tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55355996748919634252024-03-12T00:52:25.211-04:00Venetian Plaster Serving Houston Tx.Venetian Plastering, Inc. applies Venetian Plaster in the Houston, TX. areaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-17398032756292973632013-02-15T12:33:00.001-05:002014-04-06T02:45:34.860-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Venetian Plaster in Atlanta</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyQ9iKm3ZTy0f-nP_QrbRRMXO5SLyHHMtxr5sooN55JaRawKwEK60n37c_ksCSUh1_ac0EzZBi3VMjXrHfqgsUpZm4OrU-n5glv9w7VYQSR_UXXim8JQcwaLFZsZ9kJNKQLxGe5IERefJ/s1600/DSC00230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyQ9iKm3ZTy0f-nP_QrbRRMXO5SLyHHMtxr5sooN55JaRawKwEK60n37c_ksCSUh1_ac0EzZBi3VMjXrHfqgsUpZm4OrU-n5glv9w7VYQSR_UXXim8JQcwaLFZsZ9kJNKQLxGe5IERefJ/s400/DSC00230.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a dinning room done in a true grassello, aka: Venetian Plaster. The client picked out the color off of a Benjamin Moore paint chart. And I had the Italian company match the color perfectly. You cannot really see from the picture but it was matched to the border on the picture. We do not offer just 20 different colors as most companies do, but literally thousands. Custom matching is just an extra<br />
Pservice we offer to our customers. Different colors evoke different emotions in people. The color red promotes eating, that is why you see red in many dinning rooms. The client not only loved the job we did but also the color. If the application was great but the color was off it would be considered a bad job by the client. We go to great lengths to ensure the color is just what the client wants. That is why we always do a sample before we do the job. And we do our samples on a 2X2 piece of Sheetrock so you can see the color and finish on the same surface we are applying on. Many people will do it on poster boards, but that will not look the same as on Sheetrock. And how you apply the plaster can change the color by a shade or 2. Attention to detail is what we are known for. We make sure when we tape off the trim and plaster that our lines are perfectly strait, as you can see on the trim in the picture above. </div>
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If you are thinking about doing something decorative in a room in your home or a entire house, Venetian Plaster is the perfect solution in almost every situation. More durable than paint, last longer than paint. And the beauty of Venetian Plaster cannot even be compared to paint. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-80663946387126023772013-01-22T11:36:00.001-05:002013-01-22T11:36:55.970-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many people have wooden columns in there home. Usually these are always painted because that is what everyone else does. Columns are the focal point in the room and painted they just blend into the walls. Over the years we have done many columns. In both residential homes and commercial buildings. One of the applicators I trained got a job in Doyletown Pennsylvania at a Mercedes dealership. Many of the columns were 28 feet tall. So Off I went and we did all 30 of them. The elegance this brought to the dealership was unbelievable. Having true Italian Plasters is not just for walls anymore.<br />
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Even though they were done in white they brought ambiance that no paint ever could.</div>
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This next picture is at the Candler building in downtown Atlanta. We did the word renowned Mantovano plaster. The column was breath taking as were the walls. Looked like it was a solid slab of marble.</div>
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The first two pictures were done in homes in Atlanta and Dallas Texas. The first Picture we used what is called in Italy Travertino Stuhhi. It has a mat finish because of the large grains of marble. The second one is a true grassello and has a very high shine. Both are equally stunning. So next time you are looking at your columns imagine how your room would feel with Italian Plasters on them. They will totally change the atmosphere of any room. Transform your room into a romantic villa.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-88123015753573299072013-01-07T16:23:00.000-05:002013-01-10T16:26:57.619-05:00Finished Basement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Italian Decoration in basement in Atlanta</div>
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This was a fun job and very effective. The homeowner wanted a special place in the basement. Because one of her favorite places was Italy, she called us to do the plastering. You can see the mural as your walking down the stairs. Then taking a left you are no longer in Atlanta. The walls have a grassello on them. The look was achieved with multiple coats of Italian plasters. Even though the walls looks like it is a ruff texture, it is perfectly smooth. As smooth as glass with the feel of marble. This is truly an authentic Tuscany look. Not just an interpretation of a Tuscany look. The door is just a regular cheap flat door she bought at Home Depot. With the aid of some paint and glazes I transformed this plain door into a 400 year old door of Italian decent. </div>
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The home owner worked from home and loved her space so much she decided to move her office down in the basement. Away from the kids, her husband and all the distractions. She said we had created her own personal paradise. She gave us total creative reign on this project. In return we gave her our very best creative work. </div>
