Graceful Venetian plaster: video tutorials, application. Venetian plaster - a modern classic in decoration How to apply Venetian on walls

Architecture is often referred to as poetry set in stone. If you follow this allegory, then, perhaps, Venetian plaster can become a romantic ballad of your design, the technology of applying it has remained unchanged for 2000 years, and its extraordinary beauty still excites our imagination.

Due to the fact that this type finishing works in high demand, in the construction services market Venetian plaster often offered by craftsmen who are very superficially familiar with the technology of such works. At the same time, trade offers a lot of coatings that only imitate the famous Venetian.

Let's make a reservation right away that the classic Venetian plaster is made with a putty mass, which necessarily includes marble dust, which in some cases is replaced by quartz, granite or onyx. The second invariable component of the coating is slaked lime, thanks to which the Venetian plaster finish is extremely durable and durable. In addition to these components, to give color, various pigments and colorants are usually used, which help the finished surface withstand the negative effects of atmospheric oxygen and ultraviolet radiation.

Modern mixtures for Venetian plaster often contain a certain percentage of an acrylic binder. According to experts, Venetian putty masses based on acrylic dispersion are more plastic and are not subject to the formation of microcracks on the surface. However, no one will argue that such a material is less environmentally friendly than water-based plaster.

Nowadays, finishing specialists do not need to perform the layout of the mixture themselves, it is sold ready-made, in plastic buckets. Moreover, each manufacturer has original recipes, allowing you to get various visual effects (velvety, haze, gloss). Often, you don’t have to add color to the mixture, although some manufacturers supply dyes separately so that the master can individually select the desired shade.

Required Tools

If you have some artistic gift and, after watching the application of Venetian plaster, feel the desire to try your hand at this kind of creativity, do not forget to prepare special plastering tools:

• steel graters (which are necessary for leveling and mashing the solution) with a width of 20 and 25 cm;
• spatulas of a special form. Their feature is rounded edges and a very smooth, literally polished surface without nicks and scratches. A spatula will also require two, for wide and true;
• brushes of two shapes: a classic flat flute brush and a paint brush. The latter has a rectangular, oval or round shape, somewhat similar to a brush. Choose a maklovitsa should be with thick bristles.

You will also need a tape measure, level and a long metal ruler. Do not forget to stock up on a grinding grater, with a fine-grained sandpaper.

Preparatory work is the basis of the basics!

The technique of applying Venetian plaster involves very careful and scrupulous work on surface preparation. Only in this case, the Venetian will be able to delight you not only with her beauty, but also with the main operational advantages - durability and practicality.

If some types decorative plaster not demanding on the base and even allowing you to hide minor construction flaws - uneven walls, small chips and cracks. Alas, the Venetian, as a true aristocrat among finishing plasters, will not tolerate such a dismissive attitude towards preparatory work. Although the basis for it can serve as brickwork, and concrete, and drywall, and even walls that were once covered oil paint. But all this must first be thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt, of peeling pieces of plaster and paint residues.

Carefully repair cracks, chips and cracks. For drywall sheets, it is necessary to process all joints flush. After that, the patched areas are sanded. Are you already tired? Be patient, this is just the beginning! After our walls can already boast of the absence of visible defects, the first solid putty is performed. When the putty layer dries, the surface is sanded with sandpaper or pumice. Now the walls can be blown with compressed air or walked over with a dry rag to remove particles. After that, it is desirable to prime the surface, in this form it will be easier to give in to the second continuous puttying.

How, again? Yes, again solid puttying and sanding again, to correct all the roughness and scratches. And again primer. And with the poor condition of the walls, such a tedious procedure as continuous puttying, before applying Venetian plaster, sometimes has to be carried out three times. The finishing putty must be of high quality, and the last sanding is carried out with a “zero” sanding, followed by a thorough removal of dust with a dry cloth.

Preparatory work will take a lot of time

In addition to laboriousness and painstaking preparatory work differ in a rather significant duration in time, because after applying each of the layers you need to give it time to dry. In general, each layer dries for approximately one day. In the event that the temperature in the room is low, or the humidity is quite significant, more time may be required.

And finally, our walls are even and smooth. Now it remains to cover them a couple of times with a deep penetration primer for the last time. Its appearance should correspond to the putty material, they are usually sold as a set. After priming the wall, you need to wait again for it to dry completely. Well, now it's finally time for real creativity.

What color to choose?

Before starting work, we glue the upper parts of the walls with masking tape. When working with a Venetian, you will have to remove this tape immediately after finishing work, without waiting for the final drying of the material. Otherwise, when it is removed, very unaesthetic cracks and chips may form.

