started. Thanks for following the experience!

Cheers,

Darrell Morrison

This Week’s Banff Trivia:

 

Geologists report that the Rocky Mountains that make up Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old. In just the national park alone, one can find more than 1,000 glaciers — but only if they wear really, really rugged hiking boots!

Massive Tadelakt Fireplace Resurfacing

By on October 5, 2010 in Architectural Wall Finishes, blog, Custom Fire Places, Decorative Finishes, feature, home, Lime Plaster, Polished Plaster, Tadelakt, Tadelakt full interiors, Textured Plaster, Venetian Plaster Vancouver

Now you’ll see I don’t exaggerate. I said this Tadelakt fireplace was massive? It was HUGE!

Stretching 16 feet across and with a towering peak of 11 feet, you can see why such a dominant feature made nailing the perfect colour the most important step in planning. But, hey, it’s always about “the perfect colour”.

Remember, I’ll always be happy to mix tints as often as it’s needed to make sure it’s a colour you’ll love living with well into the future.

Back to the massive fireplace: When you take a built-in entertainment centre/room feature and want to turn it into something bold and grand, while still adding value to your home, natural lime-based Venetian plaster is definitely the way to go. Remember that, it’s not just a cosmetic change — it’s adding value with beauty.

But, here, take a look for yourself.

“After”:

“Before”:

Here’s the soon-to-be Tadelakt fireplace. Mean, green… and wow! Could be a show-stopper if it’s finished right… but that’s why they hired me, because my company only does it “right”.

Our first step was building up the mantle for added size and drama, by using a 16-foot piece of 2×6 and some crown moulding. Et voila! There’s some beautiful architectural detail.

After finished beefing-up the mantle and the build was done, it was
time to figure out the posts for the bulk of the Tadelakt fireplace
application. This transformation really took it to the next level of
super-cool, don’t you think?

Look closely. Do you see both the bulk and pure “flow” those legs added? We felt it gave exactly the character needed to make this fireplace a feature to envy in an already-upscale neighbourhood.

Next came the real treat — doing the actual Tadelakt lime-plaster application. That’s when I get to feel like we’re putting icing on a cake. This, though, was a tricky cake.

You know me, I love a challenge. Personally, this profile was like nothing I had ever Venetian-plastered before. The detail, curves, and
difficulty reminded me of a lonely country road on a winter’s morning — a great pleasure to be on, but taking it slowly and carefully would
be essential, while knowing that patience would be rewarded with beauty.

Do you see how I used an orange mesh for tying the pieces together? This step is a massive pain, and really not a fun part of the project, but when it comes to a curved profile and the added degree of artistic difficulty that comes with it, that grief is worth the effort just for the extra years of architectural integrity it gives the project. It’s like your mom always told you, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” That’s how I operate, too.



Now the project is complete and the space has taken on a whole new look. It’s no longer a built-in piece of drywall, but a long-lasting element for the room, and a focus of the home that can be built upon for years. This fireplace will surely remain a strong selling point for as long as the home stands, because we built it to last.

I’m glad you popped in for a look at my recent work. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Darrell.

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