Stucco Italiano

New techniques video: Scale & Composition of Distressed Finishes

Here's a video we just posted on how to take your distressed Venetian plaster finishes from the sample board to the wall:

Trip to Italy - Dates Changed

We have a great trip planned this for fall for up to 12 lucky people, to visit the Veneto region of Italy where we'll study the application of Venetian Plaster while staying in the historical town of Vicenza.

Dates for the trip are now October 26th through November 4th.  You'll want to arrive in Venice no later than October 25th, and leave no earlier than November 1st.  There will be an optional 3-day excursion to Venice for those who can stay through until November 4th.

Giovanni Polistena, owner of Stucco Italiano, will be teaching the class.  He is an amazing finisher with over 30 years of experience.  As well as manufacturing the Stucco Italiano line, he also runs projects throughout the world in some of the most exclusive homes and businesses. 

We'll also have the opportunity to tour the Veneto region, and in particular visit some of the historical villas of Andrea Palladio.  He was specifying polished Marmorino finishes 500 years ago, so we'll get to see how well these lime plaster finishes stand the test of time.

Vicenza's a wonderful city.  I've stayed there twice in the past two years.  It has some of Palladio's greatest work in the town center, and is a great jumping off point to explore the Veneto region.  It's not as touristed as some of the surrounding towns like Verona, so you can really relax and enjoy life like an Italian when you stay there, at least that's how I felt. 

The exchange rate's kind of rough, no doubt.  That's one of the reasons we changed the dates this year from late June to the fall.  Better air fares and better room rates.  Plus at least half a dozen people said they definitely wanted to go but just couldn't deal with being gone for 10-14 days during their busiest time of the year.  So start saving now because I promise, it will be worth it -  this will be a great trip!

Here's a link to a two page PDF with more details:  "http://www.seattleafs.com/pdf/italy_info.pdf 

If you're interested give us a call at the Studio, 206 838 5888, for more info. 

 

 

Here's some photos from last October's class with Giovanni:

Working on large surfaces in class will really help you get a feel for applying the material properly.

 

 

Venetian Plaster Tips - Tinting your Wax

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.

Stucco Italiano Launch Party!

Here's the video we made at our Stucco Italiano Launch Party:

New Trowel Belt from 3M

Alberto, from 3M tools in Italy, our Venetian Plaster tool supplier, just sent me this photo of their new tool belt. Looks pretty cool - I'm going to bring some in on our next container. What do you think?

All kinds of stainless steel Italian Plaster tools at reasonable prices available on our Stucco Italiano website here.

Venetian Plaster Classes

Just finished our Venetian plaster series on Saturday – posted some photos of our work during class here: Had a great group of folks from all over the place, Virgin Islands, East Coast, Idaho. We’re looking forward to working with all these people in the future. That’s a really important part of our business – supporting finishers out in the field after class. I think that’s one of the great values our company has to offer.

Ode to the Color Brown

Nice Blog, this one.

Always been a big fan of brown myself, check it out:

http://decor8.blogspot.com/2008/01/unsinkable-color-brown.html

Tadelakt Shower Installation - More Good Info

Posted recently on the Faux Forum discussion site:

http://www.fauxforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2273&highlight=

Tadelakt Shower Discussion

Interesting discussion about installing Tadelakt in showers here:

Link: Ask Kevin: Lime plaster shower | Building Green TV.

Tadelakt Application Info

If you're not familiar with Tadelakt, it's a wonderful material. A traditional Moroccan wall finish, originating in the Marrakesh Region, is is found in the Hammams, the Moroccan steam bath, and in the riads of Marrakesh.

Here is some advice on how to easily apply Stucco Italiano's Tadelakt. We have included some notes to compare this modern application method with the antique or traditional Moroccan method. It should be noted, however, that more and more in Morocco, installers are using more modern application methods to give a more refined effect compared to those obtained with the rougher, more rustic methods which use less sophisticated tools and less refined products.

Tadelakt - How to apply

The preparation of the substrate is similar to that used with Stucco Italiano Marmorino Carrara. The ideal substrate is new plaster composed of lime, a little cement and sand. It can also be applied over old substrates as long as there is no crumbling and it has been treated with a primer.

Mix a 20 kg. container material with about 6.5 – 7 kg of water. Once the material is well-mixed, it can be colored and then left to rest for about a half an hour. It can then be applied, either that day or the next. (The material will still be good for several days if it is kept in a sealed container away from heat. However, it’s best to apply it within 2 or 3 days.)

After the substrate has been prepared, the first coat, tinted or not (white), is applied with a metal trowel. (With the traditional Moroccan method, it is applied with a tool similar to a Swiss trowel which leaves a slightly wavy surface.) Let the first coat dry completely (overnight). Remember that part of the pattern that is left in the first coat will be visible in the finished work.

