Here’s me and the shower, no good pictures yet but Paul will send me some after he gets the bathroom cleaned up and I’ll post them.

Paul is also going to finish off the floor in the bathroom and the countertops, so it will be one of those nice seamless Tadelakt bathrooms.

For substrate we used a new product I have become very interested in.  It’s called Rubberize It and it’s a Zero VOC paint on rubber coating that seems to waterproof any surface it coats.  On their website they do a demonstration on the inside of a cardboard box which they completely waterproof with the rubberizer and then fill with water.  Pretty impressive.  Here’s a link to their website.  What surprised me when I ran some tests in the studio a couple of months ago was how well all of our material bonded to it.  I applied the Tadelakt directly over the coats of Rubberize It and our material bonds very strongly to it.  So theoretically, in a shower one could build the substrate out of almost anything (for example, plywood) and coat with Rubberize It and end up with a waterproof surface the Tadelakt will bond great to.  Seems like it should work.  Paul is one of the principals in the company so he gets to be guinea pig for a few months and then I am going to use it in my house for a Tadelakt shower as well.  I’ll keep you posted.

You can also use the material on exteriors, which is very interesting, and they seem to be doing a brisk business selling the coating for roofs, as well as koi ponds and other water garden features.

The Columbia gorge is such a beautiful area, go there if you can.  Here’s a couple of shots I took during our hike:

Nice, right?  We have a couple of spots left in our certification class next week, and there is also room in the one-day Tadelakt class.  I’ll be using my new find Rubberize It to prep all the Tadelakt boards.  I’ll post photos of that finished bathroom as soon as I get some.

]]> http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/venetian-plaster/working-weekend-tadelakt-installation/feed/ 1 http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/about-stucco-italiano/stucco-italiano-tadelakt-real-tadelakt/ http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/about-stucco-italiano/stucco-italiano-tadelakt-real-tadelakt/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:32:49 +0000 Aaron Cohen http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/?p=2087 I just got off the phone with one of our applicators who has used Moroccan Tadelakt many times in the past.  He trained in Morocco on it’s use.  He just finished a large steam room with Stucco Italiano Tadelakt and could not stop raving about how much he loved it.  It is a truly wonderful material.

This reminded me that I get asked fairly often if our Tadelakt is the “real” Tadelakt.  When people ask this they are usually asking if it comes from Morocco.  Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is manufactured in Italy.

In our humble opinion, ours is an improved version of Moroccan Tadelakt.  This is what our applicators are telling us as well.  Stucco Italiano Tadelakt looks the same as Moroccan Tadelakt, it has the same chemistry as Moroccan Tadelakt.  But due to the Italian refinement in the manufacturing process it is easier to polish and less likely to peel off when it is being polished.  On flat surfaces it can be brought up to the highest sheen with only a trowel – a stone is not necessary.  So it looks better more consistently and requires less labor.  Anything wrong with that?

Here’s the official statement from our website:

Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is manufactured in Italy by Giovanni Polistena.  Giovanni’s intentions in developing this Moroccan-style Tadelakt were to remain entirely faithful to the look, feel, and chemical makeup of the original Moroccan Tadelakt, while creating a more sophisticated, user-friendly product. Enlisting the help and guidance of Moroccan Tadelakt installers, Giovanni spent many months formulating the perfect blend of natural limes, clays, and sands.

Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is now preferred by many installers of  Moroccan Tadelakt for it’s beauty, ease of installation, and ability to resist delaminating/detaching from the surface as Moroccan Tadelakt often does in the hands of anyone but the most expert installers.  The results speak for themselves – Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is the equal to Moroccan Tadelakt in it’s look and durability, and superior in ease of application, price, and availability.…

We’re introducing a one-day seminar on our Tadelakt which will be held twice this year.  Class dates are September 20 and December 6th.  Hope to see you there.  Details below:

Tadelakt by Martin Mahoney, New York, NY

One day Tadelakt Workshop

This one-day class will introduce you to the basics for applying our Italian manufactured Moroccan-style Tadelakt product.

You will also learn about substrates and sealing Tadelakt, how to apply in showers and wet areas, and how to create high polished Tadelakt.

Our one-day Tadelakt workshop is held on day 2 as part of our 3-day Stucco Italiano Certification class.  The Tadelakt class may be taken as part of our certification course for $795, or it can be taken separately for $300.  Class dates September 20 and December 6th. Call 206.838.5888 for more info.

