Venetian Plaster: Your Guide to Sophisticated and Subtle Wall Plaster Finishes
Venetian plaster finishes are aesthetically pleasing and polished to a mirror sheen.
Venetian Stucco adds a Textured Design Finish
Venetian plaster is a combination of marble, lime putty & water, and is sometimes referred to as stucco or lime plaster. When applied to walls, the water evaporates, leaving a beautiful limestone finish. Limestone is smooth & hard to the touch, yet has a gently mottled, soft, visual sheen.
Venetian polished plaster walls capture the impression of “movement” that is created when the plaster is applied.
It can be used to replicate ancient patinas or create entirely contemporary looks.
Modern Condo
Modern Foyer
Venetian Plaster with Bold Colours & High Gloss Finish
Venetian Plaster contains finely ground marble and aged slaked lime. A classic Venetian Plaster Finish is durable with a decorative and natural look containing fine grades of marble. After Venetian plastering and polishing it produces a smooth marble-like surface and can be colored in a wide range of tones such as orange, green, yellow, black, blue, brown, grey, beige and white. Marmorino Venetian Plasters are the most requested plaster finishes. Marmorino Venetian Polished Plaster is one of the finest plasters, common in Venice during its splendour years. The very smooth surface, like that of marble, where it derives its name “marmo”, meaning marble in Italian. It is sometimes called Italian Venetian Plaster, Italian Stucco or Venetian Marmorino Plaster.
Marmorino Classic & Lucido Grassello Venetian Plaster
Marmorino Classic & Lucido Grassello (Brand Name: Super Lucido) offers high sheen and mirror finishes with colours so rich they scream luxury. This is usually associated with the term Venetian plaster. It is Lime based Grassello with a high sheen and mirror potential finish.
Technical Tip
The finely filtered slaked lime offers a complete range of grain sizes, suitable for any decorative project. The fine grains lend themselves to a mirror finish when polished to create inspiring, beautiful and stylish ambiences. Venetian plaster walls and ceilings are also incredibly durable and easy to care for.
Marmorino Carrara & Duetto Venetian Plaster
“Marmorino” is recognized internationally as being one of the highest quality plasters on the marketplace today. The surface of the Marmorino finish is a polished plaster finish that is glossy and reflective with lots of depth while maintaining a smooth feel, with low VOC – making it the best venetian plaster brand.
Marmorino Carrara Medium & Coarse are two plasters that are the embodiment of Italian traditional plasters utilized by the famed Italian architect Carlo Scarpa in the 70’s. They became synonymous with Istrian stone, a dense limestone. They are quickly becoming one of the most popular finishing plasters here in North America.
Marmorino Carrara is a lighter alternative veneer used often on walls, columns and architectural features, creating a hard honed stone effect with subtle striations and reflective crystalline specks that diffuse the light. It has of course, all of the typical antiseptic qualities that are characteristic with decorative lime coatings.
Marmorino Duetto is an eco-friendly, trowel-applied, medium/fine mixed grain wall coating, obtained from natural slaked-lime calcinated in wood-fire kilns. A selection of mixed marble powders are added. Suitable for indoor application, it has a nicely textured semi-matt finish.
PROTEK offers Marmorino Venetian Plaster products, supplies, trowels & access to applicators.
Venetian Plaster Can Really Give a Feeling of Serenity, Peace & Elegance
Venetian plaster differs from other decorative lime plasters because it does not contain coarse grains, which give other plasters more the thickness and texture. Venetian plaster materials are light, thin layers that are almost translucent in nature. It has an inherit warmth and lightness reflecting light.
Venetian plaster is a durable, aesthetic finish used in ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greece. The finish is very soft and natural, with the layers giving depth and movement.
Venetian Plaster – Where It Can Be Used
Venetian Plaster textures are especially appreciated for their aesthetic effects. Its unique appearance is especially enhanced under good lighting. It is used in sophisticated environments, such as reception areas, offices, and residences.
The Venetian Polished Plaster finish is smooth with a variable degree of sheen depending on how much it has been burnished. Carrara Venetian Plaster can be very smooth and satiny. Pleasant light and shade effects, owing to its visible workmanship gives it a sense of depth. Its principal characteristics are hardness and durability.
Unlike marble, Venetian Plaster applications generally have a single soft colour with small shadings. It is highly appreciated for its aesthetic effect, unique when properly lit.
Venetian Plaster walls breath naturally, given that they are made from limestone and have a VOC close to zero.
This ability to breath makes them resistant to bacteria and mold.
Being eco-friendly helps them to gain popularity in today’s construction environment, even for venetian plaster kitchens and backsplashs.
Venetian Plaster for Bathrooms
It is also suitable for use in bathrooms, where it is used as an alternative to marble and ceramic.
Combining natural light with lime plaster is exhilarating because it gives the effect of light coming from within the plaster and hovering from above.
Overall, a feeling of lightness is added to the space that is warm and inviting.
Adding colour to this moment of light can really tie a Venetian Plaster interior look together.
Venetian Plaster for Fireplaces
Venetian Plaster walls near a fireplace requires a professional application with specific components to manage the heat transfer.
Acrylic Venetian Plaster
Acrylic Venetian Plaster is manufactured by Protek as a version of Italian polished plaster. This truly remarkable look is created by overlapping thin layers of the paste with a spatula or trowel and then burnishing the finish to a marble-like sheen. This process is labour intensive but when done correctly it is well worth the effort, producing a look with no equal. Acrylic makes the application process easier than lime plaster.
Acrylic Venetian Plaster can be used in all commercial and residential applications and is normally finished with a wax for added beauty and wash-ability.
Polishing for that Venetian Marble Look
Once you are satisfied with your application on the wall, one can burnish Acrylic Venetian Plaster with the trowel or spatula to achieve a high lustre. Slightly diluting the final coat will give a more decorative translucent look.
- More distinctive looks can be achieved by tinting the product into two or more colors.
- To make the product waterproof, apply a coat of burnishing clear wax by spatula and then polish for maximum sheen and burnish again to give the true plaster feel of polished marble.
- Alternatively, one can apply a coat of peral topcoat wax for a lustrous reflective effect. No burnishing is required and the product is immediately washable.
Venetian Plaster FAQs
Is Venetian Plaster outdated?
Venetian plaster finishes are one of the most sought after design styles at the moment. It is considered a contemporary design style, even though it has been around for 1,000’s of years.
Is Venetian Plaster waterproof?
Only when waxed properly to seal the plaster.
What is Venetian Plaster used for?
Decorating walls by defusing the light while adding texture, bold colours and glossy finish or sheen. It is often said that Venetian Plaster adds movement to the surface, mostly to walls.
Can Venetian Plaster go over drywall?
This requires a skilled applicator and proper preparation.
What is the difference between Plaster and Venetian Plaster?
Plaster is a generic term meaning it could be ‘artificial’ while Venetian plaster is a 100% natural product.
What Does Venetian Plaster Look Like?
People compare it to marble because is has a very shiny finish like marble.
Is Venetian Plaster expensive?
The cost can vary, but between 15 and 28 dollars a square foot is reasonable.
How To Paint Over Venetian Plaster?
You cannot paint over Venetian lime-based Plaster because the protective wax prevents adhesion. However, this can be done with certain Acrylic Venetian Plasters.