The Budget Casa

Okay, we admit it. We are in love with “This Old House” and after seeing Venetian Plaster featured in one of the houses two seasons ago, we HAD to have that look. After researching our options, we decided to do it ourselves in our newly renovated bathroom. And the look is gorgeous. It makes brushing your teeth feel luxurious. And all for under $100, here is what we did…

First, we researched. To find the best brands and techniques. In the end, we went with the Behr brand paints. We love that they have excellent coverage and our Home Depot guy knew a lot about using them. Behr sells premixed Venetian Plaster paint in a variety of luscious colors. We bought two gallons of paint, we waited for a sale and got them for $29.99 each at Home Depot.

Then we bought some tools. Basically, all you need is a trowel with rounded edges. We bought that for $4.99 and a plastic lining for our paint holder, which was $1.99.

Then we shut ourselves in the bathroom with some good tunes and went to work.

Venetian Plaster paint is thicker, somewhere in between joint compound and paint. You put a little on the end of your trowel and go to work on your walls. All the books we read told us to keep a consistent pattern, so we made Xs across the wall, covering as much wall as we could. Don’t worry if you can’t get it all, Venetian Plaster takes several coats. You’ll get it eventually.

Tip:Do not let the plaster get lumpy. Make sure your application is as smooth as possible.

Being careful not to put too much plaster on the walls, we went carefully and smoothly around the walls, making Xs. The corners were the hardest and required that we break our pattern. Tip: For the corners, put your trowel in the center of the corner and pull out, making a horizontal line of plaster. Being careful not to use too much plaster and making consistent horizontal lines, cover as much of the wall as you can. Then, use a small paintbrush to dab plaster in the areas the trowel did not cover.

Let the plaster dry and repeat.

We completed five coats on the wall before we were done and it took us three days.

If you are doing this in an area with heavy moisture or traffic, Behr has a sealing compound that you put over the plaster. We recommend two coats of this as a first coat doesn’t adequately protect the plaster.

For other rooms: When the final coat of plaster is dry, use the flat end of your trowel (not the tip) and rub gently over the plaster, smoothing down any bumps. Do this carefully and do this a couple times. It is labor intensive, but it is the final critical step in making sure your plaster is smooth and shiny.

When you are done, brag to your friends. Have you done Venetian Plaster ? Are you thinking about it? Let us know your tips, tricks, and pitfalls to avoid in the forums or in the comments below!