To wax or not to wax, that is the question I ask of thee. Italian Plasterworks just got back from a lovely contemporary residential installation. A little chaos commenced the project as the homeowner wanted a marble sheen and the decorator wanted a surface shine. The compromise was a lightly waxed wall. Well what does that all mean?
When to Wax:
Waxing a traditionally plastered lime based wall is done to protect the wall. It should and is almost always done in commercial installations where there is a lot of traffic. Wax does provide a layer of protection. So if you are talking about a store or restaurant where people and things are going to be rubbing up against the surface, you should wax or apply a chemical protective coating. Also one should protect areas that will be splashed with water. As pure water won't stain real lime plaster at all, stuff in the water might leave a residue. Waxing will leave a surface shine and the level of surface shine will depend on how polished the plaster is. If you need to protect a wall but don't want any shine, then use a chemical protective coating. This isn't as important with synthetic acrylic based plasters like Variance.
Waxing provides surface shine of some level on all plasters but most on high polished plasters often called grassellos or Venezianos. If you are looking for the glossiest of shines, then waxing will provide that. Some synthetic plasters are made with acrylic and thus give a more of a surface shine than authentic lime plasters but their level of shine can too be bumped up with wax.
Add a decorative layer. When a wax is tinted or is filled with an additive like mica, it will add another decorative layer to the wall. When doing Old World creations, a darker waxed is used to give the appearance of age and wear. It gives a glazing effect and can add a pearly or glittery look as well.
Or Not to Wax:
When a marble sheen is desired. A properly burnished plaster does not need any thing else. A properly burnished high polished plaster is very shiny but one can only see the shine when their eye at an angle on the wall. It has no surface shine which means when you look at it straight on, it appears matte. This is also known as a marble shine. This is much more common in residences as there can be a thing as too much shine. An unwaxed lime based wall is more traditional and easier on the eyes. Lime plaster as it was meant to be. Most of the residence work Italian Plasterworks does, is unwaxed.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Slave Free Chocolate
It's very normal to work on your family's farm. Many, if not most children on this planet have to work. The International Labor Organization which is part of the UN, has defines what its called the Worst Forms of Child Labor or WFCL (ILO Convention 182). Simply, children working in unsafe conditions, with no access to school or emergency first aid/care and includes all children that are trafficked and forced into labor. Most countries have ratified this convention.
Those who produce and harvest our agricultural commodities have always been on the poorest end of the stick. Abject poverty and unfair labor practices often go hand and hand. In two West African countries, Ghana and The Ivory Coast, 1.8 million children are at risk of falling under the WFCL and the majority do. Estimated percentage vary but a good chunk are modern day traffic children. Boys make up about 70% of the trafficked children and ages vary the bulk between 10 and 15 years of age.
As there are many similar situations like this in the world, this one is of particular interest as it is tied to chocolate, a US$ 90 billion industry, a treat. We as American consumers are at the other end of this supply chain whenever we throw some M&M's in our mouth.
At the beginning of the supply chain you have children climbing trees with 2 foot long machetes, hacking gourd like pods off the cocoa tree trunks, then hacking them open with the same machetes to prize out the slimy beans to dry in the sun, with no emergency first aid services in site. These children are using pesticides and carrying heavy loads. Only a handful of schools exist. The trafficked children usually come from two poorer countries to the north east, Mali and Burkina Faso. Desperate for income, an uncle may sell a relative, often a child is lured by a lump sum of cash when the season completes and a portion are simply stolen off the streets and sold to brokers or plantation owners for about 250 euros. These children are beaten if they don't work hard enough or try to escape and are locked up at night.
Both our government and those of Ghana and The Ivory Coast agree that this should be remedied. The candy companies promised responsibility and urgent action to have this situation remedied by 2005. Something have been done, some things haven't been done and there are things we haven't even thought of or tried. Sadly, we are 10 year out from the gates and we are only 5% down the road.
It is in the opinion of Slave Free Chocolate that the surface has been scratched a structure of remediation put in place but those who signed the protocol haven't done what they promised to do and fund this puppy. Our government worked hard to create a structure that would make it as easy as possible for the industry to comply. Those that are out of integrity with their word and actions are: Cargill, Archer Daniel Midland, Nestle, Hershey, Kraft, World's Finest Chocolate, Guittard Chocolate, Barry Callebaut and Blommer Inc.
Slave Free Chocolate's mission is to spread awareness and educate consumers to use their voice and dollar as a vote that we don't want slavery in our chocolate. If you are interested in helping by writing some letters to your elected officials, local grocery stores and candy companies, please go to Slave Free Chocolate.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Venetian Plaster Repair--Detective Work.
I got a call from a woman in Cornado, Ca who was looking for someone who could repair the patching that didn't go well on her Venetian plastered kitchen cabinets. The red flags in her request are with the word "patching" and two red flags for the term "Venetian plastered kitchen cabinets". I am in no way interested in the job but this did incite much curiosity. Couldn't help but go down that rabbit hole.
First, applying Venetian plaster as a finish for cabinets doesn't make a lot of sense. First if you are going to use authentic lime plaster, you are dealing with a material that when, dry is more like a thin sheet of ice, than a layer of paint. I would think, even if successful in application, it would chip easily. But going back a little, applying lime plaster on cabinets would also be difficult to move the material in various directions and almost impossible to burnish. That said, I have seen some well executed work using synthetic plasters on furniture and such but its very rare.
The applicator had to either be the Grand Master of them all, or some clueless fool. So pretending like I might be interested in this repair-the-patch-work I asked the homeowner who did it and did she know what was used. As I distribute plaster through Metro Wallworks and teach through California School of Italian Plasters, I know most of my competition pretty well. If I recognize the name, I can usually take a pretty good guess at what products they are using and well versed in. The homeowner gave me a name I didn't recognize at all and said that Venetian plastering isn't what he normally does. Just like I thought, it was the latter. She did mention that the applicator had a French man guiding him as he went. She had no idea of the product he used but did still have a can of some French wax used. There are a couple of French faux finishers in town but I can't imagine them getting involved in such a project.
The cabinets had gotten dinged up here and there due to some other construction in the house. She called in a woman who came to patch them for her. So was this woman the Grand Master of Venetian Plasterers who could take on such a job or another clueless fool? My guess is that she is a local faux finisher with little Venetian plaster experience. The owner didn't know the name but did have the product she used, American Traditions Venetian Plaster. OK, well that stuff can look nice but its not authentic Venetian plaster which means its got a little lime, some gypsum, some acrylic resins and what not. I'm not knocking the product but one can't just slap this over a waxed mystery plaster with any hope of success.
The owner complained that the patches weren't the same color as the original cabinets. According to the homeowner, the patches were about 7 shades too light. Now I was really curious, so I get the homeowner to send me pictures of the cabinets. They looked better than I thought, but they don't look like they have Venetian plaster on them. The patches actually just make the cabinets look a little more vintage (even though vintage wasn't the original intent).
My point to this blog is to really point out some aspects you must take in mind when it comes to repairing work you didn't do yourself.
First, applying Venetian plaster as a finish for cabinets doesn't make a lot of sense. First if you are going to use authentic lime plaster, you are dealing with a material that when, dry is more like a thin sheet of ice, than a layer of paint. I would think, even if successful in application, it would chip easily. But going back a little, applying lime plaster on cabinets would also be difficult to move the material in various directions and almost impossible to burnish. That said, I have seen some well executed work using synthetic plasters on furniture and such but its very rare.
The cabinets had gotten dinged up here and there due to some other construction in the house. She called in a woman who came to patch them for her. So was this woman the Grand Master of Venetian Plasterers who could take on such a job or another clueless fool? My guess is that she is a local faux finisher with little Venetian plaster experience. The owner didn't know the name but did have the product she used, American Traditions Venetian Plaster. OK, well that stuff can look nice but its not authentic Venetian plaster which means its got a little lime, some gypsum, some acrylic resins and what not. I'm not knocking the product but one can't just slap this over a waxed mystery plaster with any hope of success.
The owner complained that the patches weren't the same color as the original cabinets. According to the homeowner, the patches were about 7 shades too light. Now I was really curious, so I get the homeowner to send me pictures of the cabinets. They looked better than I thought, but they don't look like they have Venetian plaster on them. The patches actually just make the cabinets look a little more vintage (even though vintage wasn't the original intent).
My point to this blog is to really point out some aspects you must take in mind when it comes to repairing work you didn't do yourself.
- Play detective and find out as much as you possible can. Encourage the homeowner to call the original applicator.
- If it has been waxed, the whole wall must be done again.
- If you don't know the original material, much time could be spent on texture and color matching.
- Its probably less time consuming to redo the whole plane than to patch.
