# Venetian plaster- brands and types.



## golem74 (Aug 24, 2015)

HI all.
What brands and types of Venetian plaster you use and why?


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## Nick Harmon (Feb 16, 2013)

The term Venetian Plaster is very vague. They have an acrylic finish that they offer at Home Depot called venetian plaster but it's colored acrylic. There are many different types of this. True Venetian Plaster is an art form and highly difficult. I use Fresco Harmony. It's a colored joint compound system. It's easy to use, colors perfectly, goes over any substrate without prep, keeps for long periods of time and the results are beautiful. Message me if you'd like to try some. www.frescoharmony.com


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## fenez (Nov 30, 2009)

check out franklin stucco..theirs is really good. Firenze makes incredible plasters, I've used both products that I've mentioned and if I had to choose it would be firenze but that being said the franklin material is great. There used to be a company called mccloskys that made decent venetian plaster but I think Valspar bought them out. The acrylic based stuff isn't horrible by any means but try the lime based and you will prefer it, it handles more like actual plaster where as the acrylic stuff feels more like a thick paint.


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## Mr. Mud Man (Oct 9, 2009)

I guess I'm a little late to the party but I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I've used quite a few different 'Venetian Plasters' and I'm my experience they are not created equal.

I've done a lot of Firenze venetian and while it is a beautiful plaster, I've also found it to be very fragile and doesn't hold up if there is much traffic. Not to mention it is insanely expensive. (It really does look great though)

Armor coat makes a very tough venetian plaster that uses resin. Very durable but more difficult to work with and somewhat harder to get your hands on. (They required that you be a certified applicator to get any last time I used it, not sure if that's still the case.)

American clay plaster is another option. While not a true venetian plaster in the sense of a lime based plaster it does try to mimic the effect. Some people really like it, personally I'm not a fan but it is very forgiving and easy to use but it doesn't look very good to me.

My personal favorite venetian plaster is Vasari Plaster out of California. You can buy it as a dry mix and add tint when you are on the job. I use no VOC tints from Benjamin Moore and do a few test boards to get the color just right. It won't be an exact match but it will be close enough and the beauty of venetian Plasters' is the variations in color anyway. It's very durable and looks great and is a fair price.

Hope that helps and I'd love to see pics of your project when you're done. Have fun!


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## Superchief (Mar 9, 2016)

*American Clay vs Venetian Plaster*

Mr. Mud Man,

Can you tell me why you don't like American Clay? I'm a high end developer/builder and was about to specify it on a new construction job when I came across your post. I have a sample (Porcelina Sugarloaf White) which looks really nice, and I have talked to subs that say it installs easily and is easy to repair, so that look+cost+repair was driving my thinking. The look I was going for was mottled off-white suede but the Vasari looks like I could achieve a sophisticated silky finish, which could be great.

This is a very big job and I don't know how Vasari will price, though I am now looking into it. The material itself looks within budget, but it looks a lot more labor intensive (I was planning to spray and back trowel the American).


The size of the job depends upon the price, because I may have to switch finishes to L4/L5 drywall in some locations, but it is certainly > 10,000 sf at the minimum.


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## P.E.I.Taper (May 4, 2015)

Superchief said:


> Mr. Mud Man,
> 
> Can you tell me why you don't like American Clay? I'm a high end developer/builder and was about to specify it on a new construction job when I came across your post. I have a sample (Porcelina Sugarloaf White) which looks really nice, and I have talked to subs that say it installs easily and is easy to repair, so that look+cost+repair was driving my thinking. The look I was going for was mottled off-white suede but the Vasari looks like I could achieve a sophisticated silky finish, which could be great.
> 
> ...


If you like the sounds/look and your subs are willing to use it with postive feed back, sounds like a no brainer!


