How to Venetian Plaster Your Walls Part 1: Making Lime & Marble Dust Venetian Plaster

You’ll find several links within this post. I’ve added them to help cut down on your internet research. I’ve ridden the cyber wave night after night researching Venetian Plaster finish and lime-based plaster.

Learning about lime plaster how-toscan prove confusing. I hope the added links help clarify lime plaster methods. Part 2 of this post teaches how to apply the Venetian Plaster Finish.

I suggest completing as much research as possible before attempting to mix lime plaster or doing a Venetian Plaster finish. Walls must be properly cleaned, repaired to a smooth finish, and primed before applying layers of Venetian Plaster. Once the plaster is complete, you may choose to wax and buff it to a high shine or finish it with a gentle burnished sheen.

Always wear mask, gloves, goggles, and long sleeves and pants when working with lime plaster. Making lime plaster may generate heat so beware not to work on flammable material such as newspaper or plastic. Work in a well-ventilated area.

 

Let’s make the Venetian Plaster

For a true Venetian plaster finish, you should use a slacked lime and marble based plaster. But that is difficult to find in the U.S. To make your own Venetian plaster (which is not quite like that you’ll find in Europe but still fine enough) you simply mix Type S Hydrated lime powder with marble dust as an aggregate and ta-da, you’ve got homemade Venetian Plaster. I’ll include my formula which I’ve just created through my internet research.

Keep in mind that a true lime plaster, which is the base for Venetian plasters, reflects light, changing its color tones as the daylight moves over the wall.

 

“Authentic Venetian plaster is not a faux finish. In fact, it’s the most authentic veneer wall finish you can have. When natural, lime-based venetian plaster is applied it will eventually return to it’s original state, which is lime and marble, AKA stone.” Excerpt taken from Stucco Italiano at

http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/tag/venetian-plaster-in-the-shower/

Why Lime? History & Benefits An article at Stucco Italiano

Why is Hydrated Lime Special?

Hydrated Type S Lime at Menards

Ivory Finish Hydrated Lime at Menards

Lime Handling Safety Data Sheet

Stephanie’s Venetian Plaster
Ingredients:

Lime Putty
Marble Dust or Flour (medium mixture)
Linseed oil
Chipped olive oil soap (Melt it in equal amounts of distilled water)
Fresco pigments or lime-safe universal tint
Water (some say use distilled in order to omit salts)
A high torque drill with paint mixing whisk attached
Clean Bucket with Lid (You can purchase these at building supply centers for under $5.00)
Dust mask
Gloves
Protective Clothing

For two gallons of Venetian Plaster you’ll need 128 ounces of lime putty, 128 ounces of marble dust, 4 tablespoons of melted olive oil soap, and 24 ounces of Linseed oil. Mix above ingredients together until plaster thickens. Add 12 ounces of Fresco pigment, or lime-safe universal tint. Blend well. Apply to walls. Once Venetian Plaster dries and you’ve completed burnishing it, rub Johnson’s Paste Wax on with a handheld car wax buffer or lint-free soft cloth.

Or try this mixture created by Louise Harding, “Homemade Venetian Plaster.”

You may also benefit from this article, posted by a lady who needed to make her own lime plaster for her Victorian home remodel. "My recipe for lime putty andlime plaster.”

To make an easier mix, use 65% Lime Putty and combine with 35% gauging plaster. Gauging plaster is special gypsum plaster. Gauging Plaster.

Lime Putty Making Methods:

How to Make Lime Putty

Ingredients:

Type S Hydrated lime powder

Water (some say use distilled in order to omit salts)
A high torque drill with paint mixing whisk attacked
Clean Bucket with Lid (You can purchase these at building supply centers for under $5.00)
Dust mask
Gloves
Protective Clothing

Add water to bucket (about 1/3 of the water). Slowly pour dry lime into water and run the drill in reverse, mixing the lime into the water. Continue adding the lime and mixing with drill until the putty is of a thick paste consistency. Blend out all clumps until the dry lime is completely hydrated (or slaked) and of a consistent paste. This process should take about 20 minutes. Do not attempt to use the lime putty right away. It’s time to reslake the lime. Pour enough water onto the lime putty to just cover it. About 2 inches should cover it well. Put lid on bucket and let the lime putty swell (reslake) for 2 weeks. Once the lime putty has reslaked, open lid and pour the sediment off of putty.

Lime Putty 2:

Add hydrated lime powder to water (distilled if you like) until the water will not accept any more lime. (If the lime powder floats on the service for more than a minute, stop adding the lime). Blend out all clumps until the dry lime is completely hydrated (or slaked) and of a consistent paste. Reslacking: Afterwards, cover the bucket and let set overnight. The following day, add more lime powder if the mixture has settled. Add only enough lime powder to draw the water. When considerable water no longer sets on the surface, allow the putty mixture to reslack (set) covered in its airtight container in a cool place. Don’t fret if you see a crust and some water forming on the surface of the putty. Pour the water off and use putty right away. You may add just enough water to cover the mixture, about 1 inch, and store it for up to 3 months.

Before using your lime or Venetian Plaster beat it until it has a nice, stiff consistency. Make it thick enough that it will remain on a trowel when held upside down. Adding too much water to the lime plaster will result in shrinkage and cracking as it dries.

If you do not want to make the Venetian plaster yourself, you can purchase synthetic Venetian Plaster premixed (must add universal tint for color). I purchased Behr Venetian Plaster for my kitchen walls. It’s not the ‘Marmorino’ but it works just fine.

Marmorino is classic (lime and marble) Venetian Plaster.

Part 2 of this post teaches how to apply the Venetian Plaster Finish How to Venetian Plaster Your Walls Part 2: Applying the Venetian Plaster Finish

Links:

RepairingHistoric Flat Plaster Walls and Ceilings

Venetian Plaster Tools; a video

Know your lime plaster. Learn the methods of applying lime plaster BEFORE attempting it. Lime plaster is often difficult to work with as you must work quickly. It also takes much longer to dry/cure, several weeks, months, and sometimes up to one year.

This post is my method for mixing and using lime plaster. I take no responsibility for anyone’s success or failure at mixing their own lime plaster or for the use and/or storage of it. Lime is caustic. Handle with care! Keep out of reach of children.