- Charge time and materials and don't promise success.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Japanese Plaster, Eco de Vita application shown by Job Corps, San Francisco
Japanese plaster is made from coral sand or diatomaceous earth. Both are from the sea, where the sand and little diatoms tumbled the ocean floor for eons before it was sustainly brought to the surface to have itself transfromed into a new material for walls.
This video produced by Job Corps is two fold. First it shows you how to flatten or float out a textured surrface and then shows you how to work with the Japanese plaster. Notice how Tim, the instructor, switches to a Japanese trowel when he works with the Eco De Vita. I really can't say "why" they work better, but they do. If you are interested in learning Japanese plaster application you have a couple of choices. First you can order a sample making kit from Eco De Vita or you can take a one day certification course from California School of Italian Plasters.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Typical Problems Addressed
Hi, in this post I am addressing the typical problems people run into when applying high polished lime plasters but can also happen on thicker marmorinos as well. Everything below is assuming that the traditional technique of 3 coats is being used. The following is taught in the Master Plaster Class at California School if Italian Plasters.
Bubbles are appearing on my 3rd coat when I am burnishing: You may have applied the 3rd coat too soon.
The 2nd coat is peeling: Your first coat might have been applied too thinly not leaving enough of a base to absorb the correct amount of water from the 2nd coat.
The 3rd coats is peeling and cracking: The second coat might not have been dry enough before you applied the 3rd coat. Make sure that the 3rd coat is pulled tightly as you only need a very thin layer.
Lines are showing up in the finish: Check your trowel for any scratches or debris. Always keep a clean wet rag with you at all times. Also keep 400 grit sand paper to polish off any tiny scratches in the trowel you might have made by picking up debris.
I am getting too many trowel marks: If anyone tells you he can do a room with no trowel marks he is lying. Trowel marks will happen and if the are not too thick, they are part of the finish. The thick ones are made when the back of the trowel has built up plaster on it. Every time you load up for more material you should scrape the back of the trowel with your spatula.
I've got thick wet spots on some of my wall but the rest is ready to burnish: Keep a hairdryer on hand and gently help dry the thick spots so that you don't miss the burnish on the whole wall.
One wall is darker than the other: You have to make sure that you are burnishing your walls at the same dryness level. If one person is burnishing when the plaster is on the early side of the "in love" window, it will be darker than one burnishing on the dryer time of the window.
I am leaving marks on both ends of the trowel when I apply plaster: This means that your trowel isn't convex enough. Press on all for corners of the trowel to correct it.
I am leaving dark grey marks on the light plaster when I burnish. You aren't using a good plaster. It probably has silica in it. You should switch to a plastic trowel or a CD case to burnish. Also, some plasters are burnishable with paper.
Bubbles are appearing on my 3rd coat when I am burnishing: You may have applied the 3rd coat too soon.
The 2nd coat is peeling: Your first coat might have been applied too thinly not leaving enough of a base to absorb the correct amount of water from the 2nd coat.
The 3rd coats is peeling and cracking: The second coat might not have been dry enough before you applied the 3rd coat. Make sure that the 3rd coat is pulled tightly as you only need a very thin layer.
Lines are showing up in the finish: Check your trowel for any scratches or debris. Always keep a clean wet rag with you at all times. Also keep 400 grit sand paper to polish off any tiny scratches in the trowel you might have made by picking up debris.
I am getting too many trowel marks: If anyone tells you he can do a room with no trowel marks he is lying. Trowel marks will happen and if the are not too thick, they are part of the finish. The thick ones are made when the back of the trowel has built up plaster on it. Every time you load up for more material you should scrape the back of the trowel with your spatula.
I've got thick wet spots on some of my wall but the rest is ready to burnish: Keep a hairdryer on hand and gently help dry the thick spots so that you don't miss the burnish on the whole wall.
One wall is darker than the other: You have to make sure that you are burnishing your walls at the same dryness level. If one person is burnishing when the plaster is on the early side of the "in love" window, it will be darker than one burnishing on the dryer time of the window.
I am leaving marks on both ends of the trowel when I apply plaster: This means that your trowel isn't convex enough. Press on all for corners of the trowel to correct it.
I am leaving dark grey marks on the light plaster when I burnish. You aren't using a good plaster. It probably has silica in it. You should switch to a plastic trowel or a CD case to burnish. Also, some plasters are burnishable with paper.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
VOC's and Paint-The Low Down
VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds
Many green builders are concerned with the VOC content of the paint they use, as they are an important consideration for both environmental and human health impacts.
What are VOCs? VOCs are a class of carbon-based chemicals that have the capacity to evaporate readily at room temperature. They can degrade air quality both in buildings and in the atmosphere, they may produce odors, and they contribute to smog. The health effects of different VOCs vary considerably. There are four VOC compounds that are widely used in the production of latex paint: ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, texanol, and butyl carbitol. All are considered low toxicity, though they can cause nose and throat irritation and other discomfort at high concentrations.
What are EPAlimits on VOCs in paints? The US Environmental Protection Agency air quality regulations (40CFR59.400 et. seq.) limit the VOC content of paint. These limits are intended to protect the environment by reducing the creation of photochemical smog in the atmosphere. For the class of paints that includes MetroPaint, Recycled Paint by Metro Wallworks, and Acrylatex the VOC content is limited to 250 grams per liter.
Green building: the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle. (Wikipedia)
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What are “Low VOC” paints? Some manufactures have developed latex paint products that are lower in VOCs. However there is no regulatory definition of Low VOC, so the VOC content of paints labeled as Low VOC can vary. Some are simply in compliance with EPA regulations. Others may be significantly lower, some are even close to zero and may be labeled as “No VOC” or “Zero VOC”. Green Seal, an international standards-setting organization for environmentally preferable products, has established VOC limits for virgin paints (www.greenseal.org). For interior paint their limits are 50 grams/liter for flat paints, 150 grams/liter for non-flat, for exterior the Green Seal limit is 100 grams/liter for flat, 200 grams/liter for non-flat.
When are Low VOC Paints a good choice? When a building interior is to be painted and there are concerns about indoor air quality, particularly with individuals that are sensitive to odors or chemicals that may be exposed during the first few days after painting. The most significant concentration of VOC vapors occurs within 100 hours after painting 1.
When is Metro Wallworks Recycled Paint a good choice for the environment? Recycled Paint by Metro Wallworks’s modest VOC content is appropriate for exterior applications and interior applications other than those with indoor air quality concerns. But VOCs are not the only environmental consideration- there are a number of other environmental benefits provided by recycled paint (see the section on Lifecycle below).
Additional Notes about VOC’s
•• The VOC levels in EPA’s regulations and Green Seal’s virgin paint standards are intended to apply to paint before it is tinted at the point of sale. Colorants added at the point of sale contain VOCs as carriers. Darker colors in particular can have a lot of colorant added, and thus add a lot of VOCs. Recycled paint is at a disadvantage here, as post-consumer paint contains these colorants. Tinting can add as much as 80 grams/liter to the VOC content, so the VOC content of MetroPaint would be somewhat lower if it could be calculated the same way.
1 An EPA study concludes that the rate of off-gassing of the four main VOC compounds found in latex paint can vary considerably depending on the substrate. For non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel, nearly all of the VOCs are emitted within the first 100 hours after painting. In contrast, freshly painted porous surfaces, such as wood or sheetrock, release a relatively small amount of the VOCs in the initial “puff”, emitting the remaining VOCs at very low levels over time, possibly as long as 3.5 years.
However, the study found that even on porous surfaces the ethylene glycol vapors dropped to under 1 mg/m3 by 100 hours, and down to about 0.1 mg/m3 for most of the long off-gassing process. For comparison, OSHA allows occupational exposures of ethylene glycol up to 100 mg/m3. The other three VOCs were found in even smaller amounts after 100 hours, close to the lower limit of the test method’s ability to detect.
Reference: Chang, John C.S., “Capstone Report on the Development of a Standard Test Method for VOC Emissions from Interior Latex and Alkyd Paints.” US EPA 2001. EPA/600/R-01/093
MetroPaint –
Under EPA’s air quality regulations latex paint recycling is encouraged, and recyclers are allowed to use an “adjusted VOC content” calculation, taking into account the percentage of paint that is recycled from post-consumer sources
• Green Seal recently published a standard for recycled paints, including the requirement that the VOC content of recycled paints be under 250 grams/liter.
• EPA’s VOC regulations are targeted at atmospheric pollution, and not all harmful chemicals are included in their definition of VOCs, so a paint that is labeled as Low or No VOC may still emit some vapors that are harmful to human health. A 2001 EPA study found that “ … certain paints marketed as low-VOC may still emit significant quantities of air pollutants” (see reference in footnote 1 on previous page). In some cases the overall quantity of VOCs was quite low, but significant amounts of specific compounds were nevertheless emitted.
