Venetian Plaster Marbellino

Venetian Plaster Marbellino from Troweled Earth Melbourne is the ultimate choice for those looking to elevate their design & achieve the natural stone look. Venetian Marbellino has been created to the highest quality, is seamless, & has been made to withstand the test of time on a variety of substrates & environments. Venetian Marbellino can help you achieve your aesthetic goals & customise your designs. MEK works closely with Troweled Earth Melbourne as we truly believe their products have brought the old techniques into the new century and are truly superior to what is available on the market.

History of Venetian Plaster

Venetian plaster, or Marmorino as it is more commonly known, is a classic plaster which dates back to ancient Roman times. There is evidence of it today in the villas of Pompeii and in various buildings around Italy especially throughout Venice. The first ever record of Marmorino being used was in 1473 on a building contract with the nuns of Santa Chiara. Marmorino became popular as it had an excellent drying capacity and was naturally mildew resistant. This was especially important through Venice as it was built up over water. It also became popular as at the time it used the terra cotta scraps from roof tiles as well as left over marble and stone which were in abundance. This made it a lot easier to use and transport around Venice as carrying the equipment and materials needed for regular plastering such as sand was near impossible.

Typically, marmorino was white in colour to imitate the stone of Istria, which was most often used in Venetian construction; it was occasionally decorated with frescoes (mural paintings on plaster walls) to imitate the marble, which Venetian merchants brought home from their voyages to the Orient. Marmorino maintained its prestige for centuries until the end of the 1800’s when interest in it faded and was considered only an economical solution compared to that of marble. At the end of the 1970’s however, thanks in part to the architect Carlo Scarpa, did this finishing technique return to the interest of the best modern architects. Throughout the world today, this high end finish has become extremely popular amongst the top architects and designers.

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