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Many times people want to do something different in their basement but have no idea what. Hopefully this may inspire someone else to do Italian Decoration in their basement.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-91416239034932078902013-01-05T12:18:00.000-05:002013-01-05T16:04:23.948-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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New York Hospitality </div>
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One of the nice things about doing Venetian Plasters is the places I have been and the people I have met. I took this picture last year heading to work one morning in Manhattan New York. People have always said how rude New Yorkers are but have never found that to be the case. I've been about a dozen times and each time was a wonderful experience. </div>
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Below is a shot standing outside of the penthouse I was plastering. </div>
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There is nothing like a NY deli. And the Pizza's were outstanding. Standing outside on the street watching the people walk by I was surprised how many people had dogs in Manhattan. I could of people watched all day long but would not have gotten much work done.</div>
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Here we are plastering the penthouse. It is nice to be able to leave something that will be enjoyed for many years. And maybe every time the homeowner has some guest come over and they touch the walls he tells them about this guy from Atlanta who came and did this. Every person I met wanted to take me to a new restaurant, their favorite. We always hear about southern hospitality and never New York hospitality. I can tell you I do not see much difference. Except maybe we talk a little slower in the south...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-37327046020664244802012-12-25T19:59:00.000-05:002012-12-26T17:02:20.515-05:00What is Marmorino?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Marmorino Fuchsia & Chartreuse </span></div>
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If someone told you they just had Marmorino installed in their living room and the colors were fuchsia and chartreuse, what would you say?<br />
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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 <u>never</u> 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 <u>little</u> 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. </div>
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The<span style="text-align: center;"> picture above was taken at a friends home in Verona, Italy. I could not ever imagine these 2 colors looking good together, </span><span style="text-align: center;">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</span> 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?".</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-74645870248264094832012-12-24T18:33:00.000-05:002012-12-25T18:32:06.109-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Holidays </span></div>
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The ceiling is Marmorino with Veneziano on the walls. The trim we put Stucco Travertino on in 3 foot sections. Then the same Marmorino on the walls in the design you see. Thinking outside the box does not have to be dramatic. This subtle expression of color is very elegant. Unique and one of a kind. Any idea you can come up with we can work with and make your dreams a reality. </div>
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Closeup Corner</div>
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Heading into 2013 we look forward to doing a few interesting jobs that allow us to be creative in our plaster creations. The best way to start is looking at pictures. I have many books I bought both here in the USA and in Italy. I find sometimes a picture can spark some creative thoughts. Also if you need help we can offer some suggestions on what would look good in your rooms. One book that is very handy is called the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Scheme-Bible-Inspirational-Designing/dp/1770850937">Color Bible</a>. All it does is group colors together for the walls, furniture, accent pieces and such. Once you read all the reviews on this book you will want to get it.</div>
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I am always going to Barnes and Noble looking for interesting books. You never know what you may find or when you can use it. </div>
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Happy Holidays to all and my we have a safe New Years.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-37801174976162553002012-12-16T16:23:00.000-05:002012-12-16T16:23:19.611-05:00Back in Atlanta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just moved back to Atlanta and I am enjoying being a plaster artist full time again. Of course I miss teaching the plasters for 10 years, but being an applicator feeds my creative side much more. In the last couple of years I have done jobs around the Country. Manhattan, California, Nashville, Georgia and Texas to name a few. If you are a discriminating Home owner or Interior Designer I would be happy to bid any of your upcoming projects. Attention to detail is what our reputation is built on. In every project we do you can see our passion for the Italian Decoration. </div>
