Chelsea Limewash Co. creates Venetian plaster, the layered lime finish known as marmorino that is troweled and burnished to a marble-like depth and sheen. Built from slaked lime and finely crushed marble, it is applied in many thin coats and then polished with the trowel until the surface takes on a translucent, stone-like glow. The play of light through its layers gives Venetian plaster its unmistakable illusion of depth, as if the color runs deep into the wall. It is the most refined and lustrous finish in the lime family, made for interiors that want real drama.
Venetian plaster, in its classic marmorino form, is lime plaster loaded with crushed marble and mineral pigment. As it is built up in thin layers, light penetrates the translucent lime and reflects off the marble particles below, producing the depth and veined luminosity that mimics polished stone. It is a finish that looks like it was carved rather than applied. That optical richness is the whole reason Venetian plaster has been prized in grand interiors for centuries.
The finish is built through patient layering. We trowel on multiple thin coats of lime plaster, each allowed to set, then compress and polish the final passes with the flat of the steel trowel. That burnishing action closes the surface and brings up its glassy, marble-like sheen. The number of coats and the intensity of the burnish let us dial the look from a soft satin to a high, reflective polish.
Venetian plaster can be finished anywhere from a gentle luster to a near-mirror gloss, and the same pigment reads differently at each level of polish. Deep, saturated tones show off the depth most dramatically, while paler shades give a quiet, stony elegance. Because it is lime-based, it stays breathable and develops character over time. We sample the exact color and sheen on your wall before committing, since both shift with the burnish and the light.
Venetian plaster rewards spaces where it will be seen and lit, such as entry halls, dining rooms, powder rooms, and feature walls in Manhattan apartments and townhouses. It goes over properly prepared, smooth, and primed substrates, since its polished surface reveals anything underneath. In a well-lit room its depth becomes a living element, shifting as you move past it. It is a statement finish, best used where that statement is wanted.
Chelsea Limewash Co. provides polished Venetian plaster and marmorino finishes to Manhattan, NY and surrounding neighborhoods including Chelsea, West Village, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Tribeca, NoHo, and Gramercy.