Lime Plaster: Green no matter what color you choose!

Imagine a beautiful villa in Italy. The walls are as artistic as the architecture itself, and have withstood the test of time by lasting over 300 years. Now imagine wrapping these beautiful walls in plastic. Paint is like plastic wrap for furniture, the kind your funny old aunt used. Plastic covers on the carpet and furniture. Instead of that why not use the real thing, natural lime plaster.

The History of Plaster

Lime based wall finishes have been used for thousands of years. From the tombs of the pyramids of Giza to the Sistine Chapel, lime stucco has been a key ingredient in great architecture on six continents.

The earliest plasters known to us were lime-based. Around 7500 BC, the people of 'Ain Ghazal in Jordan used lime mixed with unheated crushed limestone to make plaster which was used on a large scale for covering walls, floors, and hearths in their homes.

Stucco often contained substantial amounts of mud or clay, marble or brick dust, or even sawdust. An array of other additives ranged from animal blood or urine, cow dung, animal hair, eggs, keratin or glue size (animal hooves and horns), varnish, wheat paste, sugar, salt, sodium silicate, alum, tallow, linseed oil, beeswax, and wine, beer, or rye whiskey. Additives, or admixtures, were usually added to enhance or modify characteristics such as curing time, plasticity, color, or volatility

Plaster decoration was widely used in Europe in the Middle Ages where, from the mid-13th century, gypsum was used for internal and external plaster. Hair was employed as reinforcement, with additives to assist setting or plasticity including malt, urine, beer, milk and eggs. In the 14th century, decorative trowelled plaster, called pargeting was being used in South-East England to decorate the exterior of timber-framed buildings. This is a form of incised, molded or modeled ornament, executed in lime putty or mixtures of lime and gypsum plaster. During this same period, terracotta was reintroduced into Europe and was widely used for the production of ornament. In the mid-15th century, skilled Venetian workers developed a new type of external facing, called Marmorino made by applying lime directly onto masonry.

The Mona Lisa hangs on lime plaster in the Louvre Museum. Same  formula as our Marmorino plaster.

In the last decade, an American invented term 'Venetian Plaster' has been assigned to a wide range of products - many having nothing to do with one another. There are synthetic products, some natural ones. It has become a generic and over-used term.  We prefer to stand alone without a label and just say we sincerely aspire to bringing you the best natural and beautiful plasters and stuccos to your doorstep, whatever you want to call it. And, no you can’t buy it at Lowes. What you get at Lowes is little more than thick paint.

The truth is that lime plaster was used in Venice starting in the 15^th century. Lime plaster has an unparalleled ability to hold up in moisture laden environments such as the waterways of Venice. Thus it is a perfect choice for moist areas such as bathrooms or even showers.

1.  It's beautiful. There's not much competition. It will transform your space.

2.  Lime plaster is lime based, natural, non-toxic, has no off-gasing of VOC’s and is hypo-allergenic.

3.  Because paint is synthetic - paint is rubber, plastic and chemicals surrounding you.

4.  It's affordable ... that means it costs a little more than regular paint, but saves your money and health in the long run.

5.  It lasts as long as the walls. It's the authentic, traditional stuff that's been around for thousands of years.

6.  Lime plaster is durable. When lime plasters cure, the result is hard-as-stone, long-lasting mineral coating. It's color integrated, so even if it's scratched, it still looks great.

7.  You can make it look like anything you can imagine ... from the very subtle to dramatic, in any texture sheen or color.

9.  Plaster will adhere to old latex paint, primer and cement, making it perfect for new contruction and remodels.

10.  Our products work perfectly for interiors and exteriors, for both commercial and residential projects.

11.  Plaster and stucco keep your space cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter.

12.  Plaster is versatile for both traditional and modern designs.

13.  Color integrated products won't fade in color, meaning they are UV resistant.

14.  Our products absorb excess humidity keeping it cool and fresh inside.

15.  Natural plasters and stuccos filter the air, absorbing carbon dioxide and odors.

16.  Lime based plasters eliminate mold and fungus.

Lime plasters absorb carbon dioxide as they cure. A 1000 square foot wall can absorb 1 tom of CO2 as is cures. Since it absorbs moisture, lime when used as an exterior coating in the form of stucco can help a building stay cool by absorbing moisture during the damp night hours and releasing it to evaporation during the day thereby cooling the building.

Lime plaster continues to cure as it reverts to its original state, limestone. As such it is itself fireproof, it will not burn and will help make any substrate more fire resistant.

Unlike paint when plaster is applied there are no noxious odors from the volatile organic compounds found in paint. There are none there. Lime plaster is simply limestone and crushed marble. 

So why not consider Lime Plaster instead of paint for your next wall finish?