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We do not just do Residential homes. Some of our clients include Tampa Airport, Macy's, Candler Building Atlanta, Gaylord Hotels in Texas and Nashville. (Done in conjunction with Kevin Ansel from Nashville) and many more. </div>
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Soon as I got back to Atlanta the first place I went was the Varsity. "2 dogs walking, rings and a chocolate shake". Then the OK Cafe, Everybody's Pizza and Yeah! Burger. When it comes to Food, and entertainment Atlanta is truly the place to be. Likewise when It comes to Venetian Plaster, Venetian Plastering is the artisans to use. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-36832158222256576262008-11-30T16:55:00.001-05:002008-11-30T17:10:41.400-05:00Venetian Plastering, Inc.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDKdVyzz8jgTW18gk-_xUXpOszSusQcvbI8IXcXmfb-wDDCqQbujzwoHdOaKFF0PGuEfDR1mFkUmx3QKfgG7ihHeQ19CJDIGIKa7N2Da1OTXYV-3Q7yK4_jNqgLCiJo7KOsFDodlJj3Ge/s1600-h/van1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDKdVyzz8jgTW18gk-_xUXpOszSusQcvbI8IXcXmfb-wDDCqQbujzwoHdOaKFF0PGuEfDR1mFkUmx3QKfgG7ihHeQ19CJDIGIKa7N2Da1OTXYV-3Q7yK4_jNqgLCiJo7KOsFDodlJj3Ge/s320/van1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262560518524307138" /></a><br />Doyle L Self II, the owner of Venetian Plastering, Inc. has been in the decoration field since the age of 18. Eight years ago <br /><br />Doyle became the Exclusive distributor for Safra Colors here in the USA and "The School of Italian Plasters was born. Safra Colors is considered the worlds leader in Italian decorations. <br /><br />Over the years he has taught thousands of people the lost art of Venetian Plaster. It is no wonder people in the decorative art trade has dubbed Doyle as the "Plaster King" The key to his success can be summed up in a single word, passion. <br /><br />His passion for decoration has taken him to many places to perfect this trade. He has been trained in Faux Effects, AdiColor, Spatula Stuhhi, Armourcoat, Amercian Clay and Safra Colors. <br /><br />When Argentina decided to restore the Colon in Buenos Aries it was Doyle Self they called for advise with this project. Even though he has been trained in 100's of faux finish techniques his passion lies with the Italian Decorations, "the original Faux Finish". Being trained every year in Italy keeps him not only at the top of his field, but also keeps him motivated by learning new products and techniques. <br /><br />He is also the first to use more modern spray applications for some of these historic plasters. This can greatly reduce the cost on large projects. Even though all Italian plasters can not be sprayed he has spent many hours developing the ones that can. These spray finishes are cost effective for Hotels, Condos and giving an entire home the look of a traditional hand toweled finish. <br /><br /><br />His experience does not just stop with the artistic aspect of Venetian Plasters. He has worked on many major projects around the country including malls, airports, hotels, restaurants and exclusive estate homes. His team is considered the best of the best. These plaster artisans have been trained by Doyle and all have that same attention to detail that all his projects are famous for. If you are looking for one room in your home done in Venetian plaster, or 100,000 square foot done in Venetian Plaster, venetian Plastering, Inc. is clearly the preferred choice. <br />We concentrate or work in the Dallas, Texas area, but we always will consider interesting projects abroad.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-19335285020753762642008-10-29T09:04:00.000-04:002008-11-30T17:11:32.701-05:00History of Mantovano<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2jhhVyHT4M20keLHXUCYS8qCUVlZQK6LHMgdJxBrbGQ5Ut0x5t50TF4wNxXrVVO7uLxPfT8VpPLdbjogKB-60zh27AC1mDPvBbLSlRmIHRBVaN18_bBXB2XIIZ3kAybO5fq0wslcPOY4/s1600-h/mantovano.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2jhhVyHT4M20keLHXUCYS8qCUVlZQK6LHMgdJxBrbGQ5Ut0x5t50TF4wNxXrVVO7uLxPfT8VpPLdbjogKB-60zh27AC1mDPvBbLSlRmIHRBVaN18_bBXB2XIIZ3kAybO5fq0wslcPOY4/s320/mantovano.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262571007074150210" /></a><br /><br />The Mantovano finish, as a technique, has a very interesting past, which I would like to summarize.<br />I have to start from a short historical introduction.<br />According to the information we managed to gather, such technique dates back to the late years 1100, when Architect Alberto Pitentino modified the flow of the river Mincio to create four artifical lakes around Mantova, to gain more space to extend the city and for defensive reasons both.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bvvrxHqP7uiEFh0Z7yLH-AADw9vzTyKGPOsZBwLhdrLfeTBitHvqHC1ASX05POPRtJPR7NqdVHsR2mFLGpgoIsmhAv1vns_P-3bepObx2mNWOEbcxmfd2TtrcURNzUuP0PSwLYFarXKB/s1600-h/mantua+lakes.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bvvrxHqP7uiEFh0Z7yLH-AADw9vzTyKGPOsZBwLhdrLfeTBitHvqHC1ASX05POPRtJPR7NqdVHsR2mFLGpgoIsmhAv1vns_P-3bepObx2mNWOEbcxmfd2TtrcURNzUuP0PSwLYFarXKB/s320/mantua+lakes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262568784668662850" /></a><br /><br /><br />At the time to wander outside the city was a dangerous thing to do and people would look for raw materials as close to their city walls as possible. Well, unlike the limesones used by the people of Venice, who would avoid touching the dangerous mainland and would thus pick up the stones by boat from the delta of the Brenta river closeby, the inhabitants of Mantova would pick the limestones from the waters of the Mincio river and the lakes around the city. The Mantova limestones though would give a kind of lime finish much more fluid than the Brenta limestones. The resulting finish had therefore to be applied by brush and trowel.