Venetian Plaster General Building and Construction Discuss Venetian Plaster in the General forums; We are nearing the end of our house renovation project, and I think one of the best decisions we made ...

[james]

We are nearing the end of our house renovation project, and I think one of the best decisions we made was using real venetian plaster. We found an importer for Baldini Vernici (Lucca) located in Chicago, and they ship tubs via UPS Ground. We've done the whole house.

Basically, it goes on a pretty smooth, primed wall in two thin coats, with light sanding after the first coat. Then, a second sanding to get out the bumps and to smooth the corners -- then the fun part. A very physical effort to burnish the surface with a metal trowel. Lots and lots of rubbing. Finally a couple of coats of wax.

What a thrill. It's like bringing back a little bit of Italy into our house.

I can get you more details on the importer, costs, coverage, color mixing, etc. -- but definitely we have had a positive experience.

Pricey, but not crazy.

We used a painting contractor with a little experience doing faux finishes, and he and his crew learned on the job. Each room got a little better. Two big thumbs up.

James

[gjbingham]

James,
I'd love to see some pics of the work you had done. Perhaps a fresco on a wall would finish it. Did you ever read/see "Under the Tuscan Sun"? What a super way to accent one special room. You've lived in Italy. I think you understand.