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Master of Plaster
Installing Venetian plaster in seven bathrooms

There’s an upside when you’re hired to refinish seven bathrooms; when it’s time to take a break, you’re right where you need to be. Jason Rosales, owner of Artisan Factor in Minneola, Florida, had the opportunity to install seven powder rooms’ worth of Venetian plaster in an Orlando home. “It is an excellent mineral finish selection for bathrooms, as it helps regulate humidity and is antibacterial,” he said. “Each bath was to receive a custom look that would complement the adjoining bedroom with a blend of colors and texture.”

The homeowners were certainly knowledgeable about the décor. “The family in this beautiful home owned the prestigious Italian fine dining restaurant Christini’s, which is the recipient of the Restaurant Hall of Fame Award and Best of the Best Five Star Diamond Award,” said Rosales. “They loved all things Italian and were excited to have Italian plasters for their various wall surfaces.

Once the stars faded from his eyes, it was time to get to work. “The wallpaper in each space had to be removed, and it was in excellent condition after many years,” he said. And with wallpaper,

usually the better it sticks, the harder it is to remove. “I knew the right guys for the job — Gerry Nole and Ricardo Valencia — and they stripped each bathroom ahead of me as I progressed through the home. Once I had a blank canvas to work with, prep work began using tape, paper, plastic, caulking and final smoothing. Prep work is a vital step that can easily be underestimated and come back to bite you if not done well. It’s worth the extra attention.”

Of course, there were roadblocks right out of the bucket. The initial order of over 20 gallons of plaster arrived tinted to the wrong color. “I was kneedeep into the first bath and had to keep moving forward!” Rosales exclaimed. “I called upon all my color theory skills and tinted and mixed my way into the perfect match to the approved sample board. In the meantime, I contacted the vendor, and to avoid shipping delays, I drove several hours to meet them halfway to trade for a re-tinted batch. The second batch proved better, though some custom tinting did have to be done here and there. Not for the faint of heart!”

Jason had to call upon his years of experience, first not to panic, and second to make sure what started off so wrong could end so right. “Understanding color theory and having on-the-job color-matching abilities were critical in avoiding delays,” he said.

Each of the rooms had a different finish, so Rosales stretched his abilities to the max. There was terra cotta, Marmorino, gold leaf, faux marble, glazing — just about every decorative skill he had was put to use.

In the end? A great relationship with the clients and a callback to apply a decorative finish to the front door. “The solo project took several months, and my clients became like family to me. I'm infinitely happy to have met and worked with them, and I'm sure we'll do so again in the future,” said Rosales. APC

Key Products

• Modern Masters MasterClear Supreme
• Italian lime plaster
• PPG Break-Through