<br />Such finish knew top popularity during the Reanissance, when the Gonzaga family (who seized power from the Bonacolsi family in 1328 and ruled the city for three centuries)used to be one of the most important European courts, hosting artists like Pisanello, Mantegna, Perugino, Correggio, LB Alberti, Giulio Romano, Rubens and many more. In that period the architecture of the city was deeply changed and many of Mantova's famous palaces were built, with the participation also of the noble families of the time.<br />The Mantovano Stucco finish and technique lost popularity in the following centuries with the decline of the city and disappeared.<br />We are less than 50 km away from Mantova and we could not let a such unique traditional finish disappear. After a few years of research in the libraries of Mantova we managed to figure out the original application technique and important clues on the finish formulation. After some more lab-work we managed to bring back to life the Mantovano Stucco, the one you are proposing today.<br />Inside your Mantovano can you have a small piece of Italian history, following hand-in-hand the rise and fall of a city which in time has been one of the wealthiest and more powerful cities of Italian history. <br />This finish is only seen in Italy in castles and palaces or the very wealthy because on the time consuming process. <br />GianFranco wrote this: the chemist who formulated the Mantovano finish.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-80163952553608613862008-10-29T08:54:00.000-04:002008-11-30T17:12:19.257-05:00History of Coccio Pesto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyZSizeSKNshH_IA-RU_GVXkdFIcDwvVw4yLHtGU95JdWEYeztHsmGzQV7mMjuKrF_RXBchCDDlf16TUoea-Ziu7KpYo9xEo3Zyk8fh26In2OnvMFgEJUR3HyNbXvY18OLM4adsxDeYcT/s1600-h/cocciopesto21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyZSizeSKNshH_IA-RU_GVXkdFIcDwvVw4yLHtGU95JdWEYeztHsmGzQV7mMjuKrF_RXBchCDDlf16TUoea-Ziu7KpYo9xEo3Zyk8fh26In2OnvMFgEJUR3HyNbXvY18OLM4adsxDeYcT/s320/cocciopesto21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274572674323248050" /></a><br />Stuccoes and mortars are composed by binder, aggregates and extenders.<br />The main traditional binders to formulate mortars and stuccoes are limes, cement and gypsum. <br />According to the final use, lime based mortars and stuccoes can be composed by:<br />common lime or lime putty, that hardens only on open air; <br />hydrated lime that, as the above, hardens only on open air;<br />hydraulic lime, that hardens in water too. <br />The typical aggregates for lime stuccoes are sand and marble dust. Since from the Roman times, to those have been added, if needed, extenders able to modify the hydraulic properties of the binder by physical-chemical interaction. In this way, by increasing the hydraulicity is possible to obtain more hardness.<br />The extender par excellence, utilized already by Romans to add resistance to mortars and stuccoes, is pozzuolan. This is a volcanic rock, that is crushed at the same size of the aggregates. <br />Another material that can be considered as a pozzuolan is coccio pesto, obtained by crushing old roof tiles or old bricks made, notoriously, of cooked clay, chemically composed of aluminium silicates.<br />Coccio pesto was used by Romans in regions where was impossible to find the pozzuolan and is still used in places like Venice, where is necessary, in order to have a good weatherproof finish, to use stuccoes and mortars greatly hydraulics, that means more resistant.<br />Coccio pesto, besides giving great hydraulicity to the stucco, allows to do quite thick layers for its lightness, and gives the final characteristic salmon colored surface due to the crushed reddish clay.<br />Mainly, the Romans used coccio pesto for the rough coat, the first layer of plaster, and than they were going over it with two layers of lime and sand to finish it with lime and marble dust in different coats, the so called opus marmoratum (marmorino). The last coat, very thin and made of lime and fine marble dust was the opus albarium (lime stucco). This cycle, being very expensive in terms of materials and work, was used only in important structures.<br />In common and cheap building, normally were adopted plasterworks with less number of coats. In particular were avoided the stucco coats, while was kept the rough coat made in coccio pesto, just for its peculiar characteristic to give more hydraulicity, so more resistance to the plaster.<br />In the specific case of Venice, coccio pesto has always been used either for rough coats and for finishing coats. As previously said, coccio pesto gives to stucco and mortar a characteristic salmon color, more or less accentuated according to the quantity and the fineness of the clay. This color cannot be obtained with earth pigments, so the use of coccio pesto has contributed in characterizing Venice’s chromatic look.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884643594326556102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535599674891963425.post-22079299456699691152008-09-01T20:45:00.000-04:002012-12-28T09:14:08.108-05:00History of Italian Word Stucco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the ancient times there has never been clear the difference between the words “plaster” and “stucco”. </div>
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Both, in fact, indicate an architectural element that in some way covers the architectural skeleton. The word stucco in Italian is pronounced: (stou ko) not stucco as we are familiar with. In Italy, stucco refers to what we would call Venetian Plaster. But lets examine the history of the Italian word, stucco.</div>
