Faux
finish has been popular for a while. Faux finishes are most often meant
to imitate specialty plasters and are generally targeted to the
do-it-yourself or paint market. Another popular item is Venetian
plaster. In broad-brush terms, Venetian plaster is a lime putty finish
plaster. Lime plaster and mortar are centuries old. Reliable historical
notes on lime plaster are from Europe and there, too, is the birthplace
of Venetian plaster. Americans seem to be enamored by European
plaster—and in particular—Italian plaster. It is little wonder these
plasters have finish names like Marmorino, Stucato, Florencia, Ducato, Carrara, etc.
Marketing
is a key function of the faux finish campaign to seize market share.
Spending a significant amount of time in Europe allows me to see all
kinds of plaster, especially historical plaster. I have discovered that
the names for plaster vary greatly. For example, in Germany, the word
for plaster is verputz. If the interior plaster has a rough texture, it can even be called stukko, while others call it gibs.
Taking a tour of a U.S. gypsum wallboard plant, the wet gypsum mixture
used between the layers of paper was labeled as stucco. I have found
names and terms can be very misleading.