Stucco Italiano » earth-friendly Venetian plaster

Stucco Italiano New Classes, New Dealers

Aaron Cohen — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:26:46 +0000

Our February 2011 Newsletter

This months newsletter just went out – here’s a link to the online version.

If you’d like to receive our newsletter in the future there is a link to sign up on that page.

Plaster is Everywhere

Aaron Cohen — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:09:27 +0000

Nice post from our good friend Randy Orr about lime plasters and the Renovation Hardware catalogue:

“…out 300 pages in the new catalog, 60% of the photos involve Plaster Walls and Plaster Mantels…” Read the whole post here.…

Tadelakt – SF Designer Loves It

Aaron Cohen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:44:27 +0000

Great post about Tadelakt from San Fran interior designer Kit Golson on her Chic Provence blog.

If I may quote Kit:

“The first time I saw tadelakt was in St. Tropez, France, several years ago. I was immediately transfixed by the pearlescent, translucent, hand-rubbed-all-the-way-to-glossy, impervious-to-water finish.

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:

Why you should care about indoor air quality

Katharine Houpt — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:48:03 +0000

Wondering why we stress Venetian plaster’s green qualities (non-VOC, naturally mold-resistant)?

People are becoming more and more concerned about indoor air quality. Homes plagued with VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) or mold can negatively impact the health of the occupants. According to Green By Design, “an estimated 15% of the U.S. population — millions of people — are chronically ill from their homes, and indoor air quality is a major factor.”

If you are using Venetian plaster, you might want to check out some info on indoor air quality around the web:

The EPA’s guide to indoor air quality

Wikipedia on indoor air quality

Treehugger on causes and testing of poor indoor air quality

Build It Green explains that “A common source of indoor air pollution is the offgassing of chemicals found in many building materials…”

There’s even an Indoor Air Quality Association…

Have you noticed a difference between working with non-toxic Venetian plasters versus acrylic finishes? Tell us about it in the comments…

Black Tadelakt exterior in Vancouver

Katharine Houpt — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:59:35 +0000

Aaron and Kay Lynn paid a visit to some of our best customers and our Vancouver distributor, PacWest, up in Canada this week.

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!

Venetian Plaster and Faux finish people on Twitter, updated.

Aaron Cohen — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:23:28 +0000

OK for those who find themselves sucked into that particular bottomless pit of social media called Twitter, here’s an updated list of those I’ve found doing our particular form of decorative art/contracting who also tweet, in no particular order:

UPDATED 8-18-09

VENETIAN PLASTER AND FAUX FINISHERS:

http://twitter.com/luxuryplaster

http://twitter.com/FauxJo

http://twitter.com/john_hiemstra

http://twitter.com/VistaCustmClrs
http://twitter.com/GregthePainter

http://twitter.com/ERICCOSTUDIO

http://twitter.com/chaseconnery

http://twitter.com/artmorehead
http://twitter.com/fitzstudio
http://twitter.com/ronaldlayman
http://twitter.com/Ivenetian

http://twitter.com/Artistagirl

http://twitter.com/DarrellMorrison
http://twitter.com/Fauxology
http://twitter.com/celestestudio

