Plastering the Venetian way

The art of Venetian marble plastering has been traced back to Ancient Egyptian times but it was the Romans who perfected the technique when it was traditionally used for decorating walls in damp places due to the composition of the plaster itself; a mixture of marble and lime which is more durable and practical in such an environment.

One of the main reasons it's adopted nowadays is not only for its durability but for the artistic effects you can achieve with it. The techniques used create all sorts of different looks both contemporary and classic. In response to the growing popularity in home improvers going for these looks, plasterers and decorators alike are training themselves up to become more like decorative artists.

Venetian plastering in the North West

Michael Ball, a Rated People tradesman branched out into Venetian marble plastering a year ago and tells us here why he thinks it's a great way to plaster:

"My company has been doing Venetian plastering for just over a year now; I branched out into it because I wanted to learn a new technique and offer something extra to my clients.

There are plenty of benefits to using marble plaster over gypsum plaster; it's mould and mildew resistant, breathable and creates a really hard surface which makes it more durable. Not only this but it's much more decorative and creates depth to the wall. The choice of effects is overwhelming too; we work with over 500 different colours and shades and you can use as many of these shades on the same wall as you like - although 2 to 3 is the optimum number that we recommend.

On top of this you can also use stencils and glitter so the effects you can achieve are numerous and can be as individual as you like. I like it because it gives me a chance to be creative and make my customers happy by doing something a bit different. The way the plaster is made up is ideal for bathrooms and kitchens and many people use it to create a feature wall. The best thing about it is that once you've finished, there's no need to paint or tile which saves you money.

There are, of course, risks to getting the effect right because it can vary greatly. I always make sure that I practice the techniques needed to achieve what the customer wants before doing it straight onto the walls as you have to make sure you get the mix right and that the customer is happy but because of the nature of Venetian plastering, a lot of some of the best looking walls are achieved with the plasterer going with the flow."