Stylish Venetian Plaster

You want to conjure up the look and feel of Italy in your living room. The lesser a
Venetian plaster is your ticket to inspiration. This technique is a great way to get an upper
body workout and sensational walls at the same time. Venetian plaster can be a little
labor intensive. My advice, invite a friend over for coffee and hand him a trowel.

Here’s what you need a paint tray, a ¾ inch nap roller, 400 and 600 grit sandpaper, a steel
trowel, a mud tray, and pretension Venetian plaster. Your local pint will taint your
Venetian plaster to whatever color you want your walls and that will always have the
formula for touch ups later.

Another important tool, my trusty trowel, if you can’t find something like this I
recommend getting a 6 inch putty knife and sanding the edges that way when you trowel
on you won’t have any hard edges, very important. Start with a damp roller to help the
thick Venetian plaster going easier. Put just enough in the tray to work a comfortable
sized area, say 6x6. The roller is a quick way to apply the plaster but I like to follow the
strokes of the trowel to level the surface.

You don’t have to worry about the little white areas being exposed. This is what’s going
to create your contrast on the 2nd layer so basically about 80% covered on the wall. Let
the plaster dry for at least 4 hours before applying the last coat. For this last coat you do
need a 100% coverage.

I like to use crossing and rounded strips to create the illusion of texture. The goal is to fill
in the holes and even out the plaster. If you’re plastering a large surface this is really
where you want your friends help. Sand the wall with 400 grit sand paper and then wipe
it down with a damp towel. Next use 600 grits sand paper to polish the surface even
more. See how the more I shine it up with the sand paper the more contrast you get in the
color.

You should really be seeing the texture between the first layer of plaster and the 2nd. And
if that isn’t shiny enough for you your trustee trowel really shine it up. Hold the trowel
almost flat against the wall that actually generates a little heat and friction resulting in a
distinctive shine. See how you could see my reflection on the plaster and that’s exactly
the less you’re after very striking almost like marble.

I love the way the reflective finish plays on both the dark and light shades the only thing
we need now is to further the flavor of Venice is a cappuccino.