Decorative plaster travertine in the interior: types and detailed application technology

Decorative plaster is becoming a common option for giving interior walls some texture and personality. Travertine plaster is a standout choice among the many available because it can replicate the natural beauty of travertine stone while adding a touch of sophistication and elegance to any space.

Because of its versatility, travertine plaster can have a variety of finishes, from polished and smooth to worn-in and rustic. It is a favorite for both modern and traditional interiors because it can turn boring walls into eye-catching focal points.

This post will examine the various varieties of travertine plaster and offer thorough instructions on how to use it properly. Finding a professional and long-lasting finish depends on your understanding of the application process, whether you’re looking to improve your living area or increase the value of your house.

History of origin and composition

Humanity has been using stone for interior decoration since ancient times. Stone homes have an air of dependability and permanence. The ancient Etruscans used stone plaster. Later, the Romans covered a sizable area with plaster that was mixed with fine chips and stone flour. For sgraffito, the ancient Florentines produced travertine plaster. Almost as many buildings were constructed with travertine cladding as with marble. The famous Colosseum was constructed using Sabine Mountain travertine.

Stones range in color from white to brown in nature; they are typically light tones, more frequently yellowish, cream, and sand hues. Due to its porosity, which sets it apart from dense limestone, travertine has become the primary feature that they attempt to replicate in order to mimic the natural stone. Travertine plaster, another name for the material with French origins, was created in our day to more accurately mimic natural stone. You can buy pre-made compositions or create your own mixture.

Advantages and disadvantages

In other aspects, ornamental travertine plaster closely resembles the surface of real stone.

• good strength,
• aesthetic appeal,
• environmental friendliness,
• vapor permeability,
• moisture resistance,
• fire safety,
• good adhesiveness,
• good resistance to biodeterioration,
• resistance to aggressive substances,
• multiple application techniques,
• repairability,
• easy to paint without losing its texture,
• richness of color mixtures,
• easy to maintain,
• versatility.

Among plaster’s drawbacks are:

• high price of compositions,

Types of mixtures

Without purchasing natural stone, you can install travertine on the walls of your home. Plaster compositions and the technique of imitating travertine texture are sufficient to accomplish this. Luckily, there are sufficient materials available.

To imitate, you can utilize:

• ready-made mixture Travertino, which includes sand, lime dough and marble chips;
• dry mixture Liquid travertine, the components of which are polymer binder and fine-grained travertine chips (the composition is diluted with the volume of water indicated on the package). Liquid travertine is 92% natural Roman stone;
• cement-sand plasters with white cement, to which you need to add a dye (you can prepare it yourself, then the coating will be cheap);
• putty or gypsum plaster (sand and pigment are added to them).

Travertino can be made with any kind of plaster, with the exception of flock, silicate, roller, and pebble.

Main and auxiliary tool

There are various methods for using travertino. The potential necessary tools and devices are listed below:

• Smoothing trowel (should have rounded corners),
• spatulas,
• a gun for applying the solution (hopper),
• a hard brush,
• a brush (for varnishing or trimming),
• a sanding machine,
• rollers,
• masking tape,
• a level, a ruler for marking,
• containers,
• mixer,
• sandpaper,
• a clean rag.

If the application technology is followed, the materials will meet the conditions (this is especially important for outdoor work), and the walls will be well prepared, decorative plaster beneath travertine may not require professional tools.

Don’t disregard safety precautions when working. particularly if working at a height is required.

With its natural stone appearance that gives warmth and texture to any interior wall, decorative travertine plaster is a chic and adaptable choice. This plaster can be customized to fit different design tastes thanks to the variety of finishes available, ranging from smooth to more textured finishes. Travertine plaster is a great material to use to create elegant and timeless interiors, but applying it requires a detailed process that calls for careful preparation and layering techniques to achieve the desired effect.

Surface preparation

Compared to Venetian, travertine finishing has a thicker coating. It does not, however, conceal the majority of the wall’s flaws, which is a relief.

Consequently, the base surface needs to be:

• cleaned from the remains of the previous coating;
• repair cracks and chips;
• remove grease stains and mold;
• eliminate all existing defects of the leveling plaster;
• cover with an adhesion primer with the addition of a pigment close in tone to the color of the future coating;
• dry well.

If you are not sure how well the composition will stick to the wall material, use a reinforcing mesh.

When made with the traditional method, decorative travertine plaster for the interior will look especially amazing. The liquid travertine finish has a particularly refined and rigid appearance.

Application technology

The imitation may resemble a block-built stone wall or a polished or untreated stone massif. The types of compositions applied and the travertine plaster used for each of these cases differ. The Venetian plaster technique is used to simulate massive polished stone. Here are some additional application methods.

Continuous application

There are various methods for applying the decorative layer when making traventino. Generally speaking, the use of this type of plaster is extremely similar to the plastering technique known as the world map.

The three most popular techniques are:

1. The prepared solution is applied with a trowel or spatula in an even layer up to 2 mm. Then the coating is processed with a hard brush or a wide brush with pokes, which imitates a porous surface. Porous areas at this stage can make up to 80% of the area. These percentages will decrease after smoothing the plaster layer.
2. The solution is transferred to the wall with the end of a hard brush using poking movements. The relief surface of the stone is created immediately. This method is somewhat more painstaking and slower.
3. The stone surface is imitated by trimming the applied solution with the working surface of the trowel, on which the mixture is spread with a spatula. The "tack-free" method creates the required surface roughness.

The layer’s surface is gently smoothed with a clean, damp trowel after 15 to 20 minutes. This is done in order to blend rough and smooth areas. The trowel movements ought to be multidirectional in nature.

Partial application

There is a way to apply incomplete decorative plaster that has a travertine effect.