• The VOCs in recycled paint have already been manufactured and will enter the environment one way or the other, and when it is used instead of virgin paint recycled paint reduces the need to manufacture new VOCs.
LEEDand other certifications
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a benchmarking system developed by the US Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) to certify high performance green buildings. Building projects accumulate points toward certification in a variety of different categories. In commercial buildings the use of MetroPaint can help garner points for LEED certification in a couple of ways:
• Under the Recycled Content credits (MR4.1/4.2), use of recycled paint, and especially 100% recycled paint, can help qualify for credits.
• Under the Regional Materials credits (MR5.1/5.2), use of paint that is manufactured regionally helps gain credits. This is defined as within 500 miles, which includes much of the Pacific Northwest for Metro’s Portland-based plant.
In the recently-released LEED for Homes, credit is specifically awarded for use of recycled paint that is certified by Green SealTM. There are other green building certification systems, such as the guidelines developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for residential construction (www.nahb.org), and the Green Globes Standards (www.greenglobes.com). These guidelines are similar to LEED in that points are available for both recycled content building materials and regionally-manufactured materials.
MetroPaint
Lifecycle benefits
For years environmental advocates have been promoting recycling of various household commodities, such as newspaper, glass, aluminum, etc. The environmental benefits of recycling these materials are that less energy, water and raw materials are used, less pollution is generated, and less landfill space is used. Because less energy is used less greenhouse gases are emitted, and global warming is reduced. All of these benefits hold true for paint as well.
Production of new paint uses resources and generates pollution during the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing process, and transportation of final products. Every time a gallon of MetroPaint is used instead of a gallon of new paint, a number of benefits are obtained:
• An estimated 100 kilowatt–hours (kWh) of energy is saved. Recycling paint actually saves more energy per pound than other construction materials, such as steel, glass, and lumber. 100 kWh is enough energy to power a refrigerator for two months or a clock for two years. Because of the energy savings, an estimated 115 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions are reduced when recycled paint is used instead of new.
• Various types of pollution are not generated. A significant percentage of the ingredients in latex paint are derived from petrochemicals, the extraction of which results in various environmental impacts, notably air emissions and waste discharges to surface waters. The extraction of titanium dioxide, another important latex paint ingredient, results in the production of significant quantities of sulfuric acid, metal sulfates, and metal chlorides, wastes which are commonly disposed of in the ocean, or via deep well injection
• Less water and raw materials are used. Quantitative information on the relative amounts of water and raw materials utilized in the course of paint recycling vs. virgin paint manufacture are not currently available, but it is clear that ingredient extraction, the manufacturing process, and transportation of virgin paint require substantial raw materials and water, while the relatively simple recycling process uses significantly less.
• Landfill space is conserved. 14 million gallons of paint is disposed of in California every year. That is a lot of space. Using recycled paint where you can, get it out of there.
Many green builders are concerned with the VOC content of the paint they use, as they are an important consideration for both environmental and human health impacts.
What are VOCs? VOCs are a class of carbon-based chemicals that have the capacity to evaporate readily at room temperature. They can degrade air quality both in buildings and in the atmosphere, they may produce odors, and they contribute to smog. The health effects of different VOCs vary considerably. There are four VOC compounds that are widely used in the production of latex paint: ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, texanol, and butyl carbitol. All are considered low toxicity, though they can cause nose and throat irritation and other discomfort at high concentrations.
What are EPAlimits on VOCs in paints? The US Environmental Protection Agency air quality regulations (40CFR59.400 et. seq.) limit the VOC content of paint. These limits are intended to protect the environment by reducing the creation of photochemical smog in the atmosphere. For the class of paints that includes MetroPaint, Recycled Paint by Metro Wallworks, and Acrylatex the VOC content is limited to 250 grams per liter.
Green building: the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle. (Wikipedia)
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What are “Low VOC” paints? Some manufactures have developed latex paint products that are lower in VOCs. However there is no regulatory definition of Low VOC, so the VOC content of paints labeled as Low VOC can vary. Some are simply in compliance with EPA regulations. Others may be significantly lower, some are even close to zero and may be labeled as “No VOC” or “Zero VOC”. Green Seal, an international standards-setting organization for environmentally preferable products, has established VOC limits for virgin paints (www.greenseal.org). For interior paint their limits are 50 grams/liter for flat paints, 150 grams/liter for non-flat, for exterior the Green Seal limit is 100 grams/liter for flat, 200 grams/liter for non-flat.
When are Low VOC Paints a good choice? When a building interior is to be painted and there are concerns about indoor air quality, particularly with individuals that are sensitive to odors or chemicals that may be exposed during the first few days after painting. The most significant concentration of VOC vapors occurs within 100 hours after painting 1.
When is Metro Wallworks Recycled Paint a good choice for the environment? Recycled Paint by Metro Wallworks’s modest VOC content is appropriate for exterior applications and interior applications other than those with indoor air quality concerns. But VOCs are not the only environmental consideration- there are a number of other environmental benefits provided by recycled paint (see the section on Lifecycle below).
Additional Notes about VOC’s
•• The VOC levels in EPA’s regulations and Green Seal’s virgin paint standards are intended to apply to paint before it is tinted at the point of sale. Colorants added at the point of sale contain VOCs as carriers. Darker colors in particular can have a lot of colorant added, and thus add a lot of VOCs. Recycled paint is at a disadvantage here, as post-consumer paint contains these colorants. Tinting can add as much as 80 grams/liter to the VOC content, so the VOC content of MetroPaint would be somewhat lower if it could be calculated the same way.
1 An EPA study concludes that the rate of off-gassing of the four main VOC compounds found in latex paint can vary considerably depending on the substrate. For non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel, nearly all of the VOCs are emitted within the first 100 hours after painting. In contrast, freshly painted porous surfaces, such as wood or sheetrock, release a relatively small amount of the VOCs in the initial “puff”, emitting the remaining VOCs at very low levels over time, possibly as long as 3.5 years.
However, the study found that even on porous surfaces the ethylene glycol vapors dropped to under 1 mg/m3 by 100 hours, and down to about 0.1 mg/m3 for most of the long off-gassing process. For comparison, OSHA allows occupational exposures of ethylene glycol up to 100 mg/m3. The other three VOCs were found in even smaller amounts after 100 hours, close to the lower limit of the test method’s ability to detect.
Reference: Chang, John C.S., “Capstone Report on the Development of a Standard Test Method for VOC Emissions from Interior Latex and Alkyd Paints.” US EPA 2001. EPA/600/R-01/093
MetroPaint –
Under EPA’s air quality regulations latex paint recycling is encouraged, and recyclers are allowed to use an “adjusted VOC content” calculation, taking into account the percentage of paint that is recycled from post-consumer sources
• Green Seal recently published a standard for recycled paints, including the requirement that the VOC content of recycled paints be under 250 grams/liter.
• EPA’s VOC regulations are targeted at atmospheric pollution, and not all harmful chemicals are included in their definition of VOCs, so a paint that is labeled as Low or No VOC may still emit some vapors that are harmful to human health. A 2001 EPA study found that “ … certain paints marketed as low-VOC may still emit significant quantities of air pollutants” (see reference in footnote 1 on previous page). In some cases the overall quantity of VOCs was quite low, but significant amounts of specific compounds were nevertheless emitted.
• The VOCs in recycled paint have already been manufactured and will enter the environment one way or the other, and when it is used instead of virgin paint recycled paint reduces the need to manufacture new VOCs.
LEEDand other certifications
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a benchmarking system developed by the US Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) to certify high performance green buildings. Building projects accumulate points toward certification in a variety of different categories. In commercial buildings the use of MetroPaint can help garner points for LEED certification in a couple of ways:
• Under the Recycled Content credits (MR4.1/4.2), use of recycled paint, and especially 100% recycled paint, can help qualify for credits.
• Under the Regional Materials credits (MR5.1/5.2), use of paint that is manufactured regionally helps gain credits. This is defined as within 500 miles, which includes much of the Pacific Northwest for Metro’s Portland-based plant.
In the recently-released LEED for Homes, credit is specifically awarded for use of recycled paint that is certified by Green SealTM. There are other green building certification systems, such as the guidelines developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for residential construction (www.nahb.org), and the Green Globes Standards (www.greenglobes.com). These guidelines are similar to LEED in that points are available for both recycled content building materials and regionally-manufactured materials.
MetroPaint
Lifecycle benefits
For years environmental advocates have been promoting recycling of various household commodities, such as newspaper, glass, aluminum, etc. The environmental benefits of recycling these materials are that less energy, water and raw materials are used, less pollution is generated, and less landfill space is used. Because less energy is used less greenhouse gases are emitted, and global warming is reduced. All of these benefits hold true for paint as well.