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Plaster, Intonaco in Italian, comes from the word “Tonaca”, frock, as if the exterior plaster</div>
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coat was a clothing for the underneath brickwork. In the same way the word stucco comes from the ancient Longobard word “stuhhi”, which indicates the crust, the bark, the skin, again a protection for the underneath brickwork. So we can say that from a functional point of view the two architectural elements coincide, and can be considered as synonymous.</div>
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However the meaning of the two words has changed a lot during the centuries, and today with the word stucco usually we mean an architectural element that has a self inborn aesthetical valence, by far superior than the plaster’s one. So much so that architectural critics has distinguished stucco from plaster for its greater aesthetical importance, considering it as an artistic subject on its own, not necessarily related to the architectural work where is located.</div>
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The word stucco in architecture is used with two different meanings: Stucco as a plastic decorative raised element and stucco as a wall coating, so stucco indicates a decorative element which does not involve the use of stony material (marble or stones) but the use of a cheaper material assembled with refined formulas and application techniques. Such techniques, together with the flexibility and the lightness typical of the material used, allow the execution of works hardly realizable with stone or marble. So is undoubted that the use of stucco intended as a decorative practice has its origin in a double factor: the lower cost, in an age in which the cost of raw materials was higher than the manpower’s cost, contrarily than today, and at its lightness, assessment this very important since often, in the ancient architecture was needed a lighter structure because of the limited strength of the foundation.</div>
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In this connection we mention the most famous example for stuccos: Venice, city with an underground subject to landslides, but very rich in the old days and surely able to afford stony finishing, became on the contrary the cradle for stucco. The research in lightness has to be intended mainly as in terms of resistance to flexion needed to obtain big overhangs in plastic raised decorative stuccos, where the stony decoration cannot be used if not very thick, and for wall decoration, where a few millimeters coat works as the 3-5 centimeters of minimum thickness of marble.</div>
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From all that we deduce that stucco historically has always been used as an imitation of more expensive materials, therefore, bypassing the architectural aspect, with stucco can be obtained imitations of marble, stones, precious metals, wood, glass, etc. For what concerns the imitation of glass, in particular, has to be pointed out that it had been actuated with gypsum stucco’s slabs called “seleniti” by Greeks because the light, going through them, reminded the moon light.</div>
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To conclude this short preamble dedicated to the origin of stucco, we need to underline how the word stucco identifies whether the material obtained with the use of marble, lime or gypsum powders, or the execution technique, or the final decorative effect. This allows to consider stucco an architectural instrument, since with the word architecture we mean the project idea, the building technique and the architectural manufacture.</div>
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STUCCOS (Venetian Plasters) IN THE HISTORY</div>
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The art of applying stucco on walls, meant as a protection and decoration of them, and as an homogeneous substrate for the following decorative paint jobs, is a very old technique. However were the Romans who developed the triple function of stucco: decorative, pictorial and plastic.</div>
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The Romans learned the art of stucco decoration not just from the Etruscans, but mainly from the Greeks, that used stucco both as an architectural substitution of the stony structure for their temples and as a substrate for the following wall paints.The Roman architecture also developed proper materials, so much so that Roman stucco is still considered today the best one for strength and durability, especially the “Opus Albarium” mentioned by Vitruvio, a gypsum based stucco, and the “Opus Marmoratum”, made with lime and marble powder with or without sand, procedure readopted during the Renaissance.</div>
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With the Roman empire has grown the use of stucco decoration both as a wall covering and as a plastic raised decorative element. As an evidence of that we have Pompeii and Ercolano’s houses, the Coliseum, Tito’s thermae and Nero’s Domus Aurea whose name probably comes from the numerous gold leaves applied over the stuccos that were imitated during the sixteenth century by Raffaello and his adherents. The product known as “Pastiglia” has a similar nature as stucco. It is a paste made of gypsum and organic glue and is used to decorate wooden substrates.</div>