The following is the order of work:

1. contact primer with quartz filling is applied tightly (without gaps) to the prepared wall with a roller. It is even better if two layers are applied, since in this case the primer will not be completely overlapped from above. If the coating is planned to be two-color, then the primer can be tinted.
2. The working composition is applied to the dried primer. This is done with a trowel using the end-cutting method. A small amount of the mixture is applied to the trowel with a spatula and evenly distributed, which is transferred to the wall using the “stick-off” technique in places (not over the entire surface). After the mixture begins to dry, it is smoothed and redistributed in different directions with the edge of the trowel. The trowel is held at an angle of up to 30 degrees to the wall.
3. After the coating has dried, the wall is cleaned of defects with sandpaper or using mechanical means.

Horizontal pattern

Using a spatula "on the tear," the pattern is created.

1. A basic thin, even layer is applied to the dried primed surface. After drying, a decorative layer is applied with a trowel to the thickness of the grains, with an area of ​​about 2 sq.m. Let the layer dry so that the solution does not stick to your fingers. A level is applied horizontally to the wall. Along it, a spatula with a blade located perpendicular to the wall is drawn along it along the layer. In this case, part of the solution is removed from the wall. The stripes of the puncture try to make such that they look natural. The material removed by the spatula is thrown away into the bucket. It is suitable for applying to the wall again.
2. While the processed area dries, the mixture is applied to the next. After a small break, the plot with the shafts is smoothed out and compacted with a pure cell along the reeds. The next seal is made similarly after 10-15 minutes. After which the layer is allowed to dry completely. Three -fold smoothing makes the wall smooth. Cleaning with sandpaper is not required. In some places remain on the surface of the sandstone. They are easily removed with a brush.

Vertical pattern

With some practice, you won’t be able to use the ruler, but the drawing is applied similarly to horizontal, but from top to bottom. Additionally, you can apply decorative plaster diagonally to mimic travertine.

Creating stone masonry

Travertine is typically used in slab or block form for wall cladding or masonry applications. A grid of "seams" applied to the wall can simulate travertine block or cladding masonry. The first technique is using a chisel or other sharp object to scratch lines. The seams are scraped along the wall after a ruler is applied with a decorative layer that dries and has already been designed to resemble stone. To remove the burrs, the "seams" are then gently smoothed with a damp semi-dry brush.

Brickwork created by "scratching" the material.

Similar to brickwork imitation is another method for simulating masonry that makes use of ornamental travertine plaster.

1. Prepare the mixture, mix the finished mixture, dry – combine with water.
2. Apply evenly 1-1.5 mm. trowel or wide spatula.
3. After 5-6 hours, mark the wall, stick it, leaving tails, ribbons (first horizontal, then vertical on top of them).
4. Stir the mixture with water until it flows down. Apply the 2nd layer 1-1.5 mm with a hopper.
5. After 15-30 minutes, smooth the layer with a wet trowel (you can then additionally apply another layer of plaster for expressiveness, smooth it out after the same period of time).
6. Remove the tape.
7. When it dries, smooth it with a trowel until it is glossy, or after 10-12 hours at an air temperature of +15 ° C (after the layer has completely dried), sand it with a grinder (with an abrasive from 150 to 500).
8. Blow with compressor air to remove dust.
9. Apply ProtectGuard STUCCO protective impregnation in 2 layers using the "wet on wet" method.

Anyone, even an inexperienced finisher, can select the approach that is within his reach from this multitude of options. A plasterboard piece will be used as a mixture and as a location for testing and practice applications.

Painting, varnishing or waxing

If desired, the walls can then be painted with colorful compositions or decorative glaze once the plaster layer has dried. It is possible to paint the travertine coating two colors or just one.

The solution itself can be colored, but keep in mind that it will become lighter after drying. Thus, before tinting the mixture, it is best to create a test painting.

Waxing is the last step in the travertine effect coating process. You can use a roller, brush, or sponge to apply wax. Using a sponge, apply wax in circular motions, then quickly shade it in. After letting it air dry a little, use a dry rag to wipe away any residue the sponge left behind.

Tears are frequently tinted a different color. You must wait for the prior wax layer to dry before tinting tears. The desired color of pigment is added to a separate container of wax, which is then liberally sponge-applied to the wall. Eliminate the colored wax from the wall’s upper surface right away. An ordinary car wiper works better for this kind of task than a rubber spatula, so that’s preferable. Only the nooks and crannies of the holes retain the colored wax. The wall is then polished with a rag after the wax has had time to fully dry.

Varnishing is an additional method of preserving the travertine coating. Only after the composition has completely dried is the varnish applied. It can be tinted to give the walls’ "stone" decor more color and depth.

Type of Travertine Plaster	Application Technology
Classic Travertine	Apply a base coat, texture with a trowel, and finish with a wax or protective layer to enhance the natural look.
Antique Travertine	Create a rough texture using a sponge or brush, then apply a patina or glaze to achieve an aged appearance.
Polished Travertine	Use multiple coats and sand between layers for a smooth, glossy finish that mimics polished stone.
Layered Travertine	Apply several thin layers, each with a different color or tone, to create depth and a multi-dimensional effect.

For interior design, decorative plaster travertine is a chic and adaptable option. It offers a variety of textures and finishes to fit any style while bringing the natural beauty of stone into your house.

Although applying travertine plaster may take some experience, with the correct tools and methods, you can create amazing effects that bring warmth and elegance to any area. Travertine plaster can be customized to your preference for a more polished finish or a more aged, rustic appearance.

You can make your walls a feature that enhances the appearance of your walls and adds a unique touch to your living space by carefully following the application instructions.

Video on the topic

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