Production of new paint uses resources and generates pollution during the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing process, and transportation of final products. Every time a gallon of MetroPaint is used instead of a gallon of new paint, a number of benefits are obtained:
• An estimated 100 kilowatt–hours (kWh) of energy is saved. Recycling paint actually saves more energy per pound than other construction materials, such as steel, glass, and lumber. 100 kWh is enough energy to power a refrigerator for two months or a clock for two years. Because of the energy savings, an estimated 115 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions are reduced when recycled paint is used instead of new.
• Various types of pollution are not generated. A significant percentage of the ingredients in latex paint are derived from petrochemicals, the extraction of which results in various environmental impacts, notably air emissions and waste discharges to surface waters. The extraction of titanium dioxide, another important latex paint ingredient, results in the production of significant quantities of sulfuric acid, metal sulfates, and metal chlorides, wastes which are commonly disposed of in the ocean, or via deep well injection
• Less water and raw materials are used. Quantitative information on the relative amounts of water and raw materials utilized in the course of paint recycling vs. virgin paint manufacture are not currently available, but it is clear that ingredient extraction, the manufacturing process, and transportation of virgin paint require substantial raw materials and water, while the relatively simple recycling process uses significantly less.
• Landfill space is conserved. 14 million gallons of paint is disposed of in California every year. That is a lot of space. Using recycled paint where you can, get it out of there.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Art Deco Dream
I just spent the night on the Queen Mary that has been parked in the port of Long Beach, Ca since 1967. I was there with my daughter and some friends celebrating the 75th birthday of that ship. Although I've visited the RMS Queen Mary, I've never had the pleasure to spend the night aboard the ship until a few days ago. It pretty much satisfied my fantasy of being locked in a museum overnight. As a history buff, any museum is of interest to me but as an Anglophile, armature historian, and artisan, its almost overwhelming.
The ship was built in Scotland and took a little over 3 years to build employing 300,000 craftsman. It was finished in 1936. Just the thought of 300,000 craftsmen made me contemplate how the world has changed. I doubt there are 300,000 craftsmen in the US let alone Scotland. That was the age of Art Deco where the most magnificent decorative work was all done by hand. As a craftswoman myself, there is nothing more satisfying than completing my part of the project. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be part of the crew that completed this ship, or and magnificent structure like the Chrysler Building, or the Michelin House. Without doubt, this economic downturn has been rough on tradesmen, decorative artists, and contractors. My business is no exception. The visit, though to the Queen Mary made me realize that I would rather be part of those that create beautiful surfaces then sit in an AIG office any day of the week.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
There is a Mercato at the Forum
I am piloting a paradigm shift in the status quo of forums. Although I've been members of a few and moderator, assistant moderator etc., I've often found them a mixed bag when it comes to an effective tool for my business.
What I've liked about them:
What I've liked about them:
- Trouble Shooting-When something is amiss on my project, forums have been a great source of help. I've always received very valuable information within hours of posting.
- Community-We are small contractors who spend many hours in relative solitude. A professional forum makes up for the lack of hanging around the water cooler.
- Gallery-Great place to view my colleagues work.
- Communication between vendors and forum members-If you are a vendor there is a fine line between acting as a useful resource and being considered annoying. As I have an application business as well as a distribution business, I can speak for both sides. I can remember a post where someone asked about tape. A forum member suggested this fancy orange tape. A vendor posted that one could get the fancy orange tape from his business. Then all heck broke loose, his post was yanked and no one got the needed orange tape. I've also seen where some vendors are allowed to market their wares in a post topic but others aren't. After years of this, I no longer use a forum for product knowledge. I think this is stupid.
- The Mercato-I just took over as head of the one Venetian Plaster Forum. With my unexpected new powerful role here, I'd thought I would try and evolve this into a more useful place. If forum members don't have a place to talk amongst themselves without being bombarded from vendors, they won't use it. They need their space. But additionally, busy professionals need a place to search for materials. I thought if we could combine the both a forum with a directory we might have something. So on the Venetian Plaster Forum is now a Mercato that gives all vendors their own category in which hold conversations with members and market however they please. If you are a plasterer, consider joining the forum as you will have the community of others and a convenience of a directory. Vendors, let me know if you would like to be listed. This is open to all. Please contact me at info@metrowallworks.com
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Two Worlds Collide
As you may recall I moved my Italian Plasterworks studio back to my house. I have a showroom at the new location but am keeping the laboratory work for our clients away from the new space. Metro Wallworks' focus is on the work of students and clients as well as our new thing, Recycled Paint. In just a couple of weeks many gallons of recycled paint will be sharing space right next to buckets of fancy Italian plasters. What do they have in common? Aside from the fact that they both go on walls and I am passionate about both materials they take use very little energy to produce. The process of slaking lime is completely ancient with little environmental impact. Pits are dug and the lime is slowly cooked by burning recycled wood. Recycled paint is made through a low impact process of filtering and scrubbing. Manufacturing new paint is a huge energy suck. It take approximately 1000 kilo watt hours of energy to create just 10 gallons of paint. That is the same amount of energy it takes to run an average home for a month.
I've worked long and hard at becoming the self appointed queen of Venetian Plaster west of the Mississippi(the queen on the east side is Debra Cambell of Wallartistry). So why am I on a crusade to sell recycled flat latex paint? Simply because this should be done. It's too easy of a way in which to change our environment for the better. About 10 percent of all paint lands up in landfills. We are talking about 7 million gallons in the state of California alone. So we have 7 million gallons do dispose of and we aren't putting it back on our walls? That is just as ridiculous as saying I will only drink beer out of a bottle that was made with virgin glass. I don't really follow glass production but I imagine company's like Owen Illinois and PPG were a little bummed at first, but they adjusted and now we all expect glass to be recycled with the exception of our fine crystal etc... I would so like to see paint go this way as well and I fully believe it will. Metro Wallworks is in a perfect position to get this started. I am not a paint store and have no business relationship with any paint company so I don't care if they are mad it me.* Overhead on Metro Wallworks is very low (low overhead is the new black) which is imperative to keeping the price below that of new paint. Given that we sell buckets of Venetian Plaster our distribution channel ready to go.
On Saturdays at 2065 South Escondido Blvd. Escondido 92025 (Metro Wallworks ) is where you will see worlds collide and hopefully empowering each other all around the subject of walls. You will have the decorative artisan/master craftsman milling around with those passionate about easing the footprint on our planet. All putting something on walls. In order for Metro Wallworks to remain responsible for what we sell, we will take back all of our unused or half empty buckets of our paint. In efforts to encourage this, we will be holding events on Saturdays which include both beer** and demos of how to be decorative with recycled paint. I am going to call on my friends in the decorative painting world to come up with some amazing finishes. Stay tuned and please contact me if you have any ideas you would like to share.
*Big Candy already doesn't like me as I am editor of http://www.slavefreechocolate.org/. Big Paint can just get behind them. Maybe someday Julian Assange can go on the lam together.
**I have this vision of having start up brewery's give out samples of their beer on Satudays but I am not sure how its going to work with the City of Escondido yet.
I've worked long and hard at becoming the self appointed queen of Venetian Plaster west of the Mississippi(the queen on the east side is Debra Cambell of Wallartistry). So why am I on a crusade to sell recycled flat latex paint? Simply because this should be done. It's too easy of a way in which to change our environment for the better. About 10 percent of all paint lands up in landfills. We are talking about 7 million gallons in the state of California alone. So we have 7 million gallons do dispose of and we aren't putting it back on our walls? That is just as ridiculous as saying I will only drink beer out of a bottle that was made with virgin glass. I don't really follow glass production but I imagine company's like Owen Illinois and PPG were a little bummed at first, but they adjusted and now we all expect glass to be recycled with the exception of our fine crystal etc... I would so like to see paint go this way as well and I fully believe it will. Metro Wallworks is in a perfect position to get this started. I am not a paint store and have no business relationship with any paint company so I don't care if they are mad it me.* Overhead on Metro Wallworks is very low (low overhead is the new black) which is imperative to keeping the price below that of new paint. Given that we sell buckets of Venetian Plaster our distribution channel ready to go.
On Saturdays at 2065 South Escondido Blvd. Escondido 92025 (Metro Wallworks ) is where you will see worlds collide and hopefully empowering each other all around the subject of walls. You will have the decorative artisan/master craftsman milling around with those passionate about easing the footprint on our planet. All putting something on walls. In order for Metro Wallworks to remain responsible for what we sell, we will take back all of our unused or half empty buckets of our paint. In efforts to encourage this, we will be holding events on Saturdays which include both beer** and demos of how to be decorative with recycled paint. I am going to call on my friends in the decorative painting world to come up with some amazing finishes. Stay tuned and please contact me if you have any ideas you would like to share.
