A beautiful barrel ceiling in Classic Venetian Plaster .This project required us to level the substrate before we could proceed with the installation. We use old school plastering techniques and anti-fracture membranes to create a solid substrate . We plastered the sconces with the venetian plaster as well. The end result is a seamless finish from edge to edge meeting the moulding on a perfect corner.
Here you can see some the elements we removed in order to streamline the design for the architects. We removed the rounded corners and pop outs above the doors.
The process, the projects, the finished product: This is an inside look into how I create my Venetian plasterprojects, 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.
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.
So, maybe you’re wondering: What is “silver leaf”? How does it get applied? And what are “gilding” and “size”? While I won’t be giving you any of my trade secrets that make me so good at what I do, I’m sure you’ll learn a few useful tips in this video.
The technique of “gilding”, or applying silver or gold leaf to objects, walls, and wood, has been used since the time of Ancient Rome, more than 2,500 years. Today, it’s used both to create a modern design feel or to bring the “old world” home again.
Have you ever used silver leaf or had an artisan work with it on one of your projects? Let me know about your experience with what I think is a classy, hand-crafted finish that never gets old.
Here, watch me apply a few leaves, then remove the excess. Keep an eye on the technique.
Here’s a teaser video of my current project — some of the Venetian plaster we’ve completed so far in this home, using distressed red & orange Intonachino, with a raw umber glaze that I finished off with a highly-polished wax.
This clip shows you some of the fine details featured in my Venetian plaster style. In this architectural space, it was all about “Tuscan”.
To get that classic feel, we used Stucco Italiano, Intonachino, and Tadelakt. We’re industry specialists in these authentic lime plaster finishes, and I feel this video shows you exactly why. Enjoy!
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.
This video briefly talks about sealing a lime plaster in a kitchen to prevent water and oil stains. The photos below show the look of the Venetian plaster after the sealer has dried.
