How to make Venetian stucco with your own hands? The question is quite interesting. The history of the creation of this material dates back to ancient Rome. It was then that marble was used much more often than any other material. During work, there was a lot of waste: dust, crumbs, damaged blocks, etc. That is what they began to use in the future for finishing surfaces inside buildings.
Why Venetian stucco?
Most specialists in this field are confident that this material can last much longer than ordinary plaster, which is the main advantage. However, there are many other advantages:
- Stucco itself is an environmentally friendly, natural material, which means that it is completely harmless;
- the material is better than others to hide all irregularities and other wall defects;
- preparatory work is less time-consuming;
- over time, the plaster does not crack itself and prevents cracking of the wall;
- if the plaster is coated with hydrophobic wax, then even sudden changes in temperature and any exposure to moisture will not be scary;
- any surface on which such plaster is applied is easy to process and restore.
The composition of this raw material is quite simple, and therefore you can create Venetian stucco from putty with your own hands. The main components are small particles of marble, quartz, granite and other different types of stone. By changing the ratio of these ingredients, you can change the structure of the future coating. In ancient times, slaked lime was used as a binder; now it can be various synthetic additives, such as acrylic. Additional components are dyes and water.
The variety of material and its types
Today you can create several different types of Venetian stucco with putty yourself. It is also worth considering the properties of this substance. You need to start with the fact that the color scheme of the material can be almost any. It also successfully simulates the surface of a stone, most often marble. If you need to add a coloring pigment to the composition, then this should be done immediately before the application of the raw material to the surface. In addition, it is worth noting that the Venetian plaster of ordinary putty itself has a transparent coating. Thanks to this property, it becomes possible to achieve the play of light on its surface. This type of finish can be applied to wood, concrete, brick. It is important to know that the method for preparing it for work will depend on the surface on which the plaster is to be applied.
Due to the huge number of different textures, the material will fit perfectly into any interior, if you successfully select a coating. Making Venetian marbled stucco with your own hands is very common today.
The surface itself can be either glossy or matte. In order to get the right look, you need to know some nuances. For example, to get a matte finish, you need to apply a thin layer of wax to absorb it. To obtain a glossy surface, it is necessary to apply a different type of wax, which is laid on a surface that has been previously smoothed.
What do you need for work?
If you need to create Venetian stucco with your own hands from ordinary putty, for example, you will need a set of certain tools and materials:
- Roller, rags, spatulas, sponges.
- Masking tape, level, tape measure, ruler.
- Skin number 120 and 220.
- Stucco and clear water.
- Containers in which the ingredients can be mixed.
- Trowel.
- A mixer of construction type or an electric drill with a suitable nozzle.
- Polishing machine with a nozzle for wax.
It is worth adding that you can make wax for Venetian plaster with your own hands. You also need to have on hand several spatulas of different sizes - from larger to smaller. The largest will be applied in order to apply the main layer, and patterns will be applied in smaller ones. Successfully used suede mittens, with which you can polish the finished coating.
Create decoration
How to make Venetian stucco with your own hands? After all the necessary materials and tools have been purchased and assembled, you can proceed to the practical part:
- The first method is suitable only for those who are familiar with all the necessary proportions and have professional work skills. In this case, you need to mix the required amount of stone chips, slaked lime and dye.
- The second way is much simpler. Currently, dry ready mixes are already being sold in stores. You just need to dilute it with water, strictly observing the proportions that are usually indicated on the package with the mixture. Water is mixed with raw materials, after which it is thoroughly mixed with a mixer or drill with a nozzle. In order to successfully dissolve all the components, it is necessary that the water temperature be at least 10 degrees Celsius. The consistency of the finished coating should resemble thick sour cream. When this moment is reached, you can add dyes until then, until you get the desired shade.
- The easiest way is to buy a ready-made mixture that does not even need to be mixed with water, and just add dyes to it.
It is worth agreeing that solving the question of how to make Venetian stucco with your own hands is very simple. Here you need to understand that it’s impossible to buy a finish ready to work anywhere. You can purchase only a dry mixture or a diluted base. All final preparations to obtain the desired shade are performed independently.