*Big Candy already doesn't like me as I am editor of http://www.slavefreechocolate.org/. Big Paint can just get behind them. Maybe someday Julian Assange can go on the lam together.
**I have this vision of having start up brewery's give out samples of their beer on Satudays but I am not sure how its going to work with the City of Escondido yet.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Road to Escondido
I started this particular post about a month ago while I was in the middle of my move back to Escondido. I've lived here for about 16 years,
So now we are relocated. I wouldn't say up and running but relocated. The new address is 2065 Escondido Blvd Escondido 92025. The sign will read Metro Wallworks instead of Italian Plasterworks. The Italian Plasterworks studio moved back into my garage where I can attend to the needs of our applciation clients with out getting mixed up with the projects or training of others. The business is now about helping other Venetian plaster appplications businesses get the right plasters for the job! Oh and help add efficientcy to their sales cycle. We are not decorative painters or faux finsihers which means our sample boards can easily be duplicated if you know what you are doing. Our clientel can check out a sample with out having to buy a product and create it themselves. If they sell the project, then they can simple buy the materials from Metro Wallworks. This alone should save applicators lots of time and money in their sales process.
So now we are relocated. I wouldn't say up and running but relocated. The new address is 2065 Escondido Blvd Escondido 92025. The sign will read Metro Wallworks instead of Italian Plasterworks. The Italian Plasterworks studio moved back into my garage where I can attend to the needs of our applciation clients with out getting mixed up with the projects or training of others. The business is now about helping other Venetian plaster appplications businesses get the right plasters for the job! Oh and help add efficientcy to their sales cycle. We are not decorative painters or faux finsihers which means our sample boards can easily be duplicated if you know what you are doing. Our clientel can check out a sample with out having to buy a product and create it themselves. If they sell the project, then they can simple buy the materials from Metro Wallworks. This alone should save applicators lots of time and money in their sales process.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
That can be saved.
I am old enough to have had a grandmother (may she rest in peace) that was an adult through the Great Depression and I was fortunate to share a lots of great memories and love with her. She, as were all of her contemporaries, was a frugal-save-everything-as-you-will-never-know-when-it-comes-in-handy types. Any container or any plastic bag that anything came in was saved. Used wrapping paper, ribbon, old bacon grease and slivers of soaps made the list. The recycling program wasn't a reaction for her generation as neither a glass jars nor a piece of aluminum made it to the refuse bin. Whether she was a content person, I really can't say, but I do know that she didn't anesthetize herself with over consumption of any kind.
My grandmother, though, didn't raise me. This woman did. A little more of a 1970's version but you get the picture. And if you are close to my age, she probably raised you too. I am not saying it was bad. We escaped being disciplined with a switch and dunce hat but we learned some very bad habits that we are adjusting out of now. My parent's generation was sick to death of hearing about the depression. Their childhood was one of never getting anything new or shiny, sharing bath water and all that. Not to mention the switch and dunce hat. One avenue in which that generation illustrated their evolution can be seen in the amount garbage produced. In our particular case, in the 1970's we lived in an upper middle class suburban community. We had 4 large metal garbage cans that the garbage collectors emptied twice a week. That is 8 garbage cans every week. Now I can't begin to imagine what a family of 5 did to produce that much garbage. We weren't alone by any means. Littering was also the norm. So much so there was a public service campaign with crying Indians. You literally would ride in the back of the station wagon and witness people throwing paper bags of fast food garbage out the window. While in contrast you would see old folks at the highway rest stops unwrapping their tuna sandwiches and saving the empty plastic baggies.
So OK my generation doesn't litter and our garbage consumption is down probably 75%. We religiously recycle. But the true virtue of frugality is still missing. If you believe in a virtue I wouldn't think the actions that go along with it would cause suffering. Something though was instilled in my generation that if we had to act like my grandparents generation then something was amiss. And it is, out economy sucks right now. I've even heard a buzz word going around-"Double Dip" recession. Who came up with "Double Dip"? Isn't that reserved for ice cream? Was that on purpose? What term can we throw at them that subliminally denotes pleasure? What about a double shot recession? Needles and alcohol are probably better metaphors.
Regardless, the news about our slow recovery has frightened me. I have a studio the design district of north San Diego county which services Orange county as well. My rent is high given the circumstances. If I hold a class every month, it covers the rent and is a nice spot for the community of artisans to congregate . Right now though, it doesn't seem like those in my industry have extra funds to go learn something new. Even though any of my classes will pay for themselves with the first job landed, you still need some cash and hope at landing that gig.
So as I stand around in my studio really wanting to toss or recycle lots of containers and buckets, I hear my grandmother speak to me from the other side, "Don't throw that away, wash it and save it. With a little elbow grease, it can still be used."
My grandmother, though, didn't raise me. This woman did. A little more of a 1970's version but you get the picture. And if you are close to my age, she probably raised you too. I am not saying it was bad. We escaped being disciplined with a switch and dunce hat but we learned some very bad habits that we are adjusting out of now. My parent's generation was sick to death of hearing about the depression. Their childhood was one of never getting anything new or shiny, sharing bath water and all that. Not to mention the switch and dunce hat. One avenue in which that generation illustrated their evolution can be seen in the amount garbage produced. In our particular case, in the 1970's we lived in an upper middle class suburban community. We had 4 large metal garbage cans that the garbage collectors emptied twice a week. That is 8 garbage cans every week. Now I can't begin to imagine what a family of 5 did to produce that much garbage. We weren't alone by any means. Littering was also the norm. So much so there was a public service campaign with crying Indians. You literally would ride in the back of the station wagon and witness people throwing paper bags of fast food garbage out the window. While in contrast you would see old folks at the highway rest stops unwrapping their tuna sandwiches and saving the empty plastic baggies.
So OK my generation doesn't litter and our garbage consumption is down probably 75%. We religiously recycle. But the true virtue of frugality is still missing. If you believe in a virtue I wouldn't think the actions that go along with it would cause suffering. Something though was instilled in my generation that if we had to act like my grandparents generation then something was amiss. And it is, out economy sucks right now. I've even heard a buzz word going around-"Double Dip" recession. Who came up with "Double Dip"? Isn't that reserved for ice cream? Was that on purpose? What term can we throw at them that subliminally denotes pleasure? What about a double shot recession? Needles and alcohol are probably better metaphors.
Regardless, the news about our slow recovery has frightened me. I have a studio the design district of north San Diego county which services Orange county as well. My rent is high given the circumstances. If I hold a class every month, it covers the rent and is a nice spot for the community of artisans to congregate . Right now though, it doesn't seem like those in my industry have extra funds to go learn something new. Even though any of my classes will pay for themselves with the first job landed, you still need some cash and hope at landing that gig.
So as I stand around in my studio really wanting to toss or recycle lots of containers and buckets, I hear my grandmother speak to me from the other side, "Don't throw that away, wash it and save it. With a little elbow grease, it can still be used."
Monday, August 16, 2010
August Italian Style
I've always been a huge Europhile. I am passionate about all of it, the architecture, art, life style, the climate--all of it. One thing the Europeans do that can be frustrating or confusing to a mid-western WASP like me, is the concept of taking the month of August off. I forget about it until I need something from Italy. The reminder of "We are closed of course in August" first strikes me with extreme jealousy. My jealousy, though, eventually translates into a feeling of insecurity/panic. In America it is believed that if you take August off you will fail. You can't work for a company and get August off. That would be called quitting. "As you can see on my resume, Mr. Possible Future Employer, I took August off like the Europeans." As a business owner such as myself, the idea seems absolutely ludicrous. A week or maybe two at most-yes. The whole month, Oh my God, no.
Why I am on this subject in the first place is due to horrific circumstances. I've basically taken the last 2 Augusts off anyway. In 2009, a close family friend lost their 17 year old son to suicide. Tonight, August 16th, 2010 I am going to a memorial service for a 19 year old that died in a traffic accident. Her boyfriend (who my family is connected to) is in the hospital with 86% of his body covered in 3rd degree burns. These kinds of crisis's take one directly home with an instant paradigm shift in priorities. Business takes a second seat.
In the midst of all of this double grief, I thought I'd circle August on the calendar and skip it next year. It dawned on me this is what most of the Europeans do anyway. Something I've been envious of. Spend quality time with family and friends, eat, drink, relax. Business with all of this troubles and triumphs will be there in September (hopefully {that is where the problem arises}).
Why not? August is a slow month for both Italian Plasterworks and
the California School of Italian Plasters Why not just arrange to take it off? It might even be beneficial. Perhaps if I announce to my clients, "Hey, if you want to guarantee that we can finish your project before the holidays you better book us before we CLOSE for the WHOLE month of August." I could even spin it like this,in August, Italian Plasterworks will be in Italy studying the decorative arts a.k.a lounging around in really old cafes.
