Creative Techniques

Create hundreds of effects with Venetian Plaster - Page 1 of 2

You can do just about anything on a wall with Venetian Plaster, Lime Paint, sealers and pigments. The possibilities are endless. Lime based coating can be perfect in both a traditional setting and the most contemporary home. Venetian Plaster is intrinsically resistant to going out of style. That is, most faux finishes start to looks worse as they age, while Venetian Plaster actually has a tendency to look better as it grows older.

You can create hundreds of different effects with Venetian Plaster: from classic and refined, to more contemporary and whimsical. On large areas, you don't want to over-do it with colors and techniques. Remember that some of the best techniques are the simplest ones that will have a classic look forever. Venetian Plaster is sufficiently beautiful by itself applied in a single color without any extras, but if you want more interest and variation, following are a few suggestions. Please contact us if you would like information on upcoming classes.

13 of the Many Marmorino Venetian Plaster Application Possibilities:

Apply two coats of the same color.
Apply two coats of different colors. The second coat can be applied leaving patches to reveal the first coat.
Apply three coats of different colors, each applied to reveal some of the coat underneath.
Apply two coats of the same color, but on the second coat, you can take a different color and add highlights. For example, your second coat is yellow. When applying the second coat, put some brown on your "hawk" or mud pan, and trowel the color into the second coat. You can do this separately, or simultaneously put brown and yellow on your trowel. You can do this mixing of colors with as many colors as you like. When doing this; don't get the plaster too thick unless you want a look with minor cracks. You need only a very small amount of product on a trowel to do these highlights.
Stencil a third coat of the same or different colors. You can use paper or plastic stencils. You can stencil on multiple layers to give a more complex pattern. When dried, take some sand paper and sand the edges of your stencil. This way, it won't look like a stencil, but more like carved stone.
Scrafito is the process of removing the second layer from the first to reveal designs. Essentially, it is reverse stenciling. Cut a stencil out from a piece of paper. Put it on the second layer while still damp, and lightly brush, blow on or pat with a talcum bag where the stencil is. Remove the stencil and you'll have an outline of your design. Next, take an instrument like a pointed butter knife or a sharp clay-modeling tool, and cut out the areas where you just applied the chalk. Careful here. When you applied the second coat, you rewetted the first, making it soft. When cutting, be gentle.
Using a Dremel (an electric carving machine), you can carve out the first layer to reveal the second.
Apply Lime Paint with a single color, multiple colors, multiple layers, ragging effects, or sponging. You can wait as each layer dries, or do wet on wet.
Paint a decorative design around a border. You can make a mural with lime paint as well. Or try using oil based or acrylic paints. Check out more ideas in our for artists section. If painting a border, use a stencil and talcum powder. Don't use a pencil or charcoal to draw in the design. Lime painting should be done when the plaster is dry.
Apply Veneziano Venetian Plaster as the third coat on top of Marmorino. This will smooth out the Marmorino while revealing the ridges.
For sealers check out the sealers application section. You can use various sealers, natural and unnatural, to create many different types of effects and colors. For example, black natural sealer or wax on top of red Marmorino, or dark brown on top of yellow Marmorino. Or green over blue, or yellow over green … you get the idea. Our Natural Olive Oil Sealer is great by itself. It is wise to first seal the area with an untinted version of the sealer, then the tinted version over that. This way the plaster doesn't immediately absorb the dark color everywhere.
Imprint objects on wet Marmorino, like leaves, cat paw prints, or whatever you like.
Gold, silver or copper leafing is called gilding. Don't use gold paint for this; it looks cheap. Gilding is very easy. Get some leafing, Gold or Gilding Size (oil based glue) and paint in the areas you want to cover in metal leaf. Wait until the glue is slightly tacky (this can take a while depending on the type of glue you use), and then gently adhere the leaf to the area. Let it dry and brush off the excess leaf. Don't use aluminum leaf; the lime in the plaster will turn it black and dissolve most of it (unless you want this look). Gold leaf on white Marmorino can look very classy. Check out www.sinopia.com for the best gilding materials.

You can use gilding, scrafito , stenciling and sealers in combination to create virtually infinite different effects.

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