Tadelakt by Martin Mahoney, New York, NY

About our Tadelakt:

Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is manufactured in Italy by Goivanni Polistena.  Giovanni’s intentions in developing this Moroccan-style Tadelakt were to remain entirely faithful to the look, feel, and chemical makeup of the original Morroccan Tadelakt, while creating a more sophisticated, user-friendly product.  Enlisting the help and guidance of Moroccan Tadelakt installers, Giovanni spent many months formulating the perfect blend of natural limes, clays, and sands.  Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is now preferred by many installers of  Moroccan Tadelakt for it’s beauty, ease of installation, and to resist delaminating/detaching from the surface as Moroccan Tadelakt often does in the hands of anyone but the most expert installers.

The results speak for themselves – Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is the equal to Moroccan Tadelakt in it’s look and durability, and superior for ease of application, price, and availability.

Fortunately there are now full start-to-finish systems available that seem to be working great as a substrate for Tadelakt or even Marmorino Carrara or Intonachino.  Our applicators have had excellent success over the past 4-5 years with the Wedi board system which is a lightweight alternative to cement board and include a special panel fastener that seems much more reliable than simple screws, as well as a paintable urethane caulking system to ensure cracking does not occur at the joints.

Click here to get to the Wedi site.

During last week’s decorative cement class one of our students gave me a brochure from Schluter, another leader in the wet area substrate industry(thanks Tamara!).  They now have a relatively new system similar to Wedi called Kerdi-board.  And they have seminars around the country for interested contractors.  In our area there is one coming up in Lynwood, WA May 17th, Tacoma on May 18th, and Portland on May 19th.   I’ll be at either the Lynwood or Tacoma one for sure.  Here’s a link to the page listing Schluter seminars.

These seminars are free.  So you want to install an incredibly beautiful Tadelakt or other lime-plaster finish in a shower and not sure how to do the substrate?  Maybe quit calling me and go learn how to do it right from a professional.

AARON

On Dec 30, 2009, at 12:39 PM, sherri@******** wrote:

Hi Kay Lynn and Aaron -
I designing the surfaces for a huge residential project and would like to specify Tadelakt for the showers and accent walls. A couple questions:
- How much p sqft is the going install rate for Tadelakt?
- As the installer, how can I ensure that the Tadelakt is truly waterproof?
- I would like to use Tadelakt for an adobe style fireplace (steel frame w/ cement board substrate). Will the olive oil soap cause any problems with the heat from the fireplace? Does applying the olive oil soap affect surface breathability sim to other waxes?
Thanks a bunch for all your help throughout the years!

Cheers -

Sherri

Hi Sherri,

Apologies for the delayed response.  Install rates for Tadelakt can vary considerably, especially when doing smaller areas like showers.  I’d be looking in the $15-$25 per sq foot range to give yourself the time necessary to do those areas properly.  For straightforward walls it’s probably about twice as labor intensive as a basic AC wall and the material cost will be around $2 – $2.50 per sq foot.
Waterproof is not the right word for traditional Tadelakt finishes. Tadelakt plus olive oil soap applied properly should be described as hydrophobic(water-repellent).  The substrate preparation is very important of course.  Traditional Tadelakt will stain over time in high moisture areas although this is not a sign of failure of the material – it is actually a testament to the fact that the surface remains breathable.  We have a water-based carnauba wax which will give an added level of water repellency after the surface is applied, but I’d be careful not to guarantee there will be zero water staining over time even with that wax.  The Lucido wax is low but not a zero voc product.

Only issue with fireplace is that the soap will not protect against high-heat discoloration if flames are lapping over the surface.  But the soap is not flammable in any way.  The olive oil soap allows the surface to remain breathable.

We’re getting tons of requests to do some Tadelakt classes – seems like interest in that particular material has really surged this past year.

Talk to you soon,
Aaron

Here’s a Stucco Italiano Tadelakt floor installation done in Santa Fe last October:

If I may quote Kit:

Designers in France are using it today for its silky texture and indescribable patina, which are unmatched by any other plaster finish available. It is absolutely stunning.”

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.  Here’s a link to the full post.

We love Tadelakt for walls, showers, floors, it’s a wonderful material.

Thanks also to Canadian Master Plasterer Steve Manby for turning me on to the post through his lime green plaster blog.  Check out the black exterior Tadelakt project he did this past spring in the Vancouver, BC area on a contemporary home. Very impressive.  Here’s a couple of photos:

Steve Manby of Authentic Plaster FX posted on his blog about Aaron checking out his black Tadelakt exterior.

Hopefully he’ll send us more pics soon!