It all sounds really idyllic except for the fact I don't actually have the funds to be closed down for a month AND spend it on the Almalfi coast. I am so American that I will need a paradigm shift of my own to move past this reality I've bought into. Witnessing how quickly things can turn on dime--no parent should have to bury their children, gives me an incentive to do August Italian style.
Why I am on this subject in the first place is due to horrific circumstances. I've basically taken the last 2 Augusts off anyway. In 2009, a close family friend lost their 17 year old son to suicide. Tonight, August 16th, 2010 I am going to a memorial service for a 19 year old that died in a traffic accident. Her boyfriend (who my family is connected to) is in the hospital with 86% of his body covered in 3rd degree burns. These kinds of crisis's take one directly home with an instant paradigm shift in priorities. Business takes a second seat.
In the midst of all of this double grief, I thought I'd circle August on the calendar and skip it next year. It dawned on me this is what most of the Europeans do anyway. Something I've been envious of. Spend quality time with family and friends, eat, drink, relax. Business with all of this troubles and triumphs will be there in September (hopefully {that is where the problem arises}).
Why not? August is a slow month for both Italian Plasterworks and
the California School of Italian Plasters Why not just arrange to take it off? It might even be beneficial. Perhaps if I announce to my clients, "Hey, if you want to guarantee that we can finish your project before the holidays you better book us before we CLOSE for the WHOLE month of August." I could even spin it like this,in August, Italian Plasterworks will be in Italy studying the decorative arts a.k.a lounging around in really old cafes.
It all sounds really idyllic except for the fact I don't actually have the funds to be closed down for a month AND spend it on the Almalfi coast. I am so American that I will need a paradigm shift of my own to move past this reality I've bought into. Witnessing how quickly things can turn on dime--no parent should have to bury their children, gives me an incentive to do August Italian style.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sophisticated International Business Women
I have a BA in history which meant I had few career choices when exiting college. I don't really like children all that much, so teaching never appealed to me. Managing paperwork details triggers some form of ADD. My dad calls it L.A.Z.Y. but I think he is wrong, its ADD triggered by computer forms. Obviously, administrative work was out. So that left sales. One of my favorite jobs was selling mathematical and statistical libraries to programmers. There was an international sales department in this company and I was really jealous of the trips they took to work 10 day 10 hour trade shows in places like Paris or Madrid. Given that I was endlessly in Las egas, it made me sick. I vowed one day to go on an international business trip!
So while waiting to board the flight from Chicago to Frankfurt with Deb Campbell of Wallartistry it dawned on me that I had finally reached personal goal set almost 2 decades ago. Whether Deb cared or not, we were Sophisticated International Business Women. Click on link at left for video. And yes, only one trip allowed us that title.
Deb Campbell and I are the only two certified instructors for Safra Colors of Villafranca di Verona. Luigi, the owner of Safra Plasters, generously brought us over to bring us up to date on the latest trends and finishes and work on sales strategies as we both now sell products for Safra.
Well Deb was fortunate that her luggage arrived with her so she had a different Sophisticated International Business Woman outfit to change into every day. I did not. My luggage didn't make it until the day before we left. I had shopped for several Sophisticated International Business Woman outfits which I did not wear. I wore the same pair of jeans and a Romeo and Juliet t-shirt I picked up in Verona. I dressed worse than I do when I am working at my studio in Solana Beach, Ca. That, though, did not deter me from Sophisticated International Business Women activities such as negotiating terms while at the same time falling asleep (due to jet lag and eating a whole pizza for lunch) drinking Proseco, eating a single plate of food that would feed my family, taking pictures of walls and letting anybody who would talk to us know that we were in Italy on business. We had plenty of opportunity to let those who would speak to us know that we were in Italy on business while we toured (as professionals of course) Verona, Venice, Lake Garda and Mantua.
Italy is one of the most lovely places on earth and all should go often. San Diego is amazing so there are only a few places in which departing causes personal suffering. Italy is on the list with London and Hawaii. Italy is also mind blowing to those of us in the industry of decorative arts and finishes. There is something about the medium of lime, whether its in the form of a fresco, marbleizng, a high polished plaster or a rough hewn exterior stucco that sets themselves apart from anything else. The way light reflects, they way in which it exfoliates, the way in which pigments display color all play apart of its unbeatable magic along with of course the Italian's sense of style.
So not only is it exciting to finally become a Sophisticated International Business Woman, being one in an industry I actually have passion for is a real blessing.
So while waiting to board the flight from Chicago to Frankfurt with Deb Campbell of Wallartistry it dawned on me that I had finally reached personal goal set almost 2 decades ago. Whether Deb cared or not, we were Sophisticated International Business Women. Click on link at left for video. And yes, only one trip allowed us that title.
Deb Campbell and I are the only two certified instructors for Safra Colors of Villafranca di Verona. Luigi, the owner of Safra Plasters, generously brought us over to bring us up to date on the latest trends and finishes and work on sales strategies as we both now sell products for Safra.
Well Deb was fortunate that her luggage arrived with her so she had a different Sophisticated International Business Woman outfit to change into every day. I did not. My luggage didn't make it until the day before we left. I had shopped for several Sophisticated International Business Woman outfits which I did not wear. I wore the same pair of jeans and a Romeo and Juliet t-shirt I picked up in Verona. I dressed worse than I do when I am working at my studio in Solana Beach, Ca. That, though, did not deter me from Sophisticated International Business Women activities such as negotiating terms while at the same time falling asleep (due to jet lag and eating a whole pizza for lunch) drinking Proseco, eating a single plate of food that would feed my family, taking pictures of walls and letting anybody who would talk to us know that we were in Italy on business. We had plenty of opportunity to let those who would speak to us know that we were in Italy on business while we toured (as professionals of course) Verona, Venice, Lake Garda and Mantua.
Italy is one of the most lovely places on earth and all should go often. San Diego is amazing so there are only a few places in which departing causes personal suffering. Italy is on the list with London and Hawaii. Italy is also mind blowing to those of us in the industry of decorative arts and finishes. There is something about the medium of lime, whether its in the form of a fresco, marbleizng, a high polished plaster or a rough hewn exterior stucco that sets themselves apart from anything else. The way light reflects, they way in which it exfoliates, the way in which pigments display color all play apart of its unbeatable magic along with of course the Italian's sense of style.
So not only is it exciting to finally become a Sophisticated International Business Woman, being one in an industry I actually have passion for is a real blessing.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The road to Villafranco di Verona part 1
I titled this post The road to Villafrano di Verona as a take off on Eric Clampton's CD Road to Escondido. I live in Escondido, Ca.
Italian Plasterworks took over the California School of Italian Plasters almost 3 years ago. As we went through 3 months of training to become Safra trainers under Doyle Self almost 5 years ago, it was very exciting to see this come into fruition. It's really been a wonderful experience for me. I am not a faux finisher per say, nor am I a painting contractor. I only apply hand troweled finishes. Since I exclusively focus on Venetian Plasters (I am keeping the nomenclature simple in this one) I am comfortable billing myself as THE SELF APPOINTED QUEEN OF VENETIAN PLASTER WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. There is another queen on the east side of the Mississippi, Deb Campbell of Wallartistry. Our two schools California School of Italian Plasters and Midwest School of Italian Plasters are the only two places in the US and Canada in which to take the 5 day instensive Safra certification course.
So on Monday, the 10th of May, Deb and I are headed to the Safra factory in Villafranco di Verona to discuss best practices not only for being Safra instructors but resellers as well.
Given that this is a very important trip professionally, this last week I've been very concerned with shoes of course. Oh and the outfits that go along with them. This recession has not been kind to most fine wall finish businesses, Italian Plasterworks is no exception. Back in the day I was getting at least one call for our services everyday, going on probably 4 sales calls a week and closing one job per week. We were constantly busy. Then one day I awoke and my sales pipeline went "poof" as in disappeared before my eyes. Basically one out of every 4 jobs lined up cancelled. I received one call for plaster inquiry per week instead of 10. Southern California seemed to be hit first so it took me a few weeks to connect the news of the mortgage crisis to the slow down in the business. Usually, in an economic downturn, stocks of home improvement stores like Lowes Home Depot go up. It was when those stock started dropping, I knew that Italian Plasterworks was in for a long haul. That was 2007.
Now its almost summer of 2010 I am still here and have added instruction to my repertoire of services. I've grown to like teaching the 5 day Safra Class more than I like applying plaster. Instructor training with the president of Safra will allow me to be even a better teacher. I will also bring home the latest in design and color trends for my Italian Plasterworks clients.