If your Venetian putty is not tinted, add required amount dye, with thorough mixing. When choosing a shade, it should be noted that most often the finished Venetian is obtained in a closed space somewhat darker and brighter than on a small test piece of material or in the catalog of a building salon. For residential premises, it is better to abandon the use of too flashy tones, and limit yourself to more pastel shades. Colorators and plaster mass must be purchased from the same brand, otherwise they may not be compatible in their properties.

Venetian plaster. Application technology

You need to finish the wall in small sections, approximately 1 m 2 each, starting from the top. The first layer of mass is the base, it is applied continuously and sets the tone for the entire future color of the wall. When working, a trowel is used, on which the mass is applied with a spatula. If you carefully reviewed the material, Venetian plaster application technology, the video in this article, you noticed that the movements of the trowel that applied the coating are short and rounded.

The general trajectory of movement when covering a wall is from left to right. And whether you apply the mass from top to bottom or from bottom to top - it does not matter, do what is more convenient for you. The material is applied in a thin layer, and, without waiting for it to dry, is distributed with a Venetian spatula, in multidirectional movements in an arc, avoiding sharp joints in straight lines. The spatula must be pressed against the wall tightly, maintaining an angle of inclination of 15-20 to the surface. It is these methods of applying Venetian plaster that will make it possible to obtain those veins that, in the final version, will make our wall look like a natural stone.

The first layer dries for at least 4-8 hours, depending on the brand of Venetian mass used. Most often, further work is continued the next day.

The second layer is applied with short ragged movements, and immediately rubbed with a spatula. Movements are performed in pairs, crosswise, overlapping one another. By moving in one direction, you apply the material, and by moving in the opposite direction, you remove the excess. This technique of applying Venetian plaster is called "butterfly". As a result, the relief of the base layer disappears, and veins appear on the surface. Their value depends on the method of applying the decorative layer. Experienced master decorators can work in a different manner, creating a different size of the picture.

After complete drying of the applied decorative layer, the surface is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper. To increase the visual effect of the depth of Venetian plaster and its famous inner glow, more intermediate layers are performed, the total number of which can reach up to nine.

Give the final shine

After applying the last layer, to make the Venetian plaster water resistant and increase gloss, the surface is polished with wax. This work is carried out no earlier than a week after the final application of the finishing layer. In addition to the usual transparent composition for a Venetian, you can give preference to a coating with an additional decorative effect, and then your wall will be decorated with mother-of-pearl, gold or silver streaks. Liquid wax is applied with a special pile glove, and then the wall is finally polished grinder with a special pile nozzle.

Probably every owner of an apartment or house dreams of a beautiful, luxurious and cozy interior. Many also want a unique design, and some are relatively inexpensive. All these criteria are met by Venetian plaster, which is popularly called simply Venetian.

Venetian is named after the fact that it gained very wide popularity during the Renaissance in Venice, where it was widely used in the design of palaces and castles. Decorate with it both residential and public buildings. She fits perfectly in classic design as well as modern interiors.

Selection, production and application

Venetian plaster - a way decorative design and imitation of the surface under the stone (quartz, onyx, lapis lazuli, etc.) or popular marble different shades. Its main component is stone chips, which are mixed with acrylic. But you can also make the effect of copper, silver, gold, bronze, imitate leather, wood and fabric (silk, burlap, etc.), using different kinds application techniques. It is used as an internal and external element of decor.

It is worth knowing that Venetian plaster can decorate not only walls, partitions, ceilings, giving them a textured look. Stucco flooring is extremely rare. As an element of interior decor, it can be used in the living room, kitchen, bathroom and any other room.

The choice of the future color and texture of the Venetian is the business of the owner of the house. The plaster itself is transparent, which allows it to play beautifully with shine in the sun, and the dye is already added before application. It can be applied both to concrete and brick, and to wood. Only the methods of preparing the surface on which it will be applied differ. It is also possible to apply a pattern on the plaster, which will give it a relief look and uniqueness. It can also be matte or glossy. A matte or glossy surface can be obtained by applying various types wax.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Venetian

The advantages are obvious:

• durable
• Water and moisture resistant
• Easy care
• Environmentally friendly
• Long service life (at least 20 years)
• Doesn't get moldy
• Resistant to temperature changes

The only downside is the cost. It's not quite a budget option. But this cannot be attributed to shortcomings, since the end result fully justifies itself. Such luxury and sophistication is not achieved by other materials. How to make Venetian plaster with your own hands from ordinary putty we will tell further. To make Venetian plaster with your own hands, we need:

