VENETIAN PLASTER

Stucco and modern confusion about its term

These clear former definition wouldn't leave any doubt; with the word stucco it was meant a composite made by slaked lime and stone or marble powder. Only recently, with modern building work replacing the putty with plaster, it started a terminology confusion between the two concepts.

Gypsum made plaster, a typical modern building industry material, takes great advantage during XIX century, mostly for economics application speed and simplicity reasons.

While the lime based putty was processed 'in work' before hardening, plaster fitted for desk processing or moulds, so better for industries.

The wide spreading of plaster brought many to identify
stucco = gypsum. Nothing could be wronger!

One thing can be a pre-printed and pre-colored decoration then serial applied or a wall coated with plaster, a different thing are Venetian stuccowork or a faux finished wall, either from a technical, artistic and dexterity viewpoint and from a decorative aesthetics and comfort viewpoint.

Might it be to avoid this terms confusion and to keep alive the ancient lime based putty tradition, that nowadays people who mean to refer to lime based putty walls call generally such products Venetian stuccowork?