But where does my mind wander to in the few days leading up to the trip? Shoes. I haven't been to Italy in ages. I want to make the most of the trip, that being have fun in cute shoes. Honing the ancient techniques of Venetian plaster in high heels might be a first in the industry.
If that stupid volcano doens't interrupt my trip, I promise part two will have more meat in it as far as the plaster industry goes. Right now though I am breaking in my new high heels and practicing walking on pave stones in them.
Italian Plasterworks took over the California School of Italian Plasters almost 3 years ago. As we went through 3 months of training to become Safra trainers under Doyle Self almost 5 years ago, it was very exciting to see this come into fruition. It's really been a wonderful experience for me. I am not a faux finisher per say, nor am I a painting contractor. I only apply hand troweled finishes. Since I exclusively focus on Venetian Plasters (I am keeping the nomenclature simple in this one) I am comfortable billing myself as THE SELF APPOINTED QUEEN OF VENETIAN PLASTER WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. There is another queen on the east side of the Mississippi, Deb Campbell of Wallartistry. Our two schools California School of Italian Plasters and Midwest School of Italian Plasters are the only two places in the US and Canada in which to take the 5 day instensive Safra certification course.
So on Monday, the 10th of May, Deb and I are headed to the Safra factory in Villafranco di Verona to discuss best practices not only for being Safra instructors but resellers as well.
Given that this is a very important trip professionally, this last week I've been very concerned with shoes of course. Oh and the outfits that go along with them. This recession has not been kind to most fine wall finish businesses, Italian Plasterworks is no exception. Back in the day I was getting at least one call for our services everyday, going on probably 4 sales calls a week and closing one job per week. We were constantly busy. Then one day I awoke and my sales pipeline went "poof" as in disappeared before my eyes. Basically one out of every 4 jobs lined up cancelled. I received one call for plaster inquiry per week instead of 10. Southern California seemed to be hit first so it took me a few weeks to connect the news of the mortgage crisis to the slow down in the business. Usually, in an economic downturn, stocks of home improvement stores like Lowes Home Depot go up. It was when those stock started dropping, I knew that Italian Plasterworks was in for a long haul. That was 2007.
Now its almost summer of 2010 I am still here and have added instruction to my repertoire of services. I've grown to like teaching the 5 day Safra Class more than I like applying plaster. Instructor training with the president of Safra will allow me to be even a better teacher. I will also bring home the latest in design and color trends for my Italian Plasterworks clients.
But where does my mind wander to in the few days leading up to the trip? Shoes. I haven't been to Italy in ages. I want to make the most of the trip, that being have fun in cute shoes. Honing the ancient techniques of Venetian plaster in high heels might be a first in the industry.
If that stupid volcano doens't interrupt my trip, I promise part two will have more meat in it as far as the plaster industry goes. Right now though I am breaking in my new high heels and practicing walking on pave stones in them.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Slip and Slide on the new EPA ruling.
On April 22nd 2010 a new EPA law is going into effect requiring contractors and trade workers to be EPA certified and follow specific work practices for lead containment for all who work on housing and child occupied buildings. We are mainly talking about remodelers, plumbers and painters. Although this doesn't effect Italian Plasterworks directly, the indirect effects will quickly trickle down to everyone in the struggling construction industry.
"A bad economy is not a good excuse to poison children"
- Rebecca Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing
I agree that lead dust can cause the following:
1. Brain Damage
2. Central Nervous System Damage
3. Decreased Attention Span
4. Impaired Hearing Loss
5. Reading and Learning Disabilities
6. Reduced IQ Scores
7. Mental Retardation
8. Seizures, Convulsions and Coma
9. Death from over exposure
Maybe I am old fashioned, but I think its best to keep children away from demolition projects period as there are other hazards (solvents,tool, sharp things) that are just as potentially dangerous.
Yes, the lead situation is something to address but there are many ways to skin a cat. I don't think the EPA did a good job in taking the whole tamale into account when this law was drawn up.
Contractors I've spoken to project costs are going to increase as much as 25%. The National Association of Home Builders believes that on an estimate more than $5000 you are looking at $500 to $1,500 increased in costs. On the other hand, the EPA suggests that it will only be $35. $35 won't cover the new space suit and booties let alone the other materials, including possible lab tests, massive amounts of plastic and extra labor hours required. How many projects will be wiped off the table in this 3rd year of struggle due to this increase? Some, I am sure.
Only 14,000 have taken the one day EPA certification course of 236,000 that need to. Are we going to squeeze in these 212,000 in a week or are the 14,000 trained getting all of the work? Are homeowners going to give the work to those not following the guidlines, leaving those who follow the law at another competitive disadvantage? The fine for not complying can exceed more than $37,000 per day.
Most contractors who have taken the one day course complain that the procedures are not even feasible. For one,the system of collecting dust doesn't work. Secondly, workers have to wear plastic booties and stand on top of plastic sheeting causing a "slip and Slide" effect. "Make sure you keep those plastic booties on while you climb that 20 foot ladder its the law now."
Given that the new safety procedures at this point seem unsafe, I think we could have come up with a better system to keep children away from lead dust during renovations. Perhaps a law could require that contractors must give two quotes, the EPA lead quote and the non-EPA quote. Let the consumer decide the how best to handle the risk.
"A bad economy is not a good excuse to poison children"
- Rebecca Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing
I agree that lead dust can cause the following:
1. Brain Damage
2. Central Nervous System Damage
3. Decreased Attention Span
4. Impaired Hearing Loss
5. Reading and Learning Disabilities
6. Reduced IQ Scores
7. Mental Retardation
8. Seizures, Convulsions and Coma
9. Death from over exposure
Maybe I am old fashioned, but I think its best to keep children away from demolition projects period as there are other hazards (solvents,tool, sharp things) that are just as potentially dangerous.
Yes, the lead situation is something to address but there are many ways to skin a cat. I don't think the EPA did a good job in taking the whole tamale into account when this law was drawn up.
Contractors I've spoken to project costs are going to increase as much as 25%. The National Association of Home Builders believes that on an estimate more than $5000 you are looking at $500 to $1,500 increased in costs. On the other hand, the EPA suggests that it will only be $35. $35 won't cover the new space suit and booties let alone the other materials, including possible lab tests, massive amounts of plastic and extra labor hours required. How many projects will be wiped off the table in this 3rd year of struggle due to this increase? Some, I am sure.
Only 14,000 have taken the one day EPA certification course of 236,000 that need to. Are we going to squeeze in these 212,000 in a week or are the 14,000 trained getting all of the work? Are homeowners going to give the work to those not following the guidlines, leaving those who follow the law at another competitive disadvantage? The fine for not complying can exceed more than $37,000 per day.
Most contractors who have taken the one day course complain that the procedures are not even feasible. For one,the system of collecting dust doesn't work. Secondly, workers have to wear plastic booties and stand on top of plastic sheeting causing a "slip and Slide" effect. "Make sure you keep those plastic booties on while you climb that 20 foot ladder its the law now."
Given that the new safety procedures at this point seem unsafe, I think we could have come up with a better system to keep children away from lead dust during renovations. Perhaps a law could require that contractors must give two quotes, the EPA lead quote and the non-EPA quote. Let the consumer decide the how best to handle the risk.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Bull nose and other metal hazards
High end residential work, whether it be new construction or a remodelis my favorite type of project. Italian Plasterworks was fortunate to win the bid for a massive remodel in Ranch Santa Fe, Ca. The builder is 4X4 Construction and they are an absolute pleasure to work for. I couldn't ask for a better environment or better people. I highly recommend them to any of my San Diego friends and clients.
Being part of the "fine finish" phase, Venetian plaster application often "last in". Therefore I get to see how the last two years of design work, resulting in millions of dollars spent, all come together in fruition. I can like it or not. I can wish I had the same $30,000 stove or not. I can debate in my own mind whether I would choose the same elevator or not even have one at all. I was never able to do this in the software business--all conference rooms and central computing centers all look alike after the second one.
Thousands of square feet of high polished lime plaster is all heading toward the last room left to be done, the master bath from hell. What makes this the master bath from hell is the amount of bull nose in a single room. There is a ton of bull nose in this particular house but the master bath puts it over the edge. I counted nine bull nose trimmed doorways not to mention beams, corners and windows, oh yes and crown moulding to boot.
When we first started the project, I had this idea of doing a youtube video of mastering bull nose instruction for high polished lime plasters. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and wrapping Venetian plaster around rounded corners is no exception. Each Italian Plasterworks applicator has his own idea as how best to tackle this, so I bagged the youtube idea as all you would see was a bunch of squabbling and extremely slow production.