• very fine stone chips or marble flour (for marble walls)
• slaked lime (putty) or acrylic additives
• dyes (colours)
• pure water

The recipe is simple: you need to properly mix the composition in equal proportions of stone chips and slaked lime, then add a little soap and mix well. At the end, add dyes. It is necessary to choose the desired color of the Venetian, this stage is called tinting. Venetian plaster tinting milestone cooking. It is from the future color that the comfort of an apartment or house and the state of mind of the owner will depend. In stores you will be provided with a huge range of various colors and shades of colors. And it is important to know that when dried, the color becomes lighter by a tone, and sometimes by two tones.

It should be remembered that when preparing a Venetian, the temperature in the room should be above 10 degrees Celsius. You can also buy ready-made plaster to make your task easier. After all, it is worth remembering that in the manufacture of plaster it is necessary to clearly know the ratio of materials, and dilute the paint only in a clear and correct proportion, since the shade of the surface may differ in the future.

Do-it-yourself Venetian plaster (video)

Wax helps to color the plaster in the desired color, when using dyes. It can also be used to repaint the same surface. It also helps with restoration. The consumption of the Venetian depends on the area and the number of layers to be applied. On average, the consumption is 0.5 kg of material per 1 square meter of surface.

Required Tools

Materials and tools for the preparation and application of the Venetian:

• finished plaster
• water emulsion
• putty
• primer
• dye
• drill with mixing attachment
• trowel for Venetian
• narrow spatula
• japanese spatula
• trowels different types for decoration
• trowel
• abrasive sponges and rags
• coarse and fine sandpaper
• mixing containers

Surface preparation and application

1. We plaster or clean the walls (or ceiling) from wallpaper, paint, etc.
2. In the presence of cracks, holes, potholes, it is necessary to repair them with putty
3. We clean the walls of roughness and ledges
4. We process the surface first with the starting putty, let it dry and then putty the finish.
5. Next, we process the walls with coarse sandpaper.
6. The last stage of preparation is the application of a primer to the surface. After drying (3-4 hours), the procedure must be repeated. Sometimes a third layer is applied, applied to the tone of the future Venetian.

It is important to know that working with this material is a laborious and painstaking process. The best master spends 5-6 times more time than finishing with ordinary plaster. Therefore, in order to get the hang of applying it, it is recommended that you first practice on the panels or individual sections of the walls. Basic rules and technology for applying a Venetian:

• The first layer must cover the entire surface area. The layer must be thin
• Next, the layers are applied with spatulas or a trowel in an arc to form the desired pattern (the number of layers is on average from 4 to 12, depending on the desired texture)
• Apply layers with short breaks, the plaster has had time to dry.
• Each subsequent tone should differ from the previous one in tone in order to create the necessary pattern and perspective. You can also put different (contrasting) colors. The spatula must be wiped well after each stroke.
• Next, a thin layer of wax should be applied to the walls to make it water resistant and create a matte or glossy surface. And after the wax has completely dried, the smooth surface is polished with a soft flannel

Wax dries quickly, within 30-40 minutes. But touching the surface is strictly prohibited within 6 hours after opening with wax. To avoid dents, scratches and marks on the wall. There are several techniques for applying Venetian plaster with your own hands:

1. Application of classic plaster
2. Applying plaster in two tones
3. Applying marble plaster

A master class in a video lesson on the technique of applying marbled plaster can be viewed in the video:

The use of Venetian plaster in interior decoration premises allows you to create original design interior. It has a number of advantages that distinguish it from other finishing materials. Venetian plaster does not crack, does not peel off, does not change its color. The appearance of the finished coating resembles natural marble. The composition can be used where conventional plasters are not suitable. In this article, we will take a closer look at the composition, application and various technologies for applying Venetian plaster with our own hands, and at the end you will find step-by-step instruction from our reader

Tools for applying Venetian plaster

To apply the composition, you will need plastering trowels and spatulas. They can be used for applying wax to the plaster surface, as well as for sanding intermediate layers. Spatulas must be taken in different sizes. The base layer is applied using a large trowel and the pattern is created with a small or medium trowel. You will also need suede mittens, which will later be used to polish the finished surface. Depending on the scale of work, an appropriate amount of plaster and color will be needed. Color can be any color.

Composition of Venetian plaster

Venetian plaster consists of the finest suspensions natural materials such as marble, gypsum and lime. Acrylic and slaked lime are used as a binder. Which one is better is impossible to say. A beginner in decoration is unlikely to be able to distinguish one material from another. As for professionals: some say that only slaked lime allows you to get the “same” result, while others say that acrylic components give the mass better plasticity, which generally affects the increase in the manufacturability of the finish.

