#enduit

DIY PLASTER WALL

Enduits décoratifs Colorare Stucco Veneziano

DIY PLASTER WALL

DIY PLASTER WALL

Some of you have been following me on Instagram with my home renovation projects in Lille and I have made a promise to share my diy experience. I will start today with my beloved plaster walls.

I LOVE plaster wall. I think they bring a lot of texture and depth to a surface. When I mentioned about “plaster” (“enduit” in French) to my husband, he said that it’s going to be long and a lot more expensive than the classic paint.

So I searched for someone who could do it in Lille, to see how expensive it was and….,surprise surprise…, I found no one. All painters and a few entrepreneurs who are used to building houses told me that they don’t do the type of decorative plaster I was looking for. Unbelievable…, I couldn’t accept the fact that NO ONE coud do this for me. Really ??? How come I see it everywhere on magazines? To prove that it’s not a mission impossible, I told my husband that I would try to do it myself. To reduce the risk, I started with a small room in the attic. If I fail and it turns out ugly, it’s not a big deal.

Once I had decided that I would do it myself, I started looking for the material. Another problem. I started to understand why no one wants to do it. The big hardware/diy stores like Bricorama or Leroy Merlin don’t sell the materials to make your own natural plaster. When I searched for ‘enduit” I only found the plaster that’s mixed with cement. I searched on the internet, and I found Ecobati. Yaaay, I was so happy when a saw that they had a shop in Lille. Finally, an expert in beautiful plaster ! I even saw that they organize workshop and trainings. Perfect, that’s exactly what I was looking for. I rented a car, went to the address, only to see that the shop in Lille was not operating anymore. They closed the shop permanently !

Finally I found Colorare on the internet. They sell ready to use natural plaster and after browsing their website, I decided to give it a try. I ordered a 4L of Stucco Veneziano. I was afraid that the final look would be too “polished” but I just thought that it was better than having a plaster with no shine at all.

The product arrived 2 or 3 weeks later, it was delivered by bicycle (because it’s company’s policy to be as natural as possible !!!) and it met my expectation. The only thing was the colour. I expected the colour Laguna 14 to be a little warmer but it turns out to be colder/ blue-ish and doesn’t match the colour sample on the screen BUT it’s still a nice colour so I’m fine. 

Plaster changes colour as it dries (after being applied on the wall) so don’t panic when you open the can and see that the colour is different. 

Some TIPS to apply the Stucco Veneziano from Colorare 

1) Use good quality tools made from stainless steel. Click here to see an example, you can easily buy it from Colorare or other diy stores (”magasin de bricolage”).

2) Prepare the wall, you need to have a very flat and clean wall. Stucco Veneziano is a product that has to be applied very thinly. Too thick (which will happen when you have an uneven surface), and it will crack when it dries.

If you have a wall in very bad condition, I think it’s better to ask a professional painter to prepare the wall for you. I actually had to redo totally one wall because I found some mold and the wall was full of holes with crumbling old soil. I wanted to use a natural mortar and not cement and ended up spending a lot of time redoing this wall and I never manage to have an even surface. 

Oh well, this is one of the walls in the small room so it’s fine, I can live with this imperfect wall :) I highly recommend that you ask a professional to prepare you the wall if there is a need. Anyone can apply a plaster but preparing a smooth and an even surface is a lot trickier. It takes a lot of practice.

3) Put an underpaint layer on the smooth surface before you start plastering. I used this product, from Colorare too.

4) The first layer of plaster is the base, to make the surface opaque, so you don’t have to press so hard. For the second layer (you need to wait one day before applying a new layer), you can press harder. In French they call it “ferrer”. When it dries, you will see that wherever you press hard enough after this second layer the surface will be shinier. In my opinion you will need to put 3 layers to have the perfect look. The final touch of Stucco Veneziano is very nice, it’s very smooth. The texture is only visual. 

5) Your wall’s final look will depend on how you apply and how hard you press the second and third layer. Any wall started has to be finished.

6) If you want to redo 4 walls of a normal room size (around 15 sqm) you will need to order the 12L of ready to use plaster.

If you need more inspirations, and want to know more about the different types of modern plaster walls available, check this page here, it is very well explained and there will be no secret anymore ! 

There you go..., now you can also have your own plaster wall :)

Les mortiers (10 planches)

À travers nos vidéos, découvrez nos chantiers et notre expertise au service des infrastructures et du patrimoine. Nous vous emmenons aujourd’hui au cœur d’un projet d’envergure : la réalisation du demi-échangeur de La Varizelle à Saint-Chamond, un chantier stratégique mené pour la DREAL.

Suivez les différentes étapes de construction, de la préparation du site aux travaux techniques, et découvrez le savoir-faire de nos équipes sur le terrain. Imipierre intervient avec rigueur et précision pour répondre aux exigences des ouvrages d’art modernes, en garantissant qualité, sécurité et durabilité.

Cette chaîne met en lumière nos métiers, nos méthodes et notre engagement au quotidien pour accompagner les projets d’infrastructure les plus ambitieux.