We have gotten the process down to where it feels like silk. But, its a very slow detailed process that isn't making the master bath from hell look any easier. I am wondering if I have the fortitude to make it through this bathroom. Pain staking slow detail work doesn't come naturally to me. I am more of a visionary that likes to lunch.
Friday, December 25, 2009
My Holiday Wish
My wish for 2010 is that every architect and designer have the epitome that no wall or ceiling shall go with out a fine wall finish and that they see an abundance of new projects in which to tackle. We then will be too busy and we will have to bring on new apprectices, thus creating new jobs.
May the Italian plaster companies, Safra, Firmolux, Atova, and Firenze have to ship over more containers than planned.
May the doemstic lime plaster companies like Totem and Vasari command the interior finishes for LEED projects.
May the young companies like Tobias Stucco, Vella Plasters, Variance and American Clay far exceed thier business plan projections.
May the Italian Plaster schools like California School of Italian Plasters and Midwest School of Italian Plasters have waiting lists.
Any finally may our clients truly enjoy the luxurious effect of the fine wall finishes they will hire us to create and apply in their homes and businesses.
May the Italian plaster companies, Safra, Firmolux, Atova, and Firenze have to ship over more containers than planned.
May the doemstic lime plaster companies like Totem and Vasari command the interior finishes for LEED projects.
May the young companies like Tobias Stucco, Vella Plasters, Variance and American Clay far exceed thier business plan projections.
May the Italian Plaster schools like California School of Italian Plasters and Midwest School of Italian Plasters have waiting lists.
Any finally may our clients truly enjoy the luxurious effect of the fine wall finishes they will hire us to create and apply in their homes and businesses.
Monday, December 14, 2009
What is in a name?
Oh the joys of naming your small business. At that time I decided to focus my business on one niche in the decorative finish world (fine plaster finishes {aka Venetian/Italian plaster)the word "green" was just a color and you could only get lime plaster from a distributor who imported if from Italy.
When it came to naming the business, I figured I could go two routes. One, I could use something with my name in it, i.e. Ayn Riggs Studio or Ayn Riggs Wall Finishes. I chose not to go that route for 2 reasons. One is that it might imply that I am a fine artist (which I am not). Secondly, I was afraid I might only appeal to Libertarians (being named after Ayn Rand has its issues). Thus, I chose to go the more industrial route and within minutes the URL www.italianplasterworks.com was registered.
I needed something to differentiate us from the heavy duty lath and plaster cousin, so I thought Italian would do the trick. I have been battling with the word Italian from the beginning.
"I would love a fine finish but our house is French Country."
"My house is contemporary."
"I am Italian but my husband is German."
"My house is Cape Cod."
I've even caught myself getting defensive in the Italian Plasterworks showroom.,"Does wearing a pair of Italian loafers make you a Donatella Versace wanna be? No, it just means you like things of high quality."
I wondered if some of my com padres dealt with similar angst. So, I asked Robin of Verona Walls what he has encountered. His business was first named Classical Plastering. He received too many calls inquiring for drywall work that he changed it to Verona Walls. Its worked out for him much better, although somebody did ask him if he was familiar with Tuscan Style.
John Redmon, a decorative painter in Tucson, has been focusing on fine plasters and is in the process of changing his business name from Southwest Painting and Design to Classical Italian Plastering. I wonder if he is ready for, "My house is Italian but its ultra urban."?
Deb Cambell of Wallartistry in Ohio and Partic Webb of Real Finishes in Florida have really hit the nail on the head with their company names. Perhaps I should go URL shopping again.
When it came to naming the business, I figured I could go two routes. One, I could use something with my name in it, i.e. Ayn Riggs Studio or Ayn Riggs Wall Finishes. I chose not to go that route for 2 reasons. One is that it might imply that I am a fine artist (which I am not). Secondly, I was afraid I might only appeal to Libertarians (being named after Ayn Rand has its issues). Thus, I chose to go the more industrial route and within minutes the URL www.italianplasterworks.com was registered.
I needed something to differentiate us from the heavy duty lath and plaster cousin, so I thought Italian would do the trick. I have been battling with the word Italian from the beginning.
"I would love a fine finish but our house is French Country."
"My house is contemporary."
"I am Italian but my husband is German."
"My house is Cape Cod."
I've even caught myself getting defensive in the Italian Plasterworks showroom.,"Does wearing a pair of Italian loafers make you a Donatella Versace wanna be? No, it just means you like things of high quality."
I wondered if some of my com padres dealt with similar angst. So, I asked Robin of Verona Walls what he has encountered. His business was first named Classical Plastering. He received too many calls inquiring for drywall work that he changed it to Verona Walls. Its worked out for him much better, although somebody did ask him if he was familiar with Tuscan Style.
John Redmon, a decorative painter in Tucson, has been focusing on fine plasters and is in the process of changing his business name from Southwest Painting and Design to Classical Italian Plastering. I wonder if he is ready for, "My house is Italian but its ultra urban."?
Deb Cambell of Wallartistry in Ohio and Partic Webb of Real Finishes in Florida have really hit the nail on the head with their company names. Perhaps I should go URL shopping again.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
What's lime got to do with it?
The purpose of this post is to create a glossary to clear up confusion with some of the buzz words we hear around plaster and lime.
LIMESTONE: is sedimentary rock made up of the mineral calcite in its crystallized form known as calcium carbonate (CACO3). Its found all over the world, not just in Italy.
MARBLE: some limestone has gone through a metamorphosis (recrystallization) and became marble. Pure marble is only made of CACO3 and is white. The beautiful colors that are found in marble are from other minerals (i.e. iron oxide, clay) that were on the limestone when it metamorphosed into marble.
LIME PLASTER: is made through a process of cooking chunks of limestone until it disintegrates into a powder which is called calcium oxide. When water is mixed with calcium oxide it becomes calcium hydroxide also known as slacked lime. Slacked lime can come in powder form or when more water is added it becomes a paste. The paste form is what we call lime plaster.
PLASTER: In general, plaster can be made of gypsum, portalnd cement, lime or combinations there of. Plaster is also called stucco with usually has cement in it.
100% Lime Plaster: Means it is only made up of CACO3. Since marble is also CACO3, marble dust of various size can be mixed in with the paste and still be considered a 100% lime plaster. Lime plaster has been used for 1000's of years all over the world as an exterior or interior finish. When lime plaster is drying on a wall its called carbonating. During this process CO2 is being drawn into the plaster to help turn it back onto stone.
VENETIAN PLASTER: Is a misnomer in the United States causing much confusion for home owners, builders, architects and designers. We see this everyday at Italian Plasterworks. Back in the day, when the grand villas were being built along the canals in Venice, it was popular to use large marble slabs as your wall finish. The villas could not support the weight of the slabs so craftsmen created very fine plasters to emulate the look of a marble slab. The craft of marbleizing was born. Venetian plaster can be more considered a technique but still people haves different ideas as to what that outcome should look like.
ITALIAN PLASTER: Italians have been making lime plasters for hundreds of years. Plasters are used as much as paint in Italy. Due to delicate restoration work done in Italy, Italians have purity laws regarding the ingredients of their plasters thus are considered to make the best plasters in the world. Safra, Firenze and Firmolux are a few of the companies that export their plasters to the US. In the US, you and I could throw paint, lime, and gypsum in a bucket and market it as Venetian Plaster. Some North American companies are entering the market with high quality lime plasters such as Totem Coatings and Vasari.
VENEZIANO: is a term associated with a high polished plaster. Venezianos are made by most plaster malefactors and are very popular. Most Venezianos are not 100% lime as 100% lime plasters are hard to apply with little or no training. So most Venezianos are acrylic based to meet the needs of the contractors. Veneziano Photo
MARMORINO: Means little marble in Italian. Typically, a marmorino plaster does not have the high gloss sheen of a Veneziano but more of a semi-gloss appearance. Marmorino Photo
Benefits of 100% lime plaster: Lime plaster has been "green" since its conception because its just limestone. Even the process of making plaster from limestone is green. Because lime is caustic it resists mold, mildew and bacterias from growing on its surface. Its flexible enough that it doesn't have the cracking problems that plasters and stucco created with cement have. It draws CO2 form the air when its drying and is breathable. Some plasters are labeled "lime based". This can be anywhere from 10% to 99%. A plaster with only 10% is not going to have the same benefits as a 100% plaster.
Drawback of 100% Lime Plaster: The skill of correctly applying lime plaster takes training and practice. Both the California School of Italian Plasters and the Midwest School of Italian Plasters offer a week long program.
FAUX FINISH: Faux just means fake in French. Before fine finish plasters were readily available, artists used paints and glazes to emulate the look of a real plaster. So a wall with a plaster finish isn't a faux finish, its a real finish. But to confuse things, artists use real plasters in such a way to create an old world look which would be a faux old wall.
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