It is worth adding that in itself the Venetian plaster is not so much the material itself as its application technology. It should be noted that even a dry mixture is quite expensive, and therefore you can go the other way. You can create this type of Bole cheap putty. For this, ordinary quartz soil is painted in the desired color by thoroughly mixing the two components. After that, this composition is used for priming the wall. After that, you need to tint the putty in the same color and apply the material as required by the Venetian plaster technique. With your own hands you can create a certain textured drawing, for this you need to have putty of two different colors on hand.
Preparatory work
As mentioned earlier, creating Venetian stucco on your own is not so much mixing the components as the correct application technique. Therefore, it is very important to know the entire sequence of work. It all starts with surface preparation.
The first thing to do is create a perfectly flat wall. After that, it is covered with a primer liquid. Specifically for Venetian stucco, you can pick up the soil with your own hands. Kwarc and other similar formulations work well for this. If there is no opportunity to purchase the right primer, then you can go the other way. White acrylic paint is mixed with ordinary water 1: 1. Using a roller, the composition is applied to the wall, after which it is dried, and the operation is repeated again.
It is necessary to have a trowel and a metal construction spatula on hand. You will also need sandpaper with very fine grain, a clean rag, the plaster itself in the form of a dry mixture or already finished. The last is wax for Venetian plaster. With your own hands you can create a matte or glossy finish.
It is very important to thoroughly approach the choice of spatula and trowel. Since these tools will have to work, the quality of the final coating directly depends on their quality. This means that the presence of even the smallest burrs at the edges makes the tool unsuitable for applying a thin layer of plaster. In addition, the most preferred spatulas are those that have rounded corners. If there is nowhere to buy such a tool, then you can process the corners of an ordinary spatula with a large sandpaper, and then sand it with fine sandpaper.
Finishing Method
There are three methods for applying Venetian plaster with your own hands.
The first option is considered classic and is called "Venetto classic." In this case, the entire plaster will have the same color. If an already diluted mixture is purchased in a store, then there you can choose the right shade using a computer. If you buy a dry mixture, and the solution is prepared on its own, then the procedure is somewhat different. Water and mixture are combined, everything is mixed. Then you need to let it brew for 5 minutes, then mix again, but already adding the desired dye. It is important to remember that when the plaster dries, its color will become much lighter.
Do-it-yourself first layer of venetian plaster is applied to the prepared surface:
- The solution is taken with a spatula and laid on the edge of the trowel with a uniform strip.
- The tool is held at a slight angle to the wall, and an arched movement is made with the hand. Then the plaster is rubbed into the surface with constant pressure. Thus, the mixture is applied to the end of the wall.
When only the first layer of Venetian plaster is applied with your own hands, the lines can be long, short, and wavy. It is only important that the edge of the previous smear overlap with the beginning of the next. After the entire wall is covered, it is necessary to leave it for several hours, so that it dries.
After complete drying, the procedure is repeated. Here you need to apply the finish so that the second layer overlaps the seams of the first. When the finish is finished, you need to dry the layer again. Usually, the time for complete drying of the composition is indicated on the package, but this is at least 2-3 hours. When everything is dry, you need to fine-tune the entire wall with fine emery paper, removing strongly expressed irregularities.
Glaze layer
This layer under the Venetian plaster with your own hands is applied in a slightly different way:
- The finished mixture is put on a spatula. The tool is attached to the wall almost perpendicularly. With strong pressure, the plaster must be smeared so that a very thin layer remains.
- After that, with a putty knife without a solution, you need to conduct another brushstroke again to remove all even small irregularities.
The movements themselves can be more sweeping than when applying the first layers. However, glazing is applied gradually, in small areas - approximately 0.5 m 2 . After the plot has been covered with mortar, you need to smooth it with strong movements of the spatula. To do this, its surface must be constantly clean. This is where a clean, soft rag comes in handy to wipe it constantly. Thus, the entire wall is covered. If after this stage any defects remain, then they can be removed with a fine skin.