In addition to standard components, the composition of the mixture may include the smallest pearlescent particles. Their presence allows you to make the finished surface look like silk. For this reason, the combination "wet silk" is added to such Venetian plasters. From different points of the room, the same coating will look different. A few videos on this topic.

The appearance of the finished wall depends on the application technique. Using a special spatula movement technique, finishers achieve interesting patterns that repeat the texture natural stones. The surface can have a pearlescent shade, which is achieved by adding special impurities to the plaster.

Features of the most affordable OPTIMIST ELITE plaster

Considering the comparable low cost, let's dwell on the properties of Optimist Venetian plaster. We will try to avoid advertising this material by briefly describing the characteristics indicated by the manufacturer. Products are sold in plastic buckets of 3.5, 7 or 15 kg. Optimal conditions use imply air temperature in the working room in the range from 5 to 35 degrees Celsius. For application, a standard set of tools is used: a steel trowel, a pair of spatulas, a polishing machine with a soft nozzle. Drying of a layer of standard thickness - about a day.

Estimated cost:
- 3.5 kg - 750 rubles.
- 7 kg - 1350 rubles.
- 15 kg - 2750 rubles.

• at the first stage, a thin layer of plaster is applied to the surface, trying already at this stage to create some kind of pattern. The layer is allowed to dry for about an hour;
• to get rid of minor flaws, the dried surface is lightly sanded with a large spatula - smoothed in order to level it;
• apply the second layer in the same manner as the first;
• the last layer of decorative plaster is applied with a spatula, because. the coating should be translucent and thin - to give it more depth. The work is postponed for half an hour to dry the material, after which the wall is smoothed with a spatula. For dry rooms, the work is over;
• if it is planned to use Optimist plaster for the walls of a wet room (toilet, bathroom, kitchen), then the final stage of work will be surface treatment with wax and subsequent polishing to obtain a gloss

In the video below, you can more clearly see the methodology for using this material.

Application technology

Application technology is complex. If you have any questions, it is better to go to master classes, which are often held in company stores selling decorative plaster.

First of all, you need to pay attention to a large spatula, the edges of which should be rounded, so that you can firmly press the plaster into the wall. The spatula should not have mechanical damage and defects. Before you start laying the plaster, the wall is covered with a special primer. The wall must be perfectly flat, otherwise the plaster simply will not hold. The first layer of plaster is carefully compacted and leveled, after which it must be allowed to dry. If, after drying, irregularities remain on the surface of the plaster, they can be easily removed with a trowel.

Layer by layer

After 6-8 hours, the next layer of plaster is applied, on top of which a finishing layer is already applied. The marble pattern characteristic of Venetian plaster is created by brush strokes with small spatulas. In this case, the color of the layer should be different from the previous one. Once the pattern is ready, it must be polished with a large spatula or trowel. Depending on the sanding technique used, the finished surface can be glossy or matt. You need to work with the material quickly, as the composition dries quickly and becomes less plastic. When mixing plaster and color, attention should be paid to the amount of the finished solution - due to the dense laying, hands begin to hurt quickly, and the solution itself quickly hardens.

Wax protection

Wax is applied over the last layer of Venetian plaster. protective covering for gloss and water repellency. Do not apply too much wax, as after drying it can darken and spoil appearance. As soon as the wax hardens, it can be further polished with a suede mitt. After 20-25 days, carbonization processes will end in the plaster, it will become more durable, after which it can be washed.

Externally, the finished wall will look like it is made of natural marble. An additional effect of similarity gives a wax coating. You can finish with Venetian plaster not only walls, but also various arches, as well as doorways. During the next repair, you won’t have to tear off the plaster - you can paint over it with paints, as well as glue wallpaper.

Illustrative examples of finishing (video)

As the saying goes, it's better to see once than hear a hundred times. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with several interesting videos. The video below is an example of applying acrylic Venetian plaster.

And here you can get acquainted in detail with one of the author's methods of applying the Venetian. The material is lengthy, but the amount of valuable advice in it rolls over.

Another interesting technique. As a result, the surface is covered with decorative cracks. Read about antique plastering here.

Relatively simple method of applying the composition. In our opinion, it is more suitable for finishing a bathroom or toilet.

