CREATE A WOW FACTOR IN YOUR HOME WITH VENETIAN PLASTERING.

CREATE A WOW FACTOR IN YOUR HOME WITH VENETIAN PLASTERING.

INTERVIEW WITH GSK PLASTERING (VENETIAN PLASTER EXPERT).

I am very excited to share with you a recent interview I did with Glen from GSK plastering. Glen is a complete expert in how to transform your home with an array of different techniques and finishes. Making your walls and floors look breath taking. It is no secret that I love unusual and incredible finishes in our interiors. So when I persuaded Glen to chat to me about his incredible talent, I kept him on zoom for over two hours! Glen is so knowledgeable and passionate about his trade. If he’s not working on someone’s home, then he’s in his workshop experimenting and developing new styles and finishes. Once you’ve read this, you will definitely be wanting Glen to come and create something incredible in your home. So read on and find out how to create a wow factor in your home with Venetian Plaster.

GLEN HOW DID YOU GET INTO VENETIAN PLASTERING?

“I had wanted to do it for years. Originally I trained as a graphic designer and although I loved the creativity, I didn’t like being confined to an office. I then trained as a plasterer, which I enjoyed but then the creativity was missing. After years of talking about training in venetian plaster, my mother-in-law said A little less conversation, a little more action! That was the push I needed and off I went to train in Manchester.”

WHAT IS VENETIAN PLASTER?

Venetian plaster is essentially lime plaster and it’s nothing new. It has been around since ancient times. What is new is the spin offs if you like, that have added materials such as marble, lime, metallics, metallic powders and acrylics . Glen is always expanding the variety of materials and finishes he uses and the different materials result in very different looks.

MICROCEMENT

Microcement is probably one of the most popular finishes that Glen uses. It’s flexibility to work on both walls and floors, completely transforms a space and creates such depth and intrigue to a structure. The way the light bounces off and moves over a finished Microcement wall or floor creates this constant illusion of movement.

As well as the beauty, there are also many practical reasons for using Microcement. It is incredibly flexible, meaning that it bends with any movement and pressure. There are no seams at all, unlike a wall of tiles with grout lines, this is one continuous beautiful wall of art. It is anti fungal and UV resistant, it basically is incredibly hardy and lasts forever

WHAT OTHER MATERIAL DO YOU WORK WITH?

LIQUID METAL

Liquid metal is really what it says on the tin. It is any metal that can be melted down and ground into a powder. When I first saw an image of one of Glen’s projects on his Instagram page, I was blown away. I absolutely love metals as a finish, so the combination of the metallic finish with the swirls and texture that plaster brings, is just incredible to look at. Glen often weaves in a few metals together or combines a metal with a colour, to create depth and texture to the finish. The other amazing quality to this finish is it can again go on anything; worktops, floors, tables, showers, you name it.

MARMORINO

Marmorino is a cement finish for walls, the pigment options are incredible and again Glen often weaves in a few colours together to create swirls and movement.

CHROMOFILM

Is another finish that creates a metallic topping.

OTTOCENTO

Ottocento is a subtle metallic finish that offers a subtle shimmer and changes as the light hits its.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON AREAS CLIENTS USE YOUR FINISHES IN THEIR HOME?

“Bathrooms are a very common choice, because materials such as microcement repels water and mould. It also adds so much more beauty and interest than tile. It means no grout lines, no discolouration that you get with grout and you can add it straight over the top of existing tiles.

If Clients want to make an impact in a living room, then a chimney breast is often another area we transform. It is a real wow factor and focal point in the space.

Kitchen walls and floors are really transformational with venetian plaster. If you have say a simple white kitchen and then we create one of our finishes on the wall above, it instantly changes the room and takes an ordinary kitchen into an incredible space.

TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR PROJECTS?

“I work with a range of commercial and residential clients. Commercially I have worked on a couple of large scale cinema transformations in London and Woking. I worked for weeks creating amazing, centre piece staircases in both cinemas.

Recently I finished transforming a client’s bedroom with liquid metals on all the walls. It is a strong style statement and the couple absolutely love it.

I am also working on a summer house. This time the client gave me complete freedom to create what I felt the space needed. I have created a mock up board using swirling blues, taking inspiration from the summer sky and the clients are completely on board with this creation”.

Also I work with a bespoke stencil and sign company, where we can create a motif or company logo within the special finish, an incredibly statement on a wall!”

IF A CLIENT IS INTERTESTED IN WORKING WITH YOU WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

“First of all we have a phone conversation to determine the scope of work. Often clients have something in mind or they are working with an interior designer who is guiding them through their selections. If they don’t have any design ideas, that is also fine. I love being creative and coming up with the right finish that will suit the clients home.

When I meet the client at their home, I always bring a selection of samples that I think will best suit what they have described. If the finish is something unusual then I will often develop further boards. This way the client can see what finish we are aiming to achieve.

The process isn’t quick, there are many layers that build up the finish look. If I’m working on a bathroom is usually takes about a week from start to finish.”

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

“ Really it’s creating a work of art and no two walls are the same. As the light moves across a venetian plaster finish it is captivating and it’s always changing. It is also really transformational, quite quickly I change a normal room to an incredible space and client reactions are fantastic.”

If you would like to work with Glen to transform your home and honestly you should, then you can contact him through Instagram. If you would love to create something incredible in your home, but have no idea where to start, then contact us and book a phone consultation to see how we can work together.