Travertino

An Italian finish from the Renaissance tradition

This plaster was created to imitate the Roman travertine marble, one of the most famous Italian marbles. Two different effects can be achieved with this material: Romano and Toscano, which has a more modern and youthful look.

Travertino is rough-looking, but smooth to the touch, with pleasing natural shadows.

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Exteriors & Interiors

This finish, when treated accordingly, can be used both on exterior and interior wall surfaces. Although lime-based, Lava is a remarkably hard material.

Ecofriendly

100% natural version available, excluding all chemicals. Moreover, being natural lime-based, with a very low VOC index, our Stucco Lava has high salubrious characteristics.

Discover Travertino

Overview

A finish that recreates the magnificence of Roman architecture

It’s rough-looking but smooth to the touch, with pleasing natural shadows. Travertine refers to the traditional method of tinting and protecting the plaster when several layers of stucco were applied on a brick structure. It is an ancient decorative plaster for exteriors and interiors that dates back to the era of the Italian Renaissance.

It can be applied in a more modern Tuscany Travertine effect, and it is the base material for other finishes like the Crocodile effect.

Biological

A 100% natural version is available for this product. This Biological Version maintains the ease of application and esthetical beauty of the original, while excluding all chemicals in favor of vegetable starches and cellulose, milk derivatives and, for the powder version, pozzolanic agents. Click here to know more about our eco-friendly materials.

Technical

Packaging

Travertino comes in

Paste form, in 24kg buckets
Powder form, in 16kg buckets or 20kg bags

The Ecological version comes in powder form in 16kg buckets.

The product comes either in its Natural color, which is slightly yellow or in White color. Both can be tinted in any other color with our Color System.

Yield

24kg (1 paste bucket) = 9 m²

16 kg (1 powder bucket)= 8 m²

Composition

It is made of high-quality lime hydrate, white cement, selected marble aggregates, vegetable additives, and mineral oxides. Thanks to its composition it is resistant to alkalis and abrasion, it is fire-resistant and permeable to vapor. Resistance to mold and bacteria makes it a healthy material. It is a nontoxic product, with a VOC (= O) L/A 30 g/l (2010).

Application

During the application, remember to always have strong illumination angled at the surface of the wall you are working on. If there is a window, place the light source on the same side as the window to have all the light coming from one side. If the lamp produces a lot of heat, it’s best to move the lamp once in a while so that during the second and third coats, one part doesn’t dry too quickly. It is best not to apply in temperatures below 5°C or with elevated humidity.

Preparation of the substrate

We recommend the application of Travertino on lime-based plasters. In the case of a deteriorated substrate, proceed with its removal and replace it with new lime-based plaster. Friable substrates must be consolidated with deep impregnations of Universal Primer, and then by a coat of Primer al Quarzo Fine, diluted with water in a 2:1 ratio.

Gypsum-based substrates, drywalls, and solid paints must be treated with a coat of Primer al Quarzo Fine. Substrates rich in salt efflorescences must be treated with appropriate neutralizing products

Application

1. Apply one thin coat uniformly with a metal trowel in the desired color over the entire surface. Avoid leaving too many ridges. After the first coat, it’s best to replace all the masking tape around doors, windows, and ceilings.

2. Once the first coat is completely dry, you can apply the second coat with a metal trowel. The edge of the blade should be smooth and free of imperfections.

Normally the second coat is applied over the entire surface before applying the final coat, but if the wall is big or it is very warm out, it is recommended that the work be done in a team with one completing the second coat, while the other begins applying the final coat since the third coat needs to be applied on a damp 2nd coat.

3. When the material has been applied well and smoothed almost like a Marmorino, you can begin to “scrape” the surface using a spatula or the blade of the trowel set at a 90-degree angle in respect to the wall. Move the blade against the plaster with horizontal (or vertical) movements.

4. Go over the entire scraped surface to smooth it out again (as usual moving parallel, that is, with the “grain”.) After this, check to see if any areas need to be re-scraped at any point.

If you want the smooth parts to a bit polished, you can polish them with a metal trowel and then with a plastic one.

Alternative Application

Apply the second coat and then, at the right time. (You’ll understand exactly when by trying it out.) Move a dry sponge trowel over the surface with horizontal (or vertical) movements.

Each movement should be parallel to the previous one. The trowel shouldn’t be held flat, but at a 45-degree angle to the wall so you are using the edge of the sponge. In this way, you form parallel lines.

Wait until this has dried a bit and then flatten these lines with the light pressure of a metal trowel. This flattening movement should always be parallel to the lines you have made.

Then you can go over it with a metal trowel and a plastic trowel to polish the smooth surfaces.

You can also use our brush trowel on the surface and then scrape it with the spatula and press with the trowel.

Variations are possible adding our additive Mica to get sparkling flakes into the plaster finish or adding the Salt and Pepper additive to get black dots that give more of a “sense of stone” to the finish.

Protection

Wait 48 hours before applying the protection treatment.

1. You can apply our Natural Beeswax tinted the same color as the Travertino. This protection should only be done on interiors.

2a. You can also apply our Natural Beeswax (for interiors) tinted with a color that contrasts with that of the Travertine finish. This will accentuate the contrast between the smooth and rough parts.

2b.This can also be done by applying a non-colored coat of our Universal Primer diluting 1 part with 11-12 parts of water. This is fine for exteriors. Then, when it is dry, apply a second coat with the same dilution, but with color this time. Be careful to remove excess colorant from the smooth parts with a rag. This finish gives protection while at the same time accentuates the Travertine effect. This operation can be repeated once more, with a different darker color, to get a dramatic effect. All this can be done on interiors and exteriors.

3. You can apply our water-based water repellent. This is done by going over the surface a couple of times using a spray bottle and distributing any excess using a cloth that doesn’t leave fibers. It’s important to be sure to spray a light amount of water repellent being careful not to wet the surface too much. This can be done on the interior and exterior finishes.

4. In the external walls, it is recommended to protect TRAVERTINO with Velature, to improve its water repellency capacities and protect it from the deteriorating effect of acid rain and dirt.

Velature is a semi-transparent finish in acryl-siloxanic emulsion, suitable for indoors and outdoors, recommended for antique effects. It can be applied to smooth or rough, mineral, or synthetic substrates. It has good water repellency and becomes completely washable two weeks after application. It is a nontoxic material, with VOC (<8.38) L/A 200 g/l (2010)