Do it yourself, or Additional motivation

Above, we gave the estimated cost of the material for finishing one "square" of the wall. If you decide to experiment, then independent work will only cost you your time. In the worst case, also nerves. But if you intend to pay third-party specialists, you need to be prepared for an increase in costs from 600 or more rubles per square meter. In Moscow and St. Petersburg - more expensive, in the regions the appetites of finishers are more modest. But still, you need to understand that a professional master will take from 1000 rubles only for his work. for every sq. m. finishing with Venetian plaster. The cost will increase as your requests increase and the complexity of the work (wall height, surface quality and geometry) increases. Cheap and beautiful will not work.

This can be seen from the reviews.

Those who dared to independently decorate the walls with Venetian plaster note the great laboriousness of the work. Therefore, you should not rush from one extreme to another - first try to work in "test mode": we take a sheet of plywood or fiberboard with an area of ​​at least 1 sq. m. and trying to transform it. With this approach, you can try several techniques and choose the best one.

About tinting

If you decide to tint the mixture yourself, then carefully calculate the required amount of material - when re-kneading, it will not work to guess the color. How much plaster do you need? It is better to find out about this yourself by making test smears on square meter test surface. You should not trust the data written on the packaging - the material consumption is determined by the technique of its application.

As for tinting, there is one more nuance. Do not rush to fill in large volumes of the coloring composition, do it gradually, achieving uniform mixing of the mixture and subsequently adjusting the color saturation. This approach will take more time, but the chances of getting "what you need" are higher.

A few more nuances

It is best to work together, in conveyor mode: one applies the composition to the wall, the second gives the stain the desired shape. This is faster and more efficient, especially when you consider that finishing with Venetian plaster is even a purely physically complex process. Not to mention the creative side.

Be prepared for the fact that the final result will appear only at the final stages of work. This is just the case when you should not especially plan the appearance of the surface. When applying the mixture, it is recommended to periodically move away from the wall and inspect the entire canvas as a whole in order to understand where to go next.

Well, as for the reviews about specific types of plaster, they are in 90% of cases of an advertising nature. Therefore, their information content was questioned.

Update: personal experience

One of our readers, as part of our proposal, sent a photo essay on the application of Venetian plaster. Watch and admire

In order to finish the walls with Venetian plaster, you will need:

1. Venetian plaster and contrasting color. You can choose the tone of the color scheme to your liking, it will only be visible in places and will not become the main color. In our example, this is the color "green apple".
2. Water-based paint and color scheme suitable for its tinting. In our example, this is a blue concentrate, by adding which we got the desired blue tint.
3. Acrylic varnish for the final coating of the walls, it will help to add shine, make the walls resistant to dirt. In addition, such a coating will be easy for you to wash and clean.
4. Putty and primer for preparing walls for plaster.
5. Auxiliary tools - spatulas, a special structural roller, grout mesh, etc.

The first stage is the preparation of the walls. They are puttied in advance to a smooth state, then treated with a primer. The plaster must be tinted to the desired color shade. When tinting, keep in mind that after drying, the surface becomes a little lighter (like many mixtures), so the tone should be created brighter.

Let's start drawing. First, we take a little mixture on the edge of the spatula, trying to evenly distribute the composition along the edge of the tool.

We apply the plaster in a thin layer (approximately 3 mm) and evenly distribute it over the surface. It should be applied from the bottom up: with this method, the plaster does not spread along the wall and does not drip onto the floor.

After applying to the walls, the plaster layer is leveled with a spatula in all directions. At one time, areas of more than 1.5-2 square meters should not be covered.

When applying plaster, carefully bypass sockets and switches.

After applying the Venetian on a small area (1-2 sq.m.), it is necessary, without waiting for drying, to give the coating a texture, for which a special structural roller is used. You need to roll the roller with the same pressure so that the texture is uniform.

First, carefully work the edge of the wall - the surface from the corner or doorway. Try to run the roller along the wall from the bottom up only once, then the texture will be large and interesting.

When the first part of the wall is processed, you can proceed to the next section. The peculiarity of the texture roller is that the more often you run it over one area, the smaller the texture fragments on the surface are, so you should not overlap the new area with the already finished one. A small gap that sometimes forms between sectors is easy to roll up with a roller and turn into a homogeneous structure.

Gradually cover the entire surface of the walls and let it dry. Drying time depends on temperature and humidity. In a room with average humidity and a temperature of 20 ° C, the plaster will dry completely in 15-20 hours.

The next step is coating. water-based paint. When choosing a color for the second layer, you can choose contrasting colors (as in this example) or choose adjacent tones of plaster and paint. For color matching, the color wheel can help you: it is believed that harmonious combinations are adjacent colors in the circle, or vice versa, opposite.