Before beginning the second coat, we advise, as we do in the instructions for Marmorino Carrara, to replace all the protective tape. For the second coat, apply the material with the color of your preference with a large, metal trowel. As with Marmorino Carrara, it should be applied over the entire surface smoothing out any marks left by the trowel, keeping in mind that any marks left at this stage with remain visible in the final surface. (For those wishing for a completely smooth surface, pass over the entire surface with a with a sponge float.) Let it dry a little until it loses its shine, which is due to an excess of water. In some places you will see a slight lightening of the color. At this point you can apply the third coat using the same material and the same big trowel, or a smaller one if you chose.

The important thing is to use a trowel with sharp edges. Apply a thin layer, pressing (unifying) the second and the third coat into one thickness. You will have to pass over the surface numerous times, always moving the trowel in different directions until you achieved the desired finish. If you see bubbles appear during this stage, you’ll need to wait a little more before the final burnishing stage.

It may be advantageous at the final stage of polishing to use a plastic trowel, especially with lighter colors, to avoid burning the surface. At this point in traditional Moroccan applications, the burnishing is done with a polished stone that, given its round shape, allows the artisan to follow the wavy surface which has been created in the preceding coats with the Swiss-type trowel.

When the Tadelakt is completely dry, usually after one or more days, it can be protected with a special Moroccan soap (the same one which is still used in the public, Moroccan baths) which is made from olive oil. The soap is spread as is, or diluted up to 100%, with as much water as desired. Since this soap is very dark, we advise that it be well-diluted when applied on light colors in order to avoid unwanted discolorations. Normally it should be applied with a metal trowel, rubbing it on the surface until it is completely absorbed. Any excess soap can be removed using a cloth after about 10 minutes.

Vancouver BC Demo

Anybody up in Vancouver? I'll be there Feb 7th doing a demonstration with selected Stucco Italiano materials. If interested email me for details: aaron@seattleafs.com

Inside corners

So what's the easiest way to finish your inside corners? Usually we go around the whole room and just turn the corner on our first coats, but those finish coats can get real fussy in the corners.

Best way we've done and seen done is to put material on your finger - latex glove or finger condom nice to have here - and run it into your corner just like caulk. Easy. Then clean up the wall face you are not working on before proceeding to finish the wall face you are working on. Make sense? I'll do a short video on that soon.

Student's Work - Ron and Kristine Henshaw

These are some project photos sent to us by Ron & Kristine Henshaw of Henshaw Murals. The work is beautiful and inspiring. Ron and Kristine have both studied under Aaron. Kristine has this to say about her experience at SAFS; "I am very grateful to Aaron for the excellent training I received in his workshops. I took prodigious notes throughout his classes to which I still refer."

"Of particular value were his excellent insights into the business of decorative painting. I am convinced that his instruction saved me years of hard knock lessons. His knowledge and experience of materials and procedures is invaluable. I have always felt I could give a call when I needed technical support. Years later, I still, on occasion give a call for help."

More on Henshaw Murals on the Featured Student area of our SAFS website. You can also see more at Henshaw Murals.
Thanks for the photos and letter Henshaws! It's always good to hear from successful graduates.

Instructional Videos

Today we'll be filming some short (3-5 minute) videos on basic things like proper trowel angle, burnishing, waxing, etc. Should have them finished up be end of next week and we'll post to our sites and here as well, so check back.

Thoughts on "Green"

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.

Ad agency JWT says blue will be the new green - Green Daily

More evidence blue may be the hot color for 2008:

Link: Ad agency JWT says blue will be the new green - Green Daily.

materialicious

Blog devoted to architecture and materials:

Link: materialicious.

Customer story - Randy Orr

Randy Orr is a talented decorative plaster and paint guy up in B.C. we've known for the past couple of years. Check out this other business he set up, inspired by using left over materials -

Link: Tilano Fresco - Do something great with your photos - DaVinci Tile Kit, Fresco Tile Kit, Marble Coaster Kit, Glass Tile Kit, Ornamento Kit.

What's your level?

Here's a handy link to a document all about drywall finishing levels for those of you still perplexed by what we're talking about when we specify a "level five finish", for example...

Link: Drywall Finish Specifications.

Using powdered pigment

Mary from Massachussets wrote us the following about Stucco Italiano:

"This is a wonderful product. Used it in my dining room and it looks superb.
Any recommendations on tinting the plaster? I used ochres and oxides for a custom color but working in the color was quite a challenge."

Easiest way to break down powdered pigments prior to mixing into a plaster material is to put a small amount of denatured alcohol with your pigment. This will act as a surfactant and make it much easier to incorporate the powdered pigments into your plaster.

Anyone have any other technical questions, just email me.

Aaron