Polished Plaster

 

What is polished plaster

Polished plaster is a sometimes misleading, but commonly used English term describing a specific type of Venetian plaster with great glossiness, reflectivity or sheen, extremely compact and smooth, resembling cut marble or highly polished stone.

The term polished plaster originates from the method of applying the plaster with a special, Venetian polished plastering trowel on many coats (2 or three depending on the required depth, colours and texture) and then compressing it with great pressure and finally polishing it.

Only a score of years ago this method was a closely guarded secret and polished plasters in London and especially in the Canary Wharf area were applied behind curtains so other trades weren’t able to see the tools and methods of this ancient art.

 

How to apply polished plaster

The act of achieving a high-gloss polished plaster finish is called burnishing and although it can look easy, the right angle, pressure and tool can make or destroy the look. Creating the best polished plaster finish also needs an accurate sense of timing and polished plasters are applied on an extremely thin coat and dry very quickly.

 

Types of polished plasters

We also have to mention that although traditional polished plasters were all lime-based, since the 80s more and more acrylic formulas have been developed which finally enabled Impera Italia to offer a variety of synthetic, durable and flexible polished plasters for feature walls and high-gloss ceilings. These new range of plasters are extremely easy to colour, are very reliable and many times surpass ‘ordinary’ lime-based polished plasters’ features, especially regarding flexibility.

Impera Italia offers an unsurpassed variety of polished plasters from various brands to make sure that each of your projects or your home can really shine!