http://twitter.com/thetilemaster

http://twitter.com/ACEartInteriors

http://twitter.com/studiounique

http://twitter.com/lynadawn

http://twitter.com/okcfaux

http://twitter.com/jen_guerin

http://twitter.com/FeFiFauxAcademy

http://twitter.com/designamour

http://twitter.com/minettam

http://twitter.com/Veneshe

http://twitter.com/HouseofFaux

http://twitter.com/PainterDeb

http://twitter.com/TheFauxPro

http://twitter.com/venetianplaster

http://twitter.com/Wallustrations

http://twitter.com/LULuwanderlust

http://twitter.com/Joespainting

http://twitter.com/DREAMWALLS

http://twitter.com/fauxgypsy

http://twitter.com/dundean

http://twitter.com/PainterMommy

http://twitter.com/benkolar

http://twitter.com/fauxmi

http://twitter.com/JR_Martin

http://twitter.com/girlloves2paint

http://twitter.com/patrickganino

http://twitter.com/carriewilliar

http://twitter.com/BRUSHMAGIC

http://twitter.com/LakeAreaFaux

http://twitter.com/apexnational

http://twitter.com/Fauxdacious

http://twitter.com/PamelasPainting

http://twitter.com/KBwalls

http://twitter.com/artistjoni

http://twitter.com/petergrc

http://twitter.com/danatucker

OTHER – INCLUDING DECORATIVE CEMENT AND PLASTER CONTRACTORS

http://twitter.com/ConcreteStainer
http://twitter.com/TrowelTalk
http://twitter.com/AcidStain
http://twitter.com/plastermaster
http://twitter.com/CementLackey
http://twitter.com/WorldofConcrete
http://twitter.com/ConcreteDesigns
http://twitter.com/concreteideas
http://twitter.com/jrext
http://twitter.com/jamesakalurch
http://twitter.com/WallsnCeilings

http://twitter.com/ChavezLnPlaster

http://twitter.com/AmericanClay

http://twitter.com/elitecrete

http://twitter.com/ConcreteNetwork

http://twitter.com/engraveacrete

http://twitter.com/CreteWerx

http://twitter.com/ConcreteThinker

http://twitter.com/SimStain

http://twitter.com/stampedconcrete

http://twitter.com/diacrete

http://twitter.com/EIFS

http://twitter.com/ConcretePhil

This is by no means an exhaustive list so if you want to be added or know anyone who should be leave a comment or tweet me - http://twitter.com/stuccoitaliano

Venetian Plastering Tip: How to Tint Your Wax to Soften Contrast

Aaron Cohen — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:17:16 +0000

This is a really helpful little trick for calming down your Venetian Plaster finishes, especially the more saturated colors. Pay careful attention, though, about not overtinting your wax. Be conservative and always test a small area first to be sure. You have to wait until it dries back to really know what you’re going to get.

We’ll post more short subject tips in the future so stay tuned.

Aaron and Stucco Italiano Venetian plaster featured on Fauxology blog

Katharine Houpt — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:39:54 +0000

The lovely and talented Regina Garay of Garay Artisans posted a nice feature on Stucco Italiano including an interview with Aaron. He discusses what first sparked his interest in Venetian plaster as well as some of the more popular lime-based products.

Regina is quite prolific and her blog, Fauxology, is always a great read. One of the most articulate and balanced resources we know of. Definitely subscribe if you’re in the biz. Check her out on twitter too.

Thanks Regina for all you hard work!

Featured Venetian Plasterer: Jenn Williamson

Katharine Houpt — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:42:13 +0000

Jenn Williamson is a Stucco Italiano Certified Installer up in the Vancouver, BC area, and a very talented finisher with many years of experience in all phases of decorative plastering, painting, and design. She sent us some pics of her recent projects. We’re impressed. Jenn (AKA Ispirato Design) uses a variety of finishes, making the most of the unique qualities of each material. Truly beautiful work. See for yourself…

Jenn used Marmorino Carrara on these pillars (click on them to enlarge)…

And these are from her Intonachino project a few months ago…

And last but not least, and exquisite application of Marmorino Classic…

Like what you see? Contact Jenn.

Are you a Stucco Italiano installer that would like to be featured here? Contact Katharine and send some photos.

Thoughts on “Green”

Aaron Cohen — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:13:03 +0000

We like to talk about how our Stucco Italiano Italian Plaster materials are “green”, and many consumers do respond in a positive way to that message. It gets increasingly difficult to separate the facts from the hype when it comes to calling a product green – “greenwashing” is a term I’ve seen used about over-hyping or just plain lying about the environmentally friendly nature of one’s product. More about greenwashing.

Our Stucco Italiano line consists of non-toxic, natural lime plasters. If you work with our materials you can be confident you are offering your customers a natural alternative to acrylic and cement based materials, both of which do not offer the same naturally green characteristics. Pointing these features out is a good place to start a conversation about what kind of wall finishing materials your customer wants in their home.