To obtain a blue color in white paint, you need to add a little blue color and mix well until smooth.

Using a soft roller, paint all walls with a layer of water-based paint.

You need to paint the surface of the walls in one layer, but the paint should lay down in a dense layer. To do this, wet the roller with plenty of paint so that the thickness of the coating is sufficient.

The sequence of applying paint can be any, i.e. you can first paint the bottom of all the walls, and then start painting at a height.

Venetian plaster is an excellent material for wall decoration. We will figure out how it is applied, what tools and materials will be needed to create Venetian plaster, and what you need to know about the technology.

Venetian plaster is an excellent wall covering. It is durable and amazingly decorative. The surface plastered in this way appears translucent. Today you can order the application of Venetian plaster in professional construction companies. However, if you understand the technology, you may well do this work yourself.

What it is

Visually, this coating resembles marble tiles. A translucent layer that hides the characteristic veins of marble looks amazing on the walls. The surface can be distinguished from natural marble only due to the absence of joints between the tiles. Venetian plaster is chosen for exterior finish walls in residential buildings and public buildings. In order to learn how to decorate the facade of a house with plaster, read this article.

This type of coating was invented by the builders of ancient Rome. They guessed that by mixing marble chips and slaked lime, you can get a finishing paste with unusual properties. When applied to the walls, it reproduced the texture of real marble. Clay was most often added to the mixture, which gave the plastered surfaces the color of natural marble. Other pigments have also been used.

The material acquired its name thanks to the city where its second birth took place. It was the architects of Venice who were able to unravel the composition of the coating used by the Romans, and brought the lost technology back to life.

The modern composition of the coating is somewhat different from the historical technology. The composition of modern mixtures for creating Venetian plaster includes:

• Marble powder, color pigments and slaked lime. These components have not changed over the years. Some mixtures still contain only these natural ingredients. However, they are quite expensive and operational properties not the most optimal.
• Acrylic paints can be added instead of natural pigments. They are cheaper and allow you to create unusual shades.
• Modern binders of polymeric nature. They make the plaster dough more plastic and increase the durability of the coating.
• Hevea tree sap or synthetic latex. These plasticizers make it easier to level the mix.
• Crushed granite powder for texture.

Despite the introduction of additives that are not provided for by historical technology, modern mixtures can rightfully be considered Venetian plaster. After all, the main component of the plaster test is marble dust, like many centuries ago.

Application technology

Mixtures for creating coatings using Venetian plaster technology are quite expensive. Therefore, it is not recommended to start work without mastering the technology properly. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the appearance of the resulting coating will be far from expectations, and you will have to clean everything off and start over.

The resulting pattern depends on how the tool works when smoothing the plaster dough. Learning to predict what will happen in each case can only be gained by gaining considerable experience.

How to train in applying Venetian plaster? Sheets of cardboard with a side of 1 m will become the optimal training tool. Such a sheet must be covered with an ordinary plaster mixture, dried thoroughly and sanded with sandpaper. On such squares, you can hone your technique, and save the most successful samples and use them as a portfolio to demonstrate your skills to clients.

Another opportunity to improve your skills is to follow the master classes held by Venetian plaster dealers. At such an event, participants are offered both material for work and a stand for creating a training surface. But such training meetings are usually held in large cities.

Video tutorials can help:

Preparatory work

First of all, you need to carefully prepare the wall. The quality of the alignment of the wall largely depends on how well it will turn out to make the coating. The wall is usually leveled in two stages. First, coarse differences are leveled with mixtures for rough plaster. Then the smallest irregularities are removed with a finishing putty.

If the walls are leveled by the customer or a hired team, it is worth clarifying in advance that Venetian plaster will be applied to the wall. It is also allowed to use putty for paint.

The leveled wall must be dried as thoroughly as possible. You can start work no earlier than one day after fine finish. But it is better to take a break for two days. Insufficiently dried plaster can fall off the wall, nullifying all finishing efforts. After drying, it is necessary to carefully sand the smallest irregularities and remove all dust from the walls.

To increase the adhesion of Venetian plaster and increase the strength of the coating, the wall is impregnated with a primer. It is worth choosing primers for gypsum plaster, as they include quartz filler. There are enough for sale today. big choice such primers. The difference between individual brands is almost imperceptible, so you can use any.

The primer must be applied at least 2 layers, each time thoroughly drying the wall.

