How to Apply Venetian Plaster
Looking for a good alternative for paint? Walls look lovely painted or covered with wallpaper, but if you want something that gives your space a little extra patina and texture, you can apply Venetian plaster instead. It’s very easy, as long as you have all the tools, and you know the proper procedure.
What You’ll Need:
Venetian plaster, prepared in your preferred color
Primer
Bucket of water
Steel trowel
600-grit sandpaper
Damp cloth
Procedure:
Make sure the walls where you’ll be putting the plaster are cleaned thoroughly. Remove old wallpaper or paint. If there is high gloss paint on the wall, rough the surface up using sandpaper first. Afterwards, wipe away the dust then vacuum the room.
You now have to apply a thin base coat. Use a clean, steel trowel for this and work at a steady pace. Hold the trowel at an angle, but not allowing the drying base coat to stay on it. Wipe or rinse it every now and then, to remove dried matter. Apply the initial coating as thinly and smoothly as possible, with overlapping short and long curved strokes. Don’t worry if you leave small areas bare, you’ll be covering them up during your next coating.
Once you’ve finished with the base coat, let it dry for a few hours. Most plasters dry in four or five hours, but to be sure, check the instructions on the packaging. Add an hour for good measure. When it’s dried, sand it a bit.
Apply the second coat, and like the first one, don’t allow bits and pieces to stick to your trowel and wall. Hold the trowel flat against the wall, too, and use long and short strokes randomly. This will be difficult at first, and much of the Venetian plaster will fall to the floor, but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Cover the whole wall, including the empty spaces you left in the base coat.
Let the second coat dry. This takes longer, at least 24 hours. When it does, sand it again, to rough up the plaster you’ve spread.
After you’re done, burnish the wall using a clean trowel. Hold it flat against the wall and scrape. Sand again for additional polish.
Wipe the wall to remove excess dust. Vacuum the flooring, too.
Improve your walls by applying Venetian plaster. Just remember the proper procedure, and you’ll soon have delightful walls to enhance your home interior.