Venetian & Polished Plaster · Bespoke

Venetian plaster in Fareham -stone-effect walls,hand-burnished to a mirror finish.

Name: SJM Plastering
Address: Fontley Road, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6QZ, GB
Telephone: 07907 511080
Price range: ££

Marmorino, Stucco Veneziano and lime-based polished plaster systems. Bespoke colour matched to your scheme, hand-applied in 3–5 layers, burnished to a deep waxed finish that no paint can replicate.

Quote my feature wall 07907 511080

Bespoke colour · Sample panels before commit · Years of polished plaster experience

Bespoke
Sample panels free
30+ yrs
Steve on the tools
24 hr
Quote turnaround
Insured
Public liability cover

Overview

What this service is, and who it's for.

What it is

Venetian and polished plaster is a decorative interior finish built up from multiple thin layers of lime- or acrylic-modified plaster, hand-trowelled with steel and burnished to a polished sheen. The result is a wall that reads like book-matched stone - depth, variation, light response - that no paint, wallpaper or microcement can match. Each wall is one-of-one.

Who it's for

Owners of high-end Hampshire properties wanting a signature finish in an entrance hall, master bathroom, dining room or media wall. Interior designers specifying a focal surface that the rest of the room is built around. Hospitality clients (restaurants, hotels, boutique retail) using polished plaster as a luxury wayfinding cue.

When you need it

When a paint finish doesn't feel rich enough for the space, when wallpaper feels too flat, when microcement isn't refined enough for the room, or when an interior scheme has been built around a single feature wall and the feature wall now has to deliver. Venetian and polished plaster is almost always specified on a single wall or single room - not whole houses.

Why professional matters

Polished plaster is the most unforgiving finish in the trade. Every trowel pass shows, every change of angle shows, every imperfection in the substrate shows. A 5-layer Venetian wall takes a craftsman two full days for one wall - and the difference between someone who's done two and someone who's done two hundred is visible in person from across the room. Hire on portfolio, not on price.

If ignored

What happens when these problems are left.

Bad substrate ruining the finish

Polished plaster amplifies every defect in the wall behind it. A poorly skimmed substrate gives a poor Venetian finish - full stop. We specify substrate prep as part of the quote and won't apply over walls we haven't been allowed to control.

Wrong product for the location

True lime Stucco Veneziano doesn't belong in a wet shower wall. Marmorino does. Acrylic polished plaster doesn't belong in a Grade II listed dining room. Lime does. Choosing the wrong system for the room creates a problem you wear forever.

Sample mismatched to finished wall

Sample boards lit by daylight read totally different from finished walls under installed lighting. We sample on site, in the actual lighting, on a large enough panel to read the colour properly. Cheap shops do a 100mm swatch - useless.

Damaged finish, no way to repair

A scratched polished plaster wall can't be touched up like paint. Properly applied with the correct sealer and waxed top coat, the finish is genuinely durable - but you need the system, not the cheapest acrylic.

Inconsistent colour across the wall

Mixing too small a batch mid-wall, or two trowellers with different hands working the same wall, gives a striped or shaded finish. One pair of hands, one batch, one continuous run.

Our process

How the job actually runs, step by step.

01
Design consult & sample panels
We talk through the room, the lighting, the surrounding scheme, and produce 1–2 large on-site sample panels in candidate colours and finishes before any commitment. You sign off the panel you want - we replicate that on the wall.
02
Substrate prep & primer
Wall skimmed flat (if not already), filled to a level-5 finish, primed with the manufacturer's tinted primer to give consistent base colour and grip for the first plaster coat.
03
Base coats
First and second plaster coats applied thinly with stainless steel trowel, allowed to cure between coats. These build colour depth and the first hints of the marbled movement.
04
Finish & burnish coats
Third (and sometimes fourth and fifth) coats applied even thinner, then burnished hard with a heated trowel pass that compresses the surface and brings the polished sheen up. This is the layer that makes or breaks the wall.
05
Sealer & wax
Penetrating sealer applied for durability and water resistance (mandatory in bathrooms and kitchens), final wax coat hand-buffed for the deep tactile finish. Care instructions handed over on completion.