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Very popular during the XII and XIII centuries was the black ornamental stucco: basically the sculptor engraved a texture in the bottom of the low relief and then filled it with black stucco to create a sort of minute gold work, with an evident color contrast. Black stucco had a large diffusion since it made easier the laborious stony tarsia job. The highest point of its beauty has been touched by stucco in Venice, where great masters of decoration studied mixtures of plasters based on lime and cocciopesto, to give more breathability and permeability to the substrate, and stuccos resistant to the moisture and the saltness typical of Venice</div>
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Those masters, modifying the ancient recipes inherited from the Greeks, the Etruscan and the Romans, prepare a stucco resistant to the environmental city’s conditions. Their continuous research on the resistance to aggressive atmospheric agents brought them in turning Venetians stucco to an unique product for its formulation, combining durability and aesthetical effects unique in the history of stuccos. The use of lime based stuccos and of Venetian stucco as a decoration for indoor and outdoor jobs had a wide diffusion in the highest classes until the XIX century. During the XX century the stucco technique had been replaced by industrial techniques used on decorative products, and natural products like marble powder or lime had been used less and less, replaced by organic synthetic product.</div>
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Only at the end of 20th century architecture rediscovered natural products and began to develop classical products and to recover the antique colors lost with the use of synthetic products. During these years many Italian stucco companies started a capillary research of ancient recipes and a meticulous study of their reproduction, offering on the market natural products with high architectural value. Furthermore, they developed over the years some products with the same chromatic effect and materials of the ancient stuccos and paints, but formulated in order to apply them on modern substrates, where walls are not able to receive the original recipes. Some of these have their decorative line of stuccos which have gone close to the limit of the impossible to respect and keep the old recipes and, where technology gives the chance, to reproduce them with modern materials. This double line makes possible to satisfy all the needs, both in restoration and in modern architecture.</div>
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The top products are the mineral pure lime based stuccos and the marmorinos, the same as the ones used by Palladio for his beautiful villas and by the great decorative masters to decorate the Serenissima’s palaces and, at the same time the Stucco Veneziano and the modified lime product, suitable for concrete and gypsum substrates.</div>
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FROM PLASTER TO DECORATION</div>
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Plasters and their evolution</div>
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The composition of plasters remained nearly unchanged from the Greeks. The only variations</div>
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have taken place in the number of coats and in the finishing of the plaster.</div>
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A plasterapplication at the Roman’s time for a patrician house was composed in 7 layers:</div>
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Rinzaffo - Pozzolana, lime and coarse sand</div>
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Arriccio - Pozzolana, lime and mid-size sand</div>
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Velo - Lime and fine sand</div>
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Velo - Lime and fine sand</div>
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Stucco - Lime and marble dust</div>
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Stucco - Lime and marble dust</div>
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Stucco - Lime and marble dust</div>
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Nowadays plaster is composed in usually 3 layers:</div>
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Rinzaffo - Hydraulic lime, cement, gross and rough sand (from 2 to 8 mm)</div>
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Arriccio - Hydraulic lime, hydrate lime and mid size sand (0,6-2 mm)</div>
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Velo - Hydrate lime or slaked lime and fine sand (0,08-0,6 mm)</div>
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Lime stuccos and their evolution</div>
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In lime based stuccos the changes are not so evident, the only elements that during the centuries has been replaced are the organic components that are not durable and could, when present in high percentage, bring the all surface to rot.</div>
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From the Roman empire age to the Renaissance, stuccos were lime based and made of:</div>
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- Slaked lime and Hydrate lime</div>
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- Marble powder*</div>
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- Earth pigments</div>
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- Organic binder in minimum part (fish glue, rabbit glue, milk coagulates, beeswax, soap, olive oil, linen oil)</div>
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Today’s lime stuccos are composed of:</div>
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- Slaked lime and Hydrate lime</div>
