Venetian Plaster

[cwbowen]

Any one ever used a venetian plaster or the look of venetian plaster technique. Can you give me information regarding time to complete, costs, does it look as good as they show it on the television shows, etc. Is it something I could do myself, or would it be easier if building a new home to add it in the cost, etc.

Thanks
:P

[Rich]

Personally I would add it to the cost of the house. People go to school for years to learn how to apply all the different techniques of faux painting - which is essentially what venetian plaster is.

[jrhode]

Applying venetian plaster can be a very time consuming process. Even with the pre-packaged products you have to go ever each inch of wall a minimum of three times, and that's for a pretty basic finish. Each of those passes takes much more effort and time than just running a roller over the wall, too. As far as the look goes, that can be hit-miss for the DIY'er. If you want a specific look or color combination, you probably won't be able to make it on your first try. On the other hand, if you're just looking for some interesting texture and are more flexible that way, (and have plenty of extra time) you could save yourself a lot of money.

As far as time to complete, for a good finish, figure four to five times the usuall time required. Actually, it may be more than that, when you consider dry times. Most times you have to wait at least 2-3 hours between coats to do the next step.

Costs: My contractor price for the pre-packaged stuff from Modern Masters runs aroung $50/gal, and coverage rate is only 150-200 ft2/gal. Labor rate starts at $45/ft2.

If you have your painter do it, just make sure they've done it before, and have them make samples for you to approve before they start in your house.

Good luck!