An History of Polished Plaster.

For centuries, fine artisans have been creating beautiful walls through the use of limestone plasters coloured with natural ingredients. As you travel through the Mediterranean countries you are able to see these walls, softened with a rich patina by age or decorated with various artworks such as Tromp L’Oeil. But you don’t need to travel to Europe any longer as these plaster techniques have been introduced to the UK. They have caught the attention of Interior Designers and Architects in a major way.

Polished Plaster is an Old World technique that starts with limestone rocks from rivers or quarries. By the use of heat, water and time, the limestone is turned into an amazing “lime putty”. Mixed with such colorants as ground marble dust, and applied via steel trowels with refined techniques, Polished Plaster turns an ordinary wall or ceiling into a masterpiece.

Although some Polished Plasters are polished or “burnished” with a sheen, techniques have been developed to give a multitude of different effects from suede to marble to stone. It is through the artisan’s imagination and the refinement of technique that truly wonderful effects are created. These effects can be used in many styles such as Old World, Contemporary, Tuscan, Traditional, etc.

This 1300 year-old process begins with selected limestone from quarries and rivers in Italy

The limestone is fired in a large kiln causing chemical changes that turn the stones to putty when placed in water

The putty is seasoned wet for up to a year before processing as a finishing plaster

The end result is limestone putty, finer than face makeup. This material creates the distinct translucent texture of Venetian plaster