quote:

Originally posted by Amy K. Calaway:
There has been a lot of back and forth in regards to the washability of Italian Plasters. Against my wishes, I have had the opportunity to put many of our finishes to the test, as I have a two year old who has an easle in my studio and like to "experiment" with different mediums while I work on finishes. This is some of the information I have discovered...
<br />1. Finger paint comes off of Calcenova with a damp Scotchbrite sponge.
<br />2. Finger paint also covers with Veneziano neutral. Across the board, Venziano is the easiest finish to clean.
<br />3. Artist's acrylic comes off of Stucco Romano (as well as finger paint. That is Griffin's favorite)
<br />4. Crayon scrubs off of Eturia with 409 and a nylon brush. However, if you use Goo Gone (my favorite crayon remover) Eturia will completely come off with it. Which means don't use Goo Gone on any of the acrylic/resin modified finishes, as it is chemically engineered to cut through acrylic. I have also dumped a bucket of chinese red Veneziano in my car and Goo Gone took care of that problem, carpet and all. Goo Gone also cleans Venzi off of black top driveways (Don't ask).
<br />5. While Cires d'Art does not completely "stain proof" a true lime, it will provide enough protection to help resist day to day wear and tear in high traffic areas (especially if you apply the recommended two coats). I have put it in my stair way. And I have 3 boys who can't walk in a house without dragging their hands on the walls (maybe our floors are REALLY crooked, or they have vertigo, I'm not sure). It does help. Again, damp cloth.
<br />6. Calcenova, (and all of our finishes for that matter) can not resist stains from "wakkie wall walkers" or any of those other stickie stretchy toy things. Do you know what I'm talking about? Those toys that look like a rubber string with a hand attached and you slap it against the wall or on a toy and it "grabs" it. Those things leave greasy little marks on everything, including painted walls and I have yet to find something that will remove the marks. My mom wouldn't let us have them in the house after she figured out that they were the culprit responsible for leaving the marks on her walls.
<br />If anyone else has any other cleaning tips for our finishes, please share your tips. In the meantime, I am sure my kids will continue to challenge our finishes. We should implement them into the laboratory testing facility. I have no idea what possesses them to do the things that they do to my walls and samples, but I am tellin' ya that they have taught me more about cleaning than Heloise or Martha Stewart could imagine. Boys are creative when it comes to demolition. Ha Ha Ha.
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