Then the surface dries and is cleaned of dust. To make decorative Venetian stucco with your own hands even more expressive, wax is rubbed into it. This coating is applied in the same movements that were used to apply the gum coat. It is also applied in areas that can be covered in 20-30 minutes. During this period of time, while rubbing the second section, the first will have time to dry. After this period, you need to go for the last time with a spatula to finally level the surface. When the entire wall is waxed, you need to polish it using a soft, lint-free cloth.
Multi-colored plaster
You can apply multi-colored Venetian stucco with your own hands, photos of which show the full breadth of the palette. Using this method will improve the aesthetic properties of the plaster. The painting process itself is carried out according to the same principle that was used in the first case. For example, if you make two different solutions with the same color, but different shades (darker and lighter), you can create a finish called “anxiety”.
In order to successfully create such a coating, you must follow certain instructions:
- The first layer is applied in a light shade. The application method is the same as in the usual, classical method. The layer must be dried for at least three hours.
- Next, a mixture with a dark shade is taken on the spatula, and stains and stains on the wall are left in a chaotic manner. This layer should not be solid. With the number of spots, as well as with their sizes and shapes, each master is determined by himself, at will. The drying time of the layer is 2-3 hours.
- In the next step, you again need to use a spatula, but with a light solution. It is applied all the same arcuate movements, but at the same time it should cover only that part of the wall that remains between the spots. The layer is applied in small sections, and immediately after drying, remove too thick or uneven sections.
- The last stage of applying Venetian stucco with your own hands in this style is that you need to give it a day to dry. After that, if necessary, the wall is treated with a fine sandpaper, dust is removed, wax is rubbed.
Due to the fact that this method uses two different shades of the same color, the coating appears to be more voluminous than monochrome. However, the application technologies are very similar, and therefore, having mastered a simple classical version, it is quite simple to cope with this.
Marble imitation
This style is called "marbled" and is considered more complex than the two previous ones. It will be easier to cope with this work for those who have a good idea of what a polished marble slab looks like. It is important to note here that you can color the mixture in almost any shade that the master wants, since marble can be brownish, gray, pinkish or even greenish. Also note that the veins should have a darker shade than the one in which the entire wall will be made. The work of creating Venetian marbled stucco with your own hands is a completely creative process, as the master himself will create Venetian marble.
Most often, the mixture is applied diagonally to the wall, as well as at a slight angle, but always with an inclination. In general, the work consists of the following steps:
- On the edge of a spatula or trowel, you need to type a white and colored solution. In order to successfully create an imitation of marble, making even layers is not worth it.
- The plaster line is applied to the wall in a continuous and long strip. At the same time, white and colored shades will mix with each other, thereby creating a unique pattern. Such parallel strokes cover the entire wall. Drying time is about 3 hours.
- The second layer will be almost the same as the first. A white, colored and a little black solution is drawn onto the spatula. The addition of a black tint will create thin lines, small dots. Use a spatula to smoothly and slowly. At the same time, you should slightly shake the tool so that they are not even. It is also worth noting that the mixture can be diluted with darker or lighter shades at any time.
- The last stage will be the same as in previous cases: the wall dries up, is polished, and is rubbed with wax.
Types of marble
If the Venetian plaster is used correctly, then it is possible to create an imitation of the most different types of marble.
Carrara marble. It is worth noting that this type of stone in its natural form is practically not found in our time. However, it is quite possible to create its imitation using such plaster. However, this work is very complex and painstaking, as you will have to apply 12 layers of finish. At the same time, all shades should be different, but chosen so that they have similarities with each other.
Marseille wax. Using this method, you can successfully create an imitation of wood bark or old stone using Venetian plaster. A feature of the method is that the surface is waxed twice. In this case, the second layer may well differ from the first shade.
It is worth noting that you can create various imitations of Venetian plaster, using even improvised materials, such as plastic bags. This is the feature and technique of this coating. Do not forget that you can use the usual putty for Venetian plaster. With your own hands you can create such a masterpiece that no one else will have.