Number of layers

Such a coating is applied in several layers (at least 2). Depending on the desired result, up to a dozen layers can be used. Each layer must be carefully leveled and smoothed. You can apply a new layer only after the previous layer has completely dried, so finishing the walls with Venetian plaster can take quite a long time.

The base coat is applied first. Its task is, like ordinary plaster, to create an absolutely smooth surface. Depending on the final result, the base coat will burn to be white or pigmented. If plastered in 2-3 layers, the base layer will become translucent, its color will matter. If there are more than five layers, the base layer will not be visible.

When applying the second and all other layers, it is important to follow two rules:

• Strokes should be chaotic. different shape, directions, bends will well repeat the natural texture of marble.
• Each new stroke should hide the place of the first touch of the wall at the previous stroke.

After the layer has dried (usually about 10 hours), you need to rub it with a dry trowel to remove all irregularities. After that, you can put the next layer.

The final layer is applied in a special way: a little plaster dough is placed on the wall with a spatula, and then collected back, firmly pressing the surface of the spatula. As a result, the last layer is very thin, almost transparent.

Ironing

The procedure for grouting the last layer is performed when the condition is not dry enough. For work, a clean Venetian trowel is taken. It is very important that there are no chips, shells, pieces of dried plaster mass and other defects on its surface. Ironing is carried out by moving the tool in a circle.

Before performing the finishing layer and ironing, carefully read the instructions for the mixture. Some manufacturers recommend doing this procedure in small areas, others allow you to finish large areas at once.

If ironing is done correctly, the pattern will appear, become brighter and more expressive. Now the wall takes on an almost finished look, it remains only to protect it from moisture.

Wax application

The wax layer that protects the plaster from moisture is a very important component. beeswax provide a glossy, perfectly flat surface. Synthetic waxes provide a more matte finish. Wax can only be applied to thoroughly dried plaster (at least a day).

The wax is applied in a very thin layer, like the finishing layer of the plaster mass. If applied thickly, the wax layer may crack, ruining the entire work.

When the wax dries (20-50 minutes), it is polished with a fluffy nozzle on a grinder or drill. Then the coating must dry for at least 14 days.

Necessary materials and tools

For work, you need to prepare the right amount of dry mix, a container for diluting the plaster mass and a construction mixer. It will be necessary to knead the plaster in large quantities, it will be very difficult to do it by hand.

It is also worth stocking up a tool for smoothing: a narrow spatula, a set of Japanese spatulas of various widths, a Venetian trowel. To grind small irregularities, a skin is useful. For polishing, you will need a grinder or a drill with a nozzle, as well as rags for grinding hard-to-reach places.

Applying Venetian plaster with your own hands. Step-by-step instruction

The procedure for applying Venetian plaster:

1. Preparation of walls, materials and tools.
2. Applying a base coat.
3. Application of the main layers.
4. Ironing.
5. Waxing and polishing.

Each layer must be thoroughly dried. Therefore, it should be understood that the application of Venetian plaster is a rather lengthy process. But it is better to wait for complete drying than to spend a lot of time and effort on repairs if insufficiently dried plaster falls off the wall.

Before applying plaster using Venetian technology, you should thoroughly practice. But if you properly master the technology, you can get surfaces of extraordinary beauty that are in no way inferior to marble.

Italy is far away, but sometimes you want to feel like a rich doge in a small personal palace. For wall decoration there are many modern materials. All of them differ in quality and their specific features, such as Venetian plaster. Let's see what application techniques exist, since decorative coating can be performed different ways, and consider the most common and simple, which will still give the desired effect.

Preparatory stage

Even if you have long looked after a container with a mixture in the store, and, having decided to change the design of the premises, rushed to the store and made a purchase, this does not mean at all that when you come home, you can immediately start finishing. The most important part of the job is the preparation for it. The wall surface must be thoroughly cleaned of any old coatings, including plaster, if it is not held securely and has cracked areas. After that, we inspect the walls for irregularities.

Highly visible protrusions are best leveled with an abrasive disc grinder, because, which is only appropriate for ordinary finishes. If cracks are found in the walls, we embroider them with a diamond disk and cover them with cement-sand mortar, small cracks can be covered with putty, which, in general, is suitable for surface preparation. The main thing is that after applying each layer, it is necessary to use a primer impregnation, applying it with a brush.

If the base is in order and sufficiently even, it will be easy to hide small roughness directly with decorative plaster. The only thing that should be done in the presence of a solid base is to thoroughly clean it of foreign particles, such as dust and other contaminants, degrease and impregnate it with a deep penetration primer. The last action is necessary to increase the adhesion of the coating. When the putty, primer and other preparatory compounds are dry, you can take care of the problem of how to apply Venetian plaster.