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- Marble powder*</div>
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- Inorganic colorants and earth pigments</div>
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- Organic binder in minimum part ( oil, cellulose ethers, acrylic resin)</div>
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* According to the different size of the grains and the presence of sand we have three</div>
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different lime stuccos:</div>
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Grassello stucco - Fine marble powder</div>
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Marmorino stucco - Mid-size marble powder</div>
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Travertine stucco - Gross marble powder and sand</div>
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Lime paints and their evolution</div>
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As well as for stuccos, the only changes for lime based paints are in their organic component.</div>
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In the ancient times, their composition was:</div>
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- Slaked lime</div>
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- Meudon white (amorphous charge with good covering power)</div>
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- Earth pigments</div>
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- Organic binder in minimum part (Bone glue, fish glue, flour glue, rice glue, potato flour, milk casein, egg yolk, egg white, fig milk, nut oil, olive oil, raw and cooked linen oil.)</div>
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Today they are composed by:</div>
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- Lime grassello or hydrated Lime</div>
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- Calcium carbonate</div>
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- Earth Pigments</div>
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- Iron Oxides</div>
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- Titanium Oxide (Cellulose ethers, Acrylic resins, Linen oil)</div>
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Distempers and their evolution</div>
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While in the ancient times usually lime paints were used for wide surfaces, distemper paints</div>
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were used for decorative details. Distempers were used normally inside and occasionally</div>
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outside, were unreachable from rain.</div>
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Traditionally, tempers were made of:</div>
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- Very fine marble dust</div>
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- Earth pigments</div>
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- Organic binder (Egg yolk, egg white, bones glue, rabbit glue, fish glue, flour glue, rice glue)</div>
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During the centuries, the organic binders easier to rot were replaced with others more resistant to bacterial degradation, up to a solution of casein blended in lime-milk added with linen oil.</div>
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Nowadays distempers are made of:</div>
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- Calcium carbonate</div>
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- Titanium dioxide</div>
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- Organic and inorganic colorants</div>
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- Organic binder (Cellulose ethers, Acrylic resins, Ethylene resins, Vynilversathate resins, styrol-acrylic resins according to the wished performances and characteristics)</div>
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Fresco Paint</div>
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Fresco painting is a quite simple kind of painting. It must be made on lime-based plaster before the plaster dries. Normally such techniques are used with natural pigments like earth pigments, washed and blended with milk. The wet substrate allows for the colors to penetrate deeply and become one with the plaster.</div>
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Encausto Paint</div>
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Encausto paint, used by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, has been formulated in many different, often contrasting, ways. Even today's analysis on different works leads to stunningly different results.</div>
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One of the few raw materials which remained common to all those formulations is the beeswax. Encausto comes from the ancient Greek language and means "to burn". In painting "Encausto" refers to a technique of blending pigments and wax through heat.</div>
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In a nutshell, Encausto is a wax or a distemper using wax as its main binder. It's difference with the "cold wax technique" is given by the fact that the former is obtained by applying the pigmented wax through heat, on a heated wall, after that the pigment and wax have been blended through heat. On the contrary, the "cold wax technique" wax is blended with a solvent (turpentine) and applied on a cold wall.</div>
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Today many people refer to Encausto in an inappropriate way, referring to shiny finishing plaster, both lime-based and synthetic.</div>
