Marmorino Application

The most widely used and versatile plaster - Page 3 of 6

Means of application/tools:
There are two ways to hold the plaster when troweling, either with a hawk (a square foot of metal with a handle at the bottom) or with a mud pan (an elongated metal container). The hawk requires a trowel or spatula and the mud pan requires a spatula (or mud/plaster knife). The trowel is really the best way to go for Mormorino. Spatulas are more for Veneziano Plaster. (In Veneziano application you say the trowel is preferred?)

The trowel should be stainless steel and have slightly rounded corners. This is because stainless steel won't rust and leave rust lines in the plaster. If it isn't stainless steel, be very sure to dry the trowel when it is not in use. There are trowels with rounded corners specifically manufactured for Venetian Plaster. Or you can go to almost any hardware store and purchase a trowel and sand down the edges. The reason for this is that if you have sharp edges, the trowel can leave distinct lines on the plaster. Hawks and mud pans can be bought at most hardware stores.

When troweling, if the trowel or spatula are consistently leaving unwanted lines in the plaster, make sure there's nothing stuck on the trowel and if it persists, the metal might be dinged, scratched or have corners that are not smooth. In these cases, sand the edge of you trowel/spatula.

After extensive use of the trowel or spatula, the edges can become razor sharp. Be very careful handing the tools. Always be sure to thoroughly clean all your tools to prevent rust and dried plaster chunks from getting into your walls.

See tools for a fine selection of trowels, spatulas, etc.

Plastering/application:
Before you start, make sure you're all masked off and the tape is adhering to the walls/trim. Make sure you have the appropriate equipment including trowels, small spatulas (or something that will get into hard to reach areas), latex gloves (a box), rags, goggles, and a spray bottle of water. You don't want to stop in the middle of a wall to look for equipment and let it dry out before you finish.

Minimum application is two coats
The first layer can determine the bumps and ridges of the second layer. Also, the color of the first layer can show through the second if the second coat is applied very thin, or if patches of the first coat are left unplastered, or if skim coats of Veneziano are the second coat, or if lime paint is the second coat. Needless to say, there are many variations in application. Be sure to read the creative techniques.

The greatest difficulty most people seem to have when starting out is getting the plaster off their hawk and onto their trowel. Frankly, this seems to me the hardest part of the whole affair. Take the edge of the trowel, pinch a small part off the lump of plaster sitting on the hawk scraping against the hawk and take it off. That's it. Don't try to take it off the top or lightly from the edge. Again, scrape it off the hawk. Don't overload your trowel or material will fall off. The plaster will stick better to the trowel once it has some plaster on it. If the trowel is wet, the plaster can slide off.

Always plaster walls from the top to bottom. There are essentially two ways of plastering: in random diagonal cross-hatched or criss-cross vertical and horizontal strokes. The finished product should look natural, something that did not require artificial means of application, in other words: without trowel marks. Sometimes, a special technique might call for just the opposite. Although some of the samples and projects in our gallery look very thick and textured, they are usually not. The finished product for Mormorino is actually only 1/8" to 1/4" thick. It's thinner than one would think, so don't apply it over ¼" thick. This might cause cracking.

One gallon covers approximately 35-65 square feet. Remember, you need at least two coats. It should be mixed a day prior to application, or at least 5 hours before. Otherwise the plaster will be too watery to easily trowel on. This is because lime is thixotropic, meaning it gets thinner as it is agitated. This applies to overworking it on the hawk too.

For coloring untinted plaster, use natural pigments. These are guaranteed to uphold their color against the causticity of lime and they look far better than synthetic paint store tints.

MARMORINO APPLICATION CONTINUED
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