I’m milliing over the idea of painting the walls in my new house with BEHR Venetian Plaster to give it what their brochure calls “an old world ‘European’ feel.” If anyone has used this product and would like to share the results or offer any advice it would be most appreciated. Thanks you.
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Based on my experience with Behr interior paints, I'd go with another brand, that's all I have to say. Nearly every paint manufacturer has a product line for faux effects, including 'venetian plaster'.
You could of course, get marble dust, mix it with plaster and do the real thing as well :)
You could of course, get marble dust, mix it with plaster and do the real thing as well :)
Thanks for the advice, girlbuilder. But doesn't plaster crack after a number of years? And funny you should mention plaster. I want the exterior of the house I'm building to have a Mediterranean, costal look and I was wondering about plaster on the exterior (don't care if the exterior cracks - it adds character). And isn't plaster difficult to work with? So, what say you?
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p.s. - and what's the difference between stucco (the real stucco) and plaster?
Edited 1/28/2007 11:38 pm ET by bayouelton
Edited 1/28/2007 11:47 pm ET by bayouelton
For the exterior you would want "Spanish Stucco" which is nothing more than a type of finish for stucco. It's very rough and Mediterranean-like and usually the color is in the mud, it's not painted. Find a plasterer or mason who does stucco and trowel finishes. The important thing is to get one person to do the final finish so the same hand and trowel make it consistent even though it's rough. As far as the Venetian Plaster goes, it might be worth checking out other products. Like the above post, I have not had that good experience with Behr products. Venetian Plaster, as mentioned, is nothing more than marble dust & water. Some companies who manufacture it mix in other additives like lime or silica to make it easier to work with. It also goes by the name Encaustica, or Marmorino (Goodgle them). Either way it goes on with a trowel,(many times the company supplies that), and it takes some playing around with to get the finish you want. Do a mock-up on sheetrock boards as samples, till you get the color and finish you want, it takes time but is worth it. Start out small with this type of stuff, like a powder room, A little goes a long way and sometimes a whole house done this way is simply too much.
Thanks Jer and Gary329. I did a ceiling in my pre-katrina house once (under adult
supervision, of course) where I applied a very thin layer of joint compound to the ceiling with a trowel. It ended up with a "skipped gaps" type of look. Anyway, I liked it a lot - at least I liked it a hell of a lot more than the cottage cheese that had been up there. The other questions I have are,
1) Is this pretty much the same thing we're all talking about here? The same page, so to speak. - and
2) What's the difference again between stucco and plaster? The window pic above is of a house that the photographer/author believes was built in the 1920's.
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00020.asp
p.s. - it goes without saying, of course, I don't want the broken off plaster look on the inside, just the outside. But only if it's feasible and practicle, and not likely to lead to problems down the road. I've seen some interesting photos in another Taunton book where the "broken-off-plaster-brick-underneath" look was intentionally reproduced on new houses. But, to me at least, it looked "staged" and superficial.
p.p.s. - (edit) now that I take a second look I don't know if that's brick underneath or not
Edited 1/29/2007 9:13 am ET by bayouelton
Edited 1/29/2007 11:22 am ET by bayouelton
Edited 1/29/2007 11:24 am ET by bayouelton
"2) What's the difference again between stucco and plaster? "That's a very good question. They are very close and often interchangeable meaning the same thing in the vernacular of the trade. Most often inside work is referred to as plaster and outside as stucco. Stucco for outside should always be a portland product, as it holds up to weather and water. Inside work is usually gypsum which would break down outside in the elements. I call everything plaster as do many of the others in the 'wet trades'."1) Is this pretty much the same thing we're all talking about here? The same page, so to speak. "They're first cousins. Same idea, different product. The look is a bit different. VP is colored and has real depth to it.
Real stucco when applied right should not crack. At least for many many years.
I was being snide. I did some research once on venetian plaster (interior) and the old technique was indeed to mix plaster with marble dust -- about three to one I believe. Exterior I'd think would be more like a stucco effect, which is a whole different ball a'wax.
Thanks. You were still right, though.
I have had very good results with Behr Venetian. It is not a paint though. You apply it with a taping knife or trowel. Takes some practise if you are not already good at say taping drywall. Be sure to prime the walls first. Work in small area. Great over a damaged surface you do not want to totally repair. Will hide a lot of defects. Limited colors in their computer. Try talking them into custom mixing. Or get two different colors and come up with a blended look troweled right on wet. Have to be a little artistic for that. Use their sealer in wet areas. Great old world or southwest look. Ask it you have anymore questions.
Gary
I have a client that has used it in several rooms. She's just a DIYer and the results were pretty nice. Not my personal favorite finish but it looked very nice in her place (she calls her interior decor, "Mediterranian French County"). I believe it's a two part process. You trowel it on, pretty much randomly (it's much thicker than paint, more like loose joint compound) leaving a certain amount of "texture". Once it is dry, you burnish it with a not-to-stiff steel scraper. I think Behr might even sell the burnishing tool as part of a kit, but a well-worn 4 or 6" taping knife would also work as well, if not better. The burnishing part is very labor intensive. You basically have to "buff" the walls, pulling the scraper backwards over the finish with a lot of pressure (if you try pushing the scraper you could gouge the wall). If you have weak shoulders or bad back I wouldn't suggest you try it. When done right, you get something similar to a knock-down finish, but is very smooth to the touch, with subtle variations in color. I pity the next owner that might prefer a smooth wall though. The only way I see to change back to a smooth wall would be a complete skim coat of plaster.
bayouelton,
I did our two spare bedrooms (13'6" x 14') with two different colors of Behr's venetian plaster and it turned out really well. The first room was the darker color and the second was lighter (I'll see if I can get the colors I used). What I learned is that I should have done them the other way around. The darker color shows the slight differences in technique as I was learning how to use it. However, the room still looks very good.
One important tip - given the thick viscosity, make sure HD mixes it twice as long as paint and before you begin applying it, check to make sure it's thoroughly mixed. We had a small disaster on one wall when we found out part way through a can that it wasn't thorougly mixed (a bit of sanding and another coat!).
Another helpful tip - buy the putty knife with the rounded corners, it will keep you from digging in on the slightly off strokes. Apply it as thin as possible (1st coat should cover most, but not all of the wall), but you will have to apply two coats. Would also suggest you apply it as flat as possible. If you ever want to paint over it, it will take less sanding (and this stuff is hard after it dries!).
It took me about 1.5 - 2 hours per 14' x 8' wall, with window openings definitely taking a bit more time. Other than that, my only advice is to use the same type of strokes so the texture looks consistent.
Good luck,
Terry