What is Marmorino?

                                                                                                                              

Marmorino Fuchsia & Chartreuse 

If someone told you they just had Marmorino installed in their living room and the colors were fuchsia and chartreuse, what would you say?

Marmorino is not a part of our everyday language here in the USA. It is an Italian word that means: "little marble". Marmorino is made just like a grassello (shiny Venetian Plaster) but with one small difference, the size of the marble. Grassello is also made up of limestone and marble, but the marble is the consistency of flour. You cannot feel or see the grains of marble therefore it has a very high sheen. Whereas Marmorino has mid size grains of marble. Because of this grain you will only have a satin sheen. Both if done correctly will be very cool to the touch and very smooth. They both breath and are 100% natural. What does it mean when plaster breathes? Have you ever gotten out of the shower and had to wipe off the mirror because of the steam? If you had Marmorino or a Grassello on your walls it would absorb the moisture and later would release it. You would not have to wipe the mirror off because the walls would do that for you. This is why the plaster will never mold or mildew. Winter Spring Summer or fall the Italian plasters will always feel cool to the touch. So why does it always feel like stone? Because it is stone. After you apply a plaster made of limestone and marble on the wall it goes thru a carbonization period. This usually takes about 28 days. The carbon monoxide around the wall forces it to return to stone. So your walls have a coating of stone on them. This is why you will see buildings in Italy over 1000 years old with the plasters on them. Italian Plasters is not only beautiful to look at but very, very durable. Be careful not to be fooled by the "faux plasters" or fake plasters. Even if it says Venetian Plaster on the can this does not mean you are getting "real" Venetian plaster. Most of what you will find at builder stores and paint stores are nothing more than a elastomeric paint with a little emulsifier mixed in to it gives you a little sheen. Most faux painters charge about the same amount for the faux plaster as the true Italian Plasters. If you have never seen the beauty of a real Marmorino you would not know the difference. The durability is why they have been using these since before the Egyptian times. But the look can not be duplicated by these so called faux plasters. The faux plasters are always waxed or have some sort of topcoat for the sheen and durability. In certain situations I will recommend a wax coating. The problem with that is 1. you do not give the plaster a chance to carbonate. 2. the plaster cannot breath. Like the Italians I prefer my plaster to breath. It also helps out the "sick house syndrome." In Japan the Italian Plasters are very popular because of this. The air inside your home will be naturally cleaner. 

The picture above was taken at a friends home in Verona, Italy.  I could not ever imagine these 2 colors looking good together, Fuchsia & Chartreuse. But seeing these colors together give a very modern look. Ideal for a loft or high-rise. Maybe even a beach home. Really the chances of someone coming up to you and saying: "I just had Marmorino installed in my living room and the colors are fuchsia and chartreuse" is very slim. But at least if they do now you will not tilt your head and say "excuse me... what are you doing?".