Project Focus - Marmorino Plaster Fireplace Mantel in Brighton, Michigan
Design and Concept Goals
We have had the pleasure of working with local Brighton, Michigan designer Lauren Michalak on a number of occasions and this mantel project was a joy to be a part of. Lauren has been our biggest advocate of these products and designs because of their versatility, imperfect beauty along with the depth and richness Venetian Plasters (also known as Marmorino) can offer. She and her client wanted something to contrast the clean elegant nature of the living room update and asked what we could come up with…
Process - Moving Forward
After discerning what the customer wants, we usually have a product or two in mind in order to achieve the end goal - something unique and gorgeous! We soon get to work on product samples offering a few different ways the plaster can be applied with varying levels of texture or smoothness on a 16x24 sample board or small 4x6 tile. You can see in the photos we were able to achieve both texture and smoothness.
Delivery
Once the final design and finish is selected we get right to work. Carefully masking off all finished surfaces, protecting the floor and further communicating with the home owner on how we can be good house guests - then it’s showtime! Depending on how the surface needs to be prepared, we apply the appropriate base coat to give the Venetian Plaster something to ‘bite’ to and proceed with each successive coat.
Success & Completion
How is the Venetian Plaster or Marmorino applied to the surface? We use various sizes of trowels specifically designed for Venetian Plasters as well as different sized metal spatulas or putty knives. This project was particularly challenging because of all the small details. Instead of being able to do big sweeps as we do on a wall or ceiling, we could only do the opposite. Imagine flexing in place or practicing isometrics all day… Yup, it’s a workout.
The results speak for themselves - creating a stunning showpiece that mimics hewn stone with some age. What we were able to achieve is not easy and requires a lot of skill and patience. Imagine the cost and weight savings of not having to have real stone with a basement underneath.
The final touch - protect the surface using a special sealer that does not alter the final appearance while allowing it to be cleaned from ‘cheetos fingers’. It looks and feels like real stone!
We take great pride in being able to deliver such unique centerpieces. But even more so, we get a lot of satisfaction with how happy our customers are, not just with the final product but also with how clean we keep their home during the each phase. By keeping our company small, we can complete our projects uninterrupted from start to finish to minimize the disruption in the daily lives of those whose home we are privileged to be in. Basically, we don’t have multiple jobs going at once and won’t disappear for days on end to work elsewhere and come back whenever… We work all consecutive days until the job is done with this only taking 3.
