Stucco Italiano » Intonachino

Venetian Plastering Tip: Scale & Composition of Distressed Finishes

Aaron Cohen — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:05:35 +0000

So you created a beautiful distressed finish sample board. Your client loves it. But a sample board is not a wall, not even close. What should you consider when transitioning to larger surfaces?

Here’s some advice on how to take your distressed finishes from the sample board to the wall:

Venetian Plaster Installation – Intonachino X-Fine Interior

Aaron Cohen — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:40:47 +0000

This project involves the interior installation of about 6000 square feet of our Intonachino Extra Fine lime plaster. We are doing the finish in a distressed style, leaving some random openings between the first and second coat and lacing in some lighter highlights.

We went through a number of samples to find just the right color and texture. Below is a sample wall I did just to make sure the owners were completely comfortable with the finish before we got started.

The clients asked me to come up with something that would work well in their elegant Mediterranean home. It was easy to see how using a richer color for the interior walls would help accent the substantial crown moldings, baseboards, and casings and give the home more richness and depth. The owners commented that once the walls started getting plastered the paint job on the walls began to look like primer – as if the house had not been completely finished until we showed up.

My good friend Bill Kaiser, owner of Elite Plaster in Bend, Oregon, and his brother David came up to help out with the project. Both guys, although relatively young, have a great deal of expertise in Venetian plaster application, as well as extensive exterior stucco knowledge. Bill’s done numerous exterior applications with Intonachino in central Oregon over the past few years.

We ran our material as a modified wet-on-wet application. First coat was applied and allowed to go to set – as soon as we were sure there were no soft spots on the first coat we went right back in with the finish coat, waited for that to firm up, and then came back with a clean trowel to press and smooth the finish.

This technique saves some time and materials as compared to a traditional application in which one allows the first coat to go completely dry and come back next day. Another advantage of going wet-on-wet is that the residual moisture in the first coat gives the second coat more open time, eliminating concerns about cold joints and lap marks even over large walls. I wouldn’t recommend the same application on an exterior – you’re much better off doing a full first coat and letting it dry completely for exteriors.

We still have a week’s worth of work doing sealer and finishing columns and a couple of accent areas next week, but most of the wall surfaces are complete. Those exterior stucco guys move fast! Here’s a before of the hallway:

And after:

I’ll post more finished shots when we get ‘er all done.

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.

Mold resistance: why lime for exteriors and interiors?

Aaron Cohen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:18:52 +0000

Intonachino has proven to be one of our most popular finishes for exteriors. Its naturally mold-resistant nature makes it perfect for the outdoors, even up here in the rainy northwest.

A while ago, I briefly mentioned a project Tom Williams is working on in Ballard using Intonachino Extra Fine and Medium. It’s worth taking another look. Click on the picture below to see more photos.

Of course, mold-resistance is great for optimal indoor air health as well, so intonachino and other lime plasters are also ideal for interiors. Quoting from this excellent article on lime plaster’s natural mold resistance; “the short answer as to why Venetian plaster is truly mold-resistant is that mold can only grow in an acidic and wet or damp environment. Venetian plasters breathe and do not retain moisture. Molds also require a food source and an acidic environment in which to multiply.”

For both health- and earth-conscious reasons, Venetian style Italian lime plasters are the way to go…