With such an array of finishes on offer within polished Venetian plaster, it can be a bit overwhelming when seeking a suitable option for your surfaces.
You may enjoy one that has a lovely patterning, displaying all the characteristics of marble plaster, whereas someone else’s preference may be for a more textured design.
How can you be sure that you’re making the right choice when selecting a specialist finish such as polished plaster?
This article should help shed some light on you, so read on.
What is polished plaster?
The starting point and quick overview are that polished plaster is essentially a Venetian laster, excellent grained crushed marble plaster.
It can also be referred to as marble plaster, stucco, Veneziano stucco or Italian stucco.
This traditional wall covering has been famous for many years on the continent yet has seen a resurgence in recent years in London and the rest of the UK.
Highly decorative, mesmerising patterns and an opulent touch make this a desirable choice for wall coverings.
There is another article covering this product in more detail which is linked here
What are some of the other types of Venetian plaster?
Some of the other types of Venetian plaster include:
- Coarse grain plaster
- Textured plaster
- Concrete plaster
- Tadelakt plaster
- Metallic plaster or textured paints
Which finishes are neither polished plaster nor Venetian plaster?
Of course, other products technically don’t fit into these categories since they are neither Venetian plaster nor polished plaster.
However, they can be referred to like them by people who don’t know otherwise.
Finishes here would be:
- Liquid metal
- Microcement
How to tell the difference between polished plaster and other decorative coatings?
This can take some skill, as there are often a lot of similarities between polished plaster and other decorative coatings, especially if they have been installed with the view in mind to appear as though they are.
The first step would be to enquire about who did the finish. If you can track them down, you’ll have an easy answer.
To the untrained eye and touch may be more of a challenge to identify.
A few tips for doing sop should you wish to explore this yourself would be the overall appearance. Is there a plastic look and feel to the surface? If so, then an acrylic-based product is more liley
Smell, actual Venetian plaster has a distinctive aroma, which should still be present if it’s a fresh installation. In contrast, one that has been there for a more extended period will have dulled down or not be current.
Location of installation, if it’s been applicated to a wet room, shower area or surface subjected to dampness, humidity and movement, extreme temperature changes or exposure to the elements, it should not be polished plaster.
Should the installer have added some to these areas, it is likely to cause problems or fail.
Instead, one of the other options from the above list would be more appropriate now there is a possibility the client had been very insistent and could have signed a waiver should any issues arise.
So there could still be a possibility of this, or the installer didn’t know/didn’t care.
Who can install polished plaster in my area? ?
Depending on where you’re based, you will have different options for who can install polished paster in your area.
We’re based in Kingston Upon Thames, working predominantly throughout London and the home counties, but it’s not to say we wouldn’t travel further afield.
For enquiries outside of these catchment areas, we have a network of equally talented and vetted applications.
So don’t rule us out entirely if this is the case, as we may be able to point you in the right direction rather than taking a gamble on a stranger.
Should you wish to discuss ideas on all things polished plaster related, drop an email over to hello@signature-walls.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Signature walls team.
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