How to Venetian-Plaster a Wall

Move furniture out of the room, cover the floor with dropcloths and prime the wall with a base coat and a paintbrush if the wall requires patching, spackling or a bright wall color needs to be toned down to achieve the Venetian plaster finish you envision.

Practice applying Venetian plaster to a section of drywall before you start the project. Scoop up the plaster with your trowel and apply it to the surface with random, angular strokes. Try different angles of application until you get a feel for layering on the plastering material.

Scoop up plaster onto your trowel, choose one section of the wall to begin (anywhere from 3 feet square to 6 feet square) and methodically overlap and stroke on the Venetian plaster product at 20- to 30-degree angles, leaving ragged, unfinished edges.

Work from one wall section to the next, applying the first coat of Venetian plaster to wall surfaces (don't worry if some of the wall paint shows through as it adds to the special effect). Allow the first coat to dry thoroughly---from one to four hours--or follow drying time recommendations on the plaster can, as this part of the process is critical to obtaining the desired finish.

Apply a second Venetian plaster product coating. Repeat the process, placing the trowel lines at 60- to 80-degree angles and employing X-shaped layers to build texture before allowing the second coating to dry. Apply and completely dry up to four separate coats of Venetian plaster to increase the density of the finish to your liking.

Add a topcoat or apply paste wax to your Venetian plastered wall---an optional step recommended for bathrooms and rooms exposed to significant amounts of moisture, drying the surface thoroughly before texturizing it with 400- to 600-grit sandpaper. Alternately, move your steel trowel in circles to do the job manually. Wipe down the wall with damp rags as you sand to finish the job.