Benefits

What you actually get.

One-of-one wall

Hand-applied finishes are never identical - your wall is unique and reads that way in person.

Depth no paint can match

Multiple translucent layers create real visual depth and light response - the wall changes character through the day.

Durable when specified right

Properly sealed and waxed, polished plaster is wipeable, water-resistant and stable for decades.

Bespoke colour

Pigmented to your reference - Farrow & Ball, RAL, NCS, or a swatch you bring us. Colour matched on site, sampled before commit.

Suitable for wet areas

True Marmorino with the correct sealer is appropriate for showers and behind basins - and looks extraordinary doing it.

Genuine craftsmanship reads

Visitors notice. A polished plaster wall is one of the few finishes that consistently gets commented on by guests.

Detail

The materials, methods and situations.

For homeowners, specifiers and surveyors who want to know exactly what they're commissioning.

Systems we apply

Stucco Veneziano (true lime, high polish, deep stone-like depth - the heritage Venetian system), Marmorino Carrara (lime, slightly more matt, suitable for wet areas and bathrooms), Spatulato (modern multi-layer acrylic-modified for residential interiors), and metallic polished plasters where a brushed-metal effect is wanted.

Methods

Multi-layer hand-trowelled application, hot-iron burnishing for the highest polish, glaze and wax sealing for durability. We work continuous walls in one session with one batch of plaster and one pair of hands to avoid joint or batch lines.

Variations of the service

Single feature wall (the most common spec), full room polished plaster (dining rooms, master suites), bathroom polished plaster (Marmorino with sealer to walls and ceilings), bespoke colour-matched scheme work for interior designers, and ceiling polished plaster where the scheme requires it.

Situations it applies to

Statement entrance halls in detached Whiteley and Park Gate properties, master bedroom feature walls in Fareham renovations, polished-plaster bathrooms in Portsmouth high-end refurbishments, hospitality interiors across Southampton, and decorative dining room walls in Winchester period restorations (using lime systems for breathability).

Residential vs. commercial

Residential polished plaster is usually one or two walls in a high-end private home. Commercial work - restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury retail, salons - runs to larger continuous surfaces with stricter brand colour-match and protection during fit-out. Pricing reflects the scale and the protection requirements.

FAQ

Honest answers to the questions we get most.

How much does Venetian plaster cost in Fareham?

Polished plaster typically runs £120–£280 per square metre depending on system, number of coats, colour complexity and finish. A standard 4m x 2.4m feature wall comes in around £1,200–£2,800 fully finished and sealed. All quotes include sample panels and substrate prep.

How long does a feature wall take?

Most single feature walls take 3–5 working days on site, allowing curing time between coats. Larger rooms or full schemes scale from there. We block out the time so the wall is done in one continuous run by one pair of hands.

Will you provide samples first?

Yes - always. We produce large on-site sample panels in your candidate colours under your actual lighting before any commitment. Tiny shop swatches don't represent finished walls. Samples are free as part of the quoting process.

Can I have Venetian plaster in a bathroom?

Yes - Marmorino with the correct penetrating sealer is appropriate for shower walls, splash zones and bathroom ceilings. Looks extraordinary, stays sound for the long term. We don't recommend acrylic polished plaster for full-wet zones.

How do I clean it?

Soft cloth, water and mild soap if needed. Avoid abrasive sponges and strong chemical cleaners (especially anything acidic). We hand over written care instructions on completion.

Can polished plaster be repaired if damaged?

Minor scratches buff out with the waxing kit we provide. Deeper damage can be feathered and re-burnished, though some colour transition is normal. The finish is genuinely durable in normal use.

What colours can I have?

Essentially any colour. We pigment from manufacturers' base systems and match to Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, RAL, NCS, or a swatch you bring us. Deep colours and metallics involve more layers and cost slightly more.