In fact, this plaster should be more correctly called not "Venetian", but rather "Roman", because this material is known since the days of Ancient Rome. Only then it was a mixture of marble chips with lime and natural dyes, and today increasingly - a composition based on acrylic or vinyl copolymers with synthetic pigments, although there are also completely traditional mixtures. Skillful hands on the wall can create the illusion of marble, expensive wood, leather, metal. ..
Venetian plaster is the right way to emphasize the refined interior and give the room a luxurious and status look. Finishing coatings give a glossy gloss, pearlescent glow or a noble matte texture. The coating itself is very durable, its service life is estimated in decades, and the feature is that the longer this plaster is on the wall, the stronger it becomes.
Small potholes and cracks, in contrast to wallpaper, it is very simple to restore. The prices for the amount of plaster required to cover 1 sq. M., Start from 200 rubles. But self-application allows you to significantly reduce total costs.
Preparation and tool
There is an opinion that Venetian plaster does not require special preparatory work. This is partly true only for sufficiently dark and opaque coatings with a pronounced pattern. On light and shiny walls, you will see the slightest unevenness and deepening. Walls before applying the Venetian plaster are important to thoroughly clean the old coating, align and wipe, if necessary - dry - in general as a liquid wallpaper. If the floor covering has already been laid, it is necessary to protect it with a film.
In addition to patience, the following materials and tools are required for the application of Venetian plaster:
- is a mixture for Venetian plaster, it is sold in plastic buckets, its consumption and the required number of layers are indicated on the packaging, so knowing the wall area, you can calculate the required amount of materialit is better to take it with a margin to practice and save some quantity for further possible repairs),
- primer,
- color for white plaster, it is better to prefer the same about
- finishing coat - wax, pearlescent lacquer, etc.,
- wide and narrow spatula,
- special trowel for Venetian plaster, it has rounded edges and a particularly smooth surface, a tool of large and small dimensions is useful,
- flat brush for workin corners,
- wet cloth and sponge, water tank,
- drill with mixing head or other device that mixes plaster with quality and comfortably,
- suede piece or suede glove for grinding the coating,for large areas it is better to get a Bulgarian with a nozzle for polishing wax.
Working with plaster
Prepared wall must be primed for better adhesion of plaster to the surface and wait for it to dry. Since Venetian plaster is not too dense coating, it is better to pre-paint the wall with water-based paint on the same basis as the mixture for plaster, and the same color. A darker or lighter shade of the base for some types of plaster makes it possible to create unusual effects of internal glow or depth.
Directly before working in the plaster in the container, it is necessary to add water according to the instructions, carefully stir and prick if necessary. The dye should be added a little bit, remembering that on the wall the coating will look a little darker than in the tank. Since the work will be stretched for several days, the lid should not be thrown away, it will need to be closed again, so that the plaster does not dry up. Before each re-application, the mixture is again mixed with a drill with a mixer nozzle for several minutes.
It's more convenient to start from the top. A small amount of a solution with a volume of 2-3 tablespoons is placed on the large trowel in the middle. The trowel leans against the wall at an angle of about 15-30 degrees, and then with strong pressure is carried over the surface by an arcuate movement from the bottom to the top. Immediately, a stroke is performed across the previous one to disperse the plaster, then pass to the adjacent section of the wall. After 6-7 strokes, the trowel needs to be wiped with a damp cloth. Thus, the whole wall is covered without any protrushes. The quality coating should be very thin, less than 1 mm, and translucent. The first layer should be allowed to dry for about 6-10 hours.
The second layer can be a little darker or lighter if you mix the mixture yourself. This will give the coating even more similarity with marble. The application of the second layer is the same. When applying smears, you need to place them at the intersection of the smears of the first layer. In general, the pattern should be chaotic and natural. The upper layers can be made with a small trowel with smaller strokes.
Finishing coating
The last layer should be allowed to dry for 15-20 minutes before proceeding to polishing. To do this, the wide trowel is pressed almost completely against the wall and with strong pressure is carried along it. Moving the tool in different directions and crossing the brush strokes, they process the entire wall. Then you need to leave the wall for a final drying for a few days, or better - a week, and you can apply wax.
The wax wall is also covered with a trowel. It must be applied in a thin layer, performing strokes in different directions. A too thick layer of wax after drying will turn into dark, greasy spots. Instead of wax, the wall can be covered with a layer of varnish, for example, with pearlescent particles, for which the brush is used.
The work of skilled craftsmen from several meters can not be distinguished from the cut of marble or other noble material. Begin to practice the same in the application of Venetian plaster is better with small and subtle areas. Often, manufacturers of mixtures arrange master classes in large construction supermarkets and their representative offices.
If you seriously think about covering the walls of your home with Venetian plaster, it's worth to visit one of them in order to personally observe the movements of a professional.
