Ok, my first time here.
I have been applying venetian plaster for while now and absolutely love it.
My question is this....how do I make a deep red vp color. Everyone I talk to anyone that knows anything about it says it cannot be done, but I find this hard to believe. Does anyone have insight on this??? Brand names, formula, pigment color etc..
Any help would be VERY appreciated.

matthew

Matthew,What kind of plaster are you now using?Ken.

Hi Ken...thanks for the reply!
Right now I have some Vivaldi Stucky plaster. Technicaly I'm not using anything right now becuase I've hit a road block with this whole red issue. What I'm looking for is a deep...sort of a cherry red. Funny enough...it's very close if not the same color as what you have on your Studio of Uccello site, Italian Plaster page, 3rd pallet down above the Neutral Base text. If nothing else at least I know it can be done now.
In the past thought, I've been using Vivaldi.
Thanks again for your time

Hi Matthew. The plaster you may be trying to tint to a deep red tone is likely a lime based plaster. The resin based plasters will tint to the darkest of tones, but even they have their limit as to how much tint the plaster will carry. You must use a high quality-resin based plaster or at least a modified lime plaster to achieve darker tones, be they red or any other shade. Straight lime plasters will always greatly lighten once dry, while the synthetic (resin-based) will hold their color much, much more. A modified lime plaster is a lime based plaster that has had at least 4-5% resin added to it to enable the material to retain darker shades. I hope this makes sense to you.

I can only recommend to you the plaster that I have found to be the best available to me in the States. That plaster line is from Safra. The Veneziano is a resin based plaster that holds dark tones, and burnishes to a glassy demeanor. Check into classes if you want to get access to the plasters. Good Luck!!!

Thanks for the insight Greg. I will concentrate my searches towards a resin based plaster now. Yes...with the lime based it does not hold as deep as a tint as I am looking for, and dries much lighter. So all of that makes sense.
As intriguing as the classes look, this project is for my home. So spending that cash to plaster four walls isn't very cost effective. I just need four to five gallons of this rich red stuff hahaha.

Thanks again for the insight.

Matthew, since you mentioned that taking the class for the one room is not an option, the best I could recommend would be the Modern Masters 'Venetian Plaster'--resin based. There are many colors available and I'm sure you can achieve your appropriate red. I'm not sure where you are located but look into Benjamin Moore stores, they carry that Modern Masters line usually. Good luck

matthew brought up an interesting problem- how to achieve a deep color with a lime based plaster:
i've done alot of deep colored walls and this is the way i do it: for red, i would tint my lime based plaster with an oxide red and trowel on a prepared wall and while its still wet, i brush with the color diluted in a soap emulsion, gently with a soft brush a couple of times, pressing with marmorino trowels (3 point hand-made trowel with bevelled edge)softly in te beginning and hard on the last coat until a uniform lustre is achieved. this has to be done one area at a time. when completely dry, i brush again with clear soap and then polish with wax.
happy new year! orazio

Perfect...thanks for all the help everyone. Modern Masters looks promising, they have a Deep Tint Base that looks like could do the trick. It's base color is already darker and it's resin based, so I figure if I can't do it with that then I have issues .

Hello Orazio
I have always liked your website!
Doyle

Doyle- Thank you! Orazio

Orazio, couldn't you tint the wax to darken the reds?

Steve, yes you could tint the wax.But in this way you can not achieve the saturation of the color and the marble feeling of the wall. Tinting the wax is good only for a slightly darked tone, for a deep color you have to use a lot of color and therefore you will be applying a thicker wax. At least this is the way i work.
Orazio

)razio, what is the best source of information in print, if possible, for the completly traditional italian plastering? And do you use cooked or raw linseed oil in your mix?

Laurie, I have many book on the subject but their are all in italian. Just to mention two title:
"L'arte dello stucco a venezia" Mario Fogliata-Maria lucia Sartor the publisher is Edilstampa.
"i Quaderni di Giacomo Querini da Venezia 1889"
Gilberto Quarneti, published by Ceprovip
Medolago (Bergamo) +035/901472
The linseed oil that i use is raw. Orazio

Thank you Orazio i did fail to mention I do not speak Italian! I do appreciate the info on the linsed oil. tried to catch a show demonstrating your plastering technique and skill that aired on a pbs station out here but missed it Any ideas how I can see it?
laurie