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## Nick Harmon (Feb 16, 2013)

Superchief said:


> Mr. Mud Man,
> 
> Can you tell me why you don't like American Clay? I'm a high end developer/builder and was about to specify it on a new construction job when I came across your post. I have a sample (Porcelina Sugarloaf White) which looks really nice, and I have talked to subs that say it installs easily and is easy to repair, so that look+cost+repair was driving my thinking. The look I was going for was mottled off-white suede but the Vasari looks like I could achieve a sophisticated silky finish, which could be great.
> 
> ...


I'm from Albuquerque NM. Here are the reasons why contractors I've talked to don't like American Clay. 
1.extremely fragile, they don't seal it although I think you could. 
2. Very expensive. $100 bag will run you about 100 sq ft. 
3. Doesn't cover existing textural surfaces w/o prep. 
4. Color consistency. This is a big one. With powder mixtures you will always have issues with color consistency. This is not only important for application but also for touch up 5 years from now. You'll bet a better look it's the Fresco Harmony system and you'll pay 1/10 the material cost. Way easier too. Www.frescoharmony.com


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## Nick Harmon (Feb 16, 2013)

Lastly. Most of your trowel finishes are going to be more fragile and difficult to patch. We've achieved over 400,000 ft of surface and have encountered just about every patch senario you can think of. Most CEO's of these innovative products don't do the work which is a huge disservice to potential clients. Whatever system you use there will be questions. Especially if you've never used the system before. Be careful of subs that say they can do everything. The products are only as good as the people applying them. Whatever you choose, Congratulations on not using texture and paint.


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## Superchief (Mar 9, 2016)

Nick,

I looked at your Home Show 2013 video and it is interesting - I certainly might be interested in it for at least some rooms, but I don't think I can achieve the luxury level of finish (e.g.: Four Seasons) that a lime plaster (like the Vasari Mud Man likes) would, but I'd probably have to test and see if I liked the look.

A couple of questions:

1. You mention you can go right over wallpaper - do you do any prep? How do you handle joints, or areas where any peeling has occurred (even minor)? 

2. I've heard American Clay works well in bathrooms because it doesn't mind moisture - I don't see why tinted joint compound would be different, but anything I need to know?

3. Any contractors you know of in the Philadelphia area using it whose jobs I might visit?


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## Nick Harmon (Feb 16, 2013)

Superchief said:


> Nick,
> 
> I looked at your Home Show 2013 video and it is interesting - I certainly might be interested in it for at least some rooms, but I don't think I can achieve the luxury level of finish (e.g.: Four Seasons) that a lime plaster (like the Vasari Mud Man likes) would, but I'd probably have to test and see if I liked the look.
> 
> ...


Great questions. 
Yes Fresco Harmony is every bit as beautiful as anything on the market at a fraction of the cost. The 4 seasons would be lucky to have this finish in any of their establishments. 
1. Yes we're gearing up to do a 70 unit office space over wallpaper. It's cheaper than re-hanging or stripping. Minor prep is required. We cut out loose areas and there always seems to be minor blistering after the base coat.depends on the quality of the paper hang. Really no big deal. 
2. American Clay is soft. They don't seal it hence its very susceptible to moisture. It's a pretty look and its green which are nice features but if it doesn't hold up I won't offer it. You'd be pleased with the durability of Fresco Harmony. I have it in my own bathroom. You can also do multiple coats of sealer. 
3. I don't believe we have any contractors in Philadelphia currently. The best way to yearn is to try it. Message me your address and I'll ship you a color pack to try, color charts, and info. I'm confident you'll like the product but for the footage you're talking about, you'll like the price more.


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## LuigiS (Dec 29, 2017)

*San Marco Lime Plaster*

Hi 
I have been using the San Marco brand lime plasters for years. Wide variety and good pricing. Quality is on par with the brands Firenze sells, but cheaper.

https://decorapainttools.com/

They also sell many decorative paints and all the special tools for decorating that you might need.


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## LuigiS (Dec 29, 2017)

*Venetian Plaster Choices*

Updated



LuigiS said:


> Hi
> I have been using the San Marco brand lime plasters for years. Wide variety and good pricing. Quality is on par with the brands Firenze sells, but cheaper.
> 
> https://thedecoracompany.com/
> ...


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