Venetian Plaster

Venetian plaster is a catch-all description for modern products that mimic Marmorino (little marble), a hand-crafted product that was used as far back as Roman times. Marmorino became popular during the Renaissance era 500 years ago in Venice. It was made from crushed marble and lime putty, and was used as an inexpensive way to simulate a marble wall.

Today’s Venetian plasters are still made with crushed marble, but also contain slaked lime for sticking power, improved manipulation & moisture resistance, and a blend of polymers for greater adhesion and strength. Slaked lime finishes last a long time and improve in appearance with time.

Venetian Plaster is an exquisite wall and ceiling finish and can produce some breathtaking results. The modern products can be applied to achieve many textures. A smooth and highly polished finish is possible, simulating marble. Another technique can achieve natural stone effects. Other effects can be created to achieve the distressed look of ancient walls.

At Terry Hunt Painting & Decorating, Marmorino Veneziano is the term that we use to describe the finishes that simulate marble.

We use two different products to achieve both the stone-like effect and the ancient wall effect. Depending upon the product used to achieve the finish we call those finishes either Marmorino Carrara or Intonachino.