Old Canaan Building Materials

Venetian plaster is not a paint effect. It is a plaster technique — multiple thin coats of lime putty and marble dust, applied and burnished to a smooth, slightly reflective surface that has depth because it is built up from the wall rather than applied to it. In traditional New England interiors it belongs in formal rooms: entrance halls, parlors, dining rooms. In contemporary use it is frequently applied everywhere and often done incorrectly.

Venetian plaster has a depth that paint does not. Looking at it, you look into the surface rather than at a surface. The slight translucency of the lime layers creates a sense of thickness. The burnished surface has a low, even sheen — not glossy, not matte — that changes with the light. It reads as a substantial wall rather than a coated one.

Venetian plaster in the traditional sense is either grassello (pure lime putty, burnished) or marmorino (lime putty and marble dust, burnished). It is applied in two to three thin coats over a properly prepared plaster or drywall substrate, each coat partially dried before the next is applied, with the final coat burnished with a steel trowel to produce the characteristic sheen. Authentic products: Kalsomino from Keim, Marmorino from Oikos, or traditional lime putty and marble dust from specialty suppliers.

Venetian plaster is durable and low-maintenance. It does not peel — it is a plaster, not a coating. Minor damage can be repaired by a skilled plasterer. It breathes, which makes it correct for old buildings with inherent moisture movement. It is not appropriate in areas subject to direct water contact.

Venetian plaster is the historically correct finish for the formal interior plaster walls of Federal and Greek Revival period houses in New England. The smooth, lustrous plaster wall of the Federal entrance hall is this material. Contemporary reproductions in authentic products are appropriate for restoration and for new traditional work.

From specialty plastering contractors experienced in Venetian plaster techniques. The skill of the applicator matters more than the product. A poorly executed Venetian plaster application reads as a textured paint effect. A correctly executed one reads as what it is.