Venetian Plaster and Marmorino in Vancouver: How a Polished Wall Is Made

A Venetian plaster wall starts as a sample board. You look at colour and texture first. The product comes after.

Venetian plaster and Marmorino are both lime plasters. Both are applied by hand with a trowel. They differ in how they finish.

Venetian plaster and Marmorino side by side

Venetian plaster goes on in thin layers. Each layer is pressed under the trowel. The result has depth, movement and a soft polished sheen.

Marmorino holds fine marble powder in the lime. It is burnished to a quiet polish that reads like stone. On a fireplace or a feature wall, it can look like a polished concrete slab.

How one Marmorino fireplace was made

The client wanted a concrete slab look with a polish. The home already had stone, concrete, cedar and brass. The fireplace had to sit with all of them.

1. Colour and texture. We settled those first. Then we chose the product: Novacolor Marmorino KS.
2. Samples. We made six. The client chose one, and only then did the work move on.
3. Protection. We cleaned the floors and laid a water-impermeable floor barrier. Delicate surfaces got delicate-surface tape.
4. Level 5 preparation. The three central panels above the fireplace were brought to a level 5 finish. Level 5 lets the plaster be polished, and stops unwanted shadowing once the top coats go on.
5. Application. We started at a corner and worked on a diagonal. That keeps the pattern random and natural.
6. Polish, then seal. Once the top coat dried, we polished it. Then we sealed it.

Choosing a colour

Each plaster comes in its supplier's own colours. The Venetian plaster card shows 36 colours. Novacolor Marmorino KS shows 40 of its 97 colours. You can try them on a photo of your own room in the colour visualizer. A physical sample in your light confirms the final colour and sheen.

Planning your project

Every project starts with a walkthrough. Specialty finishes are priced on a time and materials basis. Book any season. Plaster applications need stable indoor temperatures.

See the full range on our decorative finishes page, or tell us about your project.