Venetian Plaster Faux Finish — Doylestown, PA

A real project by Joseph Assise III Painting — Doylestown, PA. See how we transformed this home from start to finish.

Before: plain painted drywall in a high-ceiling living room. After: two-tone Venetian plaster in warm cream with burnished highlights. Doylestown, PA.

The Challenge

This Doylestown PA living room had 12-foot ceilings and beautiful millwork — but plain painted drywall that did nothing to honor the architecture. The homeowners wanted texture and warmth without wallpaper. We proposed Venetian plaster on the fireplace wall and the wall flanking the stair.

Our Process

Venetian plaster is applied in multiple layers: a base coat of colored plaster (we mixed a warm cream with slight yellow undertone), allowed to cure, a second coat in a slightly lighter tone applied in overlapping arc strokes, and then burnished with a steel trowel while still slightly wet to create the characteristic marbled sheen. The technique requires experience — rush the burnishing and you lose the depth.

The Result

The result was unlike anything paint alone can achieve: depth, texture, and a surface that catches light differently at different times of day. The rest of the walls were painted in a complementary flat tone (Benjamin Moore White Dove) to let the plaster walls be the focus. Total for the two feature walls (approximately 180 sq ft): $1,800.

Services Used on This Project

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