About Venetian Plaster

The plasters we use are ARTENOVA by SAFRA. SAFRA is a family business started in 1961, in Verona, Italy.  When you buy SAFRA Plasters you are buying family traditions handed down from generation to generation. No other company in the world is more committed to producing true authentic Italian Plasters that will last a lifetime.

The effects SAFRA selected to compose the ARTENOVA package are the result of 40 years of investigation in two directions.

Part of the effort was put into discovering how decorative feelings were conveyed in the past. That effort led SAFRA to the rediscovery of effects and techniques typical of Italy's decorative past, which translated into the rediscovery of famous (Venetian Stucco) and less famous (Stucco Mantovano) products and application techniques developed through the centuries, whose virtues are now stirring new interest in the Architectural community worldwide. In keeping with company philosophy SAFRA complemented its line of mineral traditional finishes with a line of authentic earth colorants based on earth pigments and water. These authentic colorants are therefore unlike most of the pigments normally available on the market called Earths (Terre) but actually based on mineral oxides rather than true earth.

The second part of the effort, by SAFRA's R&D, was in the development of formulations outperforming the present market standards in some respect, whether technically or aesthetically.

In this second family we can surely count products like AQUARELLO, a water-based stain, perfectly resistant to graffiti's and VENEZIANO, a breathable synthetic Venetian plaster resisting over 50,000 brush strokes, which is retouchable and washable with virtually any detergent, thus ideal for high-end public areas (hotel lobbies, corporate buildings etc.)

The following excerpt was assembled with the goal of conveying to you a basic introduction to ARTENOVA effects:They are all obtained with water-based finishes, whether mineral, synthetic or both.Each effect is available in different formulations, according to the specific application conditions (e.g. the venetian plaster intended for the restoration of a historical building will be virtually synthetic chemical-free. Should it be applied on a non-lime-based substrate, some resin inside would have to be added. And so on)Thank you for taking the time to pay a quick visit to the following excerpt, assembled with the goal of conveying to you a basic introduction to the ARTENOVA concept.

Historical Notes On The Origins Of Paints And Italian Plasters

Coccio Pesto History

Mantovano History

History of Stucco Veneziano

History of Stucco