MAINTAINING YOUR WALLS
General Plaster Maintenance
Interior plaster or lime paint maintenance requires little effort. The finish should last as long as the substrate. Our materials will not fade under normal conditions. Our materials will improve with time in terms of durability and even color richness. Most cleaning and maintenance can be done with a water and a sponge. Mineral Sealer, if used, can be reapplied in high traffic areas if needed.
Exterior plaster or lime paint maintenance is similar to interior maintenance in that most dirt can be removed with water and sponge. Vasari Mineral Sealer protects lime finishes from stains and patina caused by heavy water contact. Reapply Vasari Mineral Sealer if needed.
Shower waterproofing requires Mineral Sealer and additional Carnauba wax. To maintain the shower walls from potential patina discoloration, re-apply wax if water penetration appears in any area. Waxed shower walls can be cleaned with water and / or soap.
Cleaning: If Lime Paint, Carrera. Marmorino or Veneziano is unsealed without Vasari Mineral Sealer and gets dirty, first use:
- A rag and warm water. Gently rub out the dirt. If that doesn’t
work, use:
- Rag, water and a touch of soap, or;
- 400 grit sandpaper over the blemish, then 600 grit to polish out, or;
- Wet the area and gently scrub with a fine sanding sponge
- If an oily spot is stubborn to water and soap, use clear spirits, like lacquer thinner
- If all else fails, add water to the same color plaster as used on the wall, making a slurry or paint out of it, then dab the troubled area with slurry.
Always use white cotton to clean; otherwise colored fabrics can bleed onto the plaster.
If the plaster is sealed with Vasari Mineral Sealer, wax or other natural
sealers, use that product to try to clean the wall. If that doesn’t work, try the same
methods as listed above for unsealed plaster, then be sure to reseal the plaster
with the same product.
If cleaning acrylic sealed plaster, use the same methods (with the exception of
cleaning it with acrylic sealer), then reseal the spot if it had to be sanded.
If cleaning Lime Paint, clean with the same methods as above. If all else fails,
dab it with the same color of Lime Paint.
Patches, dings, nicks, and holes: The most important thing is to fill the hole leveled to
the rest of the wall. Before doing anything else, clean the area around the hole. In some
cases, sand the area around it, remove any waxes with solvent, and gently rub out any
other water-soluble sealers. After cleaning, mask the area around it.
- If you have a hole larger than 1” x 1”, use spackle, drywall mud,
caulking or anything else that won’t crack. If you have a larger
hole, like 5” X 5”, use spray foam. For anything larger, you might
have to re-sheetrock the hole. The reason you don’t use Venetian
Plaster is because it can crack if applied too thickly. You might
have to fill the hole several times with spackle, or other medium.
Use Venetian Plaster on the last two or three layers of the patch.
On the last layer, take a damp cloth and remove any excess
Venetian Plaster around the patch. Allow 24 hours to dry, sand it
and reseal (if there was sealer.)
- If you have a nail hole, use Venetian Plaster as filler. If there is
excess plaster, wipe with a damp rag. Let dry then sand the patch
with the appropriate sand paper grit (400 –600), and reseal with
original sealer, if any.
- For scratches, minor dings, etc.; either re-seal with original sealer,
or make paint out of plaster, then dab the area with brush or rag.
As always, use your best judgment and test small samples if
possible.
Natural sealers, such as Vasari Mineral Sealer, is most commonly used in
general areas including the kitchen. It can take dirt, wine spills and oil spills. It’s
easy to apply, odorless, it breathes, is easy to fix or reapply.
Waxes are very beautiful and the traditional way to go. Real waxes like beeswax
and carnauba can add protection and give the wall a marvelous luster that is
difficult to duplicate. Colored waxes are also ideal for a glazed effect. Check out our ‘Shower intruction guide’ to learn more about waterproofing plaster.
Other- There's plenty of eccentric sealers that you can create. One that some of will love to try, especially if you're doing a bar, or similar is beer. Preferably a thick dark beer. The thicker it is, the better the sealing properties will be and the more of a golden hue you'll get. You might try boiling the beer down to thicken it a little. Beer was used by ancient Egyptians on their lime plasters. Makes sense since they invented the stuff.
ALWAYS LET SEALERS DRY AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE YOU TEST WITH WATER. IF NOT, YOU CAN HAVE PERMANENT DISCOLORATION, EVEN IF THE SEALER LOOKS COMPLETELY DRY.