
When opting for homemade Venetian plaster finish or synthetic Venetian plaster paint, homeowners can expect to spend a few days on the process. But keep in mind that the homemade treatment requires more initial labor, since you need to tint the compound. Its joint compound is malleable, dries slowly, and can easily be wiped away and re-applied if you make a mistake. Of the two DIY-friendly methods, the homemade treatment is more forgiving than the synthetic paint. Professionally installed authentic lime Venetian plaster could run you anywhere from $800 to $1,200 per 100 square feet when including labor and materials.
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This is due to the plaster’s runny consistency, a rapid drying time that makes it difficult to patch flaws once applied, and the high materials cost for redoing a flawed application. On the other hand, an authentic lime Venetian plaster treatment should always be professionally installed. Homeowners should also have experience using a trowel and hawk before taking on DIY installation. Savvy DIYers can apply homemade and synthetic Venetian plaster treatments themselves-but beware that application requires superior painting abilities. That’s a bargain compared to the material cost of ready-to-apply cans of synthetic Venetian plaster (which run $18 to $33 per 100 square feet) and authentic lime Venetian plaster (which costs $32 to $84 or more per 100 square feet for materials alone). You can achieve a homemade Venetian plaster finish for roughly $6 to $11 per 100 square feet, considering you’ll need $2 to $3 for pre-mixed joint compound, $0.10 to $0.50 for latex colorant, and $4 to $7 for tinted glaze.

Here, we’ve broken down the advantages and disadvantages of the three treatment options: homemade finish, synthetic Venetian plaster paint, and authentic Venetian plaster.

Photo: via Mark Nordgren Three Methods for Applying Venetian Plaster
