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!
It’s a good thing you hire me to do finish and not videos, because this one took me a year to make! What can I tell you? I’ve had spaces to make beautiful, but I finally found some time to share this one with you.
I’m pretty proud of this Tadelakt fireplace I completed last summer, so I’m glad I’ve finally got the video to post for you, including closeups, so you really get a good look at my work.
So, you ask why Tadelakt lime plaster was my first choice for this project?
This is a good lesson in why the material’s such an important consideration. You need to know the end look you want and what combination of products to use to get there. It’s tricky, and it’s why you need artisans who know their stuff but also know the kind of use it’s going to get, so both look-appropriate and wear-appropriate products are used.
All I can tell you is, out of all the styles of Venetian plaster I keep in my arsenal, it’s Tadelakt lime that brings the smooth, silky, and finely-honed “stone” appearance that makes it MY number-one choice for restoring a fireplace.
Personally, I also think it takes the mother-of-pearl finish the best, since it’s all about the smoothness of the finish.
It’s also really tough, so, Tadelakt really rocks in high-traffic, high-use areas like the fireplace.
I hope the film gives you that feeling, too, and gives you a good look at the detail I’m so proud of.
Cheers
Darrell Morrison
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
The last few months, I’ve been working on a Tuscan lime plaster interior in a beautiful custom home tucked away in Burnaby.
I’ve gotta say, the architecture blows me away. It’s my first plaster project in the area, and the home definitely ranks in the top 5 fave homes I’ve worked on. With curved walls, dominant archways, stunning distressed-wood doors, what didn’t I love?
I was brought in to install a 4,000 square-foot Venetian Plaster effect. I’m nearing the 70% completion mark. Things will move along really quickly in the next few weeks, though.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on.
The materials of choice this time are Stucco Italiano and Intonachino lime plaster.
I choose to seal my Venetian plaster projects with penetrating sealer. This helps to repel moisture and oil. If you’re getting a great finish, shouldn’t it be protected for you to enjoy for decades? Yeah, I think so too.
Once the sealer dries, I’ll go over it with golden heavy-bodied glaze tinted to a light raw umber.
If I don’t do this overglazing step, the Tuscan plaster style looks too new and fresh — like the photo on the top left shows.
While I believe in sealing all my plaster, it’s really necessary if glazing Tuscan lime plaster. Why? It’s thirsty like you wouldn’t believe. If it’s not sealed before glazing, a catastrophe can happen. The raw umber glaze would stain the surface beyond repair — blotchy and horrible. The wall would need redoing from start to finish, and who wants that? I’ll get it right the first time.
This is also where being super-prepared before getting started means everything. If that glaze hits an unsealed wall next to the project, it could be a domino effect of colour catastrophes, so care always needs to be taken.
Check out these snapshots of some of last week’s great work. Catch you next time.
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.
In this renovation, the homeowner knew exactly what he wanted: A great living space with a lot of detail.
I’m not kidding, he left no corner out. Now that’s my kind of attention to detail!
I was commissioned to turn this doorway from “BLAH!” to “WOW!”
To do that, I chose to use Intonachino. I kicked it off with tinting the materials to a light orange/tan, using three colours to mix it from scratch: Raw Sienna, Red Oxide and Raw Umber (but the links are not the actual brands of the materials I use to tint my plaster; just great information pages for you to check out).
After, the finish was left to sit and cure for a few days before I returned to apply the all-important penetrating sealant before doing a beautiful raw umber glaze.
What do you think about this kind of finish?
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.
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