Photo gallery: finishing options

Application methods

Back in the Renaissance, noble Italians ordered wall decoration in mansions not with carved wooden panels, as was fashionable earlier, in knightly times, but with the thinnest layer of plaster. The mixtures were composed of finely ground marble and gypsum mixed with lime. Other binders were added to them, according to recipes that were kept by ancient masters and, unfortunately, for the most part have been lost. But today this unique material and methods of applying its solution have been restored, while modern mixtures are used as binder fillers.

As for working with this finishing material, the methods of working with it are very different from covering walls with conventional leveling compounds. The decorative mixture is applied in the thinnest layer and therefore is completely unsuitable for smoothing out serious irregularities.. Moreover, in most cases, each layer, except for the first, is in its own way the finish, that is, it can be final, with the exception of single-layer options. Compositions are also produced that require the application of 4-6 layers of coating to obtain the desired effect.

The main way to cover the walls is with strokes, like those left by artists on canvases, but somewhat larger, and made not with a brush, but with a smooth steel trowel. But this technique is only relevant when you are working with multilayer finishes. First, a section of the wall is covered with scattered strokes, then new ones are superimposed on top of them, overlapping the previous ones, and so on, until you decide that there are enough layers, and you can move on to polishing and applying wax for more gloss.

Video: sequence of actions when applying Venetian plaster

Single-layer decorative compositions are easy to apply with a roller, and you can use both ordinary foam rubber and textured or curly nozzles. In most cases, the consistency of "Venetian women" and liquid wallpaper, which also belong to finishing finishing materials, is similar to thick sour cream and is easily captured both with a spatula (and then with a trowel) and with a roller. The latter can also structure two-layer plasters, having previously applied a starting coating.

Photo gallery: examples of interior decoration

How to apply Venetian plaster: step by step

As a rule, the result of the work always differs from the desired result, for better or worse, and beginners who seek to get the effect of a stone when decorating walls with decorative plaster are sometimes disappointed. The thing is that the smallest mistakes overlap each other in the process of work no worse than smears of the mixture, and it is impossible to correct the flaws, having started work, if you do not redo everything from scratch. We will try to trace all the stages in order to exclude possible mistakes.

1. Don't be surprised that too much emphasis is placed on this stage. The most important thing is that the base to be processed is perfectly flat, since the decorative finishing material not only do not hide the defects on the wall, but also emphasize them. Therefore, we carefully putty the recesses, remove the protrusions with a grinder or sandpaper, clean the surface and cover it with at least a double layer of primer (after the first treatment, you must wait for drying).
2. After the soil is completely dry, with scattered strokes, we begin to apply smears of the mixture on a clean plastered or puttied surface. It is not at all necessary to maintain the same distance between the "blots" of the Venetian composition, it is enough to cover the wall more or less evenly. We make arcuate or winding movements in any direction, trying to press the trowel more tightly to the base, giving the strokes a high density. Next, wait at least 8 hours until the coating is completely dry.
3. We continue finishing in the same technique, that is, we apply the mixture with smooth rounded movements, only shorter ones, this time placing portions in the gaps between the previously made strokes. It is better to change the trowel to a spatula and act crosswise with it, that is, apply the mixture in one direction, and remove its excess in the opposite direction. This method is called "butterfly". Laying new portions overlapping, taking into account individual fragments of the lower layer, we get the illusion of veins. A good solution would be to separate a small part of the solution and add pigments to it to change the shade by one tone. Occasionally using a different tint, you will come much closer to imitation stone.
4. It is better to immediately choose the direction from left to right, it is not necessary to focus on the window when layering strokes, on the contrary, the play of chiaroscuro from the resulting folds will give more resemblance to a stone.
5. When the applied mixture hardens after 4-6 hours, we create a gloss effect by polishing the surface with zero sandpaper. Some areas can be left rough, which will create the appearance of moiré, that is, a subtle overflow of stains.
6. We take a sponge. We dip it in a special wax composition for decorative plaster and rub it into the surface with soft circular movements. After drying, you can wash the walls with soap dissolved in water. Solvent-containing products should not be used under any circumstances. Once upon a time there was a profession of polisher, whose duties included figure skating on parquet floors with brushes on their feet, regularly dipped in wax. You can't really roll along the wall, but the result is just as brilliant, the walls begin to reflect the surroundings, like a mirror. Cloudy and blurry, but reflective, and when light falls on them, there is a transparent effect when you bring your palm to the wall and it is difficult to determine when contact will occur.