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HISTORY OF COLORANTS</div>
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The first colorants used in paints were earth pigments; they are available in nature and change colour according to the place they come from and the kind of sediment. The best known earth pigments, presently used in restoration jobs are the following:</div>
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Vine black Obtained by the cooking of grapevine wood</div>
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Manganese black Composed of Manganese dioxide</div>
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Ochre and yellow earths Composed of clay and silica. Famous among them is Sienna earth</div>
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Burnt Umber browns Composed of Manganese dioxide with Iron dioxide,</div>
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Burnt Umber obtained from cooked raw umber.</div>
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Kassel earth A kind of bituminous earth</div>
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Red earths Verona red, Pozzuoli red, Nuremberg red, with nuances from</div>
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orange red to violet red according to the oxidation degree of the</div>
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iron oxide in the mineral.</div>
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Green earths Iron hydrosilicate with magnesium salts and potassium originated</div>
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by sea clay. The most appreciated one is the Brentonico green.</div>
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Blue earths With their well known weak resistance to clay alkalinity. For that</div>
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reason blues in frescoes were usually made only with distempers.</div>
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Giotto's skies are quite famous even today.</div>
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Earth pigments were ground and dispersed in water before use. They were left separate from the water which was changed a few times to take away as much impurities as possible.</div>
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After that phase they were blended with milk and thus used in frescoes or blended with distempers or lime paints. In ancient times bright colours were obtained from organic materials like leaves, flowers, fruit, insects, and clams.</div>
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Following this phase, oxides became most used. They had similar shades to the earth pigments but were obtained from the metals: iron oxide for yellow and red, chromium oxide for green, etc.</div>
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Today, together with oxides, organic colorants are widely used. They are obtained form metals (e.g.: green and blue from copper) or from chemical synthesis (reds, yellows) which, unlike standard oxides, result in very bright shades.</div>
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THE MATERIALS</div>
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Aerial lime</div>
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Aerial lime is obtained cooking in special ovens at the temperature of 800-900°C calcareous rocks constituted of calcium carbonate and clay for a maximum rate of 5%. After the cooking process we have quicklime, that can be ground into a powder to obtain</div>
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Hydrate lime dust.</div>
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The cooked rock is deducted of water, and once dehidrated is wet again with water that it absorbs quickly giving a strong exothermic reaction which can reach 200°C. This reaction increases the volume of the mass converting it into hydrated lime, a white mush named lime grassello. Such materials harden only under the action of air.</div>
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Hydraulic lime. </div>
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Hydraulic lime is obtained cooking in special ovens at the temperature of 900-1000°C calcareous rocks constituted of calcium carbonate and clay in a percentage between 5 to 22% or more. Hydraulic lime hardens even in water presence.</div>
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Cement</div>
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Cement is obtained by cooking calcareous rocks containing 20-22% of clay, at a temperature of about 1500°C. The process is more complex than the lime one, in fact the rock is crushed first, then dried at a temperature of 700°C, then calcined or decarbonated at a temperature between 900 and 1000°C, then finally clinkered at a temperature between 1000 and 1500°C.</div>
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Gypsum</div>
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Gypsum comes from sedimentary rocks made of calcium sulfate dihydrate. After cooking at 170°C, releasing water, becomes Calcium sulfate anhydrous, basically gypsum stucco.</div>
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Calcium carbonate</div>
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Calcium carbonate or marble powder is obtained crushing and milling limestones. According to the amount of clay contained, it can be more or less white and has different water absorption and covering power.</div>
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By Doyle L Self II</div>
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