Vasari

Archive for September 26th, 2007

• September 26th, 2007

Burnishing Venetian Plaster is probably the most important step of your job. There are few ways to burnish. With Veneziano, on the second coat, when you apply a thin tight layer, it sucks up and almost dries immediately, right after put on another coat in the same fashion. This layer doesn’t dry so fast. When it’s not tacky wet, which should be soon, take your clean trowel and at a 5 degree (or so) and go over the ready spot with some moderate force like your ironing a shirt, except at an angle. AGAIN, BURNISHING IS LIKE IRONING CLOTHES EXCEPT AT AN ANGLE. If this doesn’t polish out, do a third super thin layer (not a third coat, just a third pass on the second coat), then burnish. It is always done to some degree or another. Burnishing ensures that you have sheen and variation on the wall. You can burnish (especially Veneziano) to a high glass like sheen or very subtle pockets of sheen and color variation. Marmorino, the sandy ‘rougher’ plaster also needs burnishing for the variation and some smoothness. Sand sponging Marmorino is a must to get all the color variation. Marmorino can get shiny but not like Veneziano.

Burnishing is not only necessary to get bang for your buck but also to compact the plaster and make it literally harder and more durable. Also, the more a spot is burnished, the more resistant it becomes to absorbing things like Lime Wash and wax. Since the pores of the plaster become tighter, it rejects the wax and alike and the rougher left alone areas pick up the superficial layers better. When burnishing, make sure, really really sure that your trowel is clean and has no nicks, otherwise your going to get scratches which are generally bad, although it’s amazing how many jobs look like a mess because nobody takes care of their trowel. If you forget and you do get a scratch, take a little plaster and go over it and burnish again.

The most popular form of Veneziano, and quite possibly of Venetian Plaster, is what we call ‘unburnished’ Veneziano. This is when on the second coat (as there is always one), instead of doing successive tight coats then evenly burnishing everything, instead, you plaster a single tight coat (on the second coat), then immediately afterwards plaster a slightly thicker fluffier layer, but not full coverage. When this starts to turn into a clay like consistency (it’s drying, not dry, but not wet) you can give it single light stroke of burnish from your trowel. When it is completely dry the next day, take a worn sanding sponge, which we can provide, and sand the wall. You’ll notice that the thinnest places of application and the areas which were lightly burnished will ‘pop’ the most with color and sheen. Lastly, to get a high shine, you can spray a little water on the wall and burnish (don’t let it streak down the wall), you can buff out the wall when dry with a #0000 steel wool, if you’re looking for complete flatness, do 3 (instead of 2) coats burnishing only the last one, or if all else fails, you can wax it with our beeswax (clear for no color).

Venetian Plaster comes in any sheen or texture giving any possibility to your customer or yourself.

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