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We're Back!


Hey Guys, it's Kevin Connetta, owner of Molto Bene Finishes (Molto Bene means “ Very Good” in Italian). We've created beautiful and unique wall finishes in beautiful and exclusive homes for over 20 years. It's been quite some time since we updated this blog – being busy on projects. Over the years, I've spent time training in Italy, Morocco, and over half a dozen of the top studios in this country.


Now, nothing stays the same, so it's time to get a new generation up to speed on wall finishes.


Who is this for? People who love color and texture. People who like to get inspired. People who love to create special spaces in their homes. People who would like to create things that other people say “ Wow that's really cool”. So you might be a paint contractor looking for a few tricks to improve your skill set. You might be a designer or a homeowner looking for inspiration or that perfect high end finish. Or you might be that Do It Yourself person, who would like to be walked thru the ins and outs of how to bring a wall finish from a sample board to a completed room, with the least amount of grief, time and expense. 

We will be creating new finishes, showing old finishes, showing new products out there as well as finishes from other artists. There are some very talented people creating new and exciting treatments for a new millennia.  We'll also try some new products, let you know what we like and what we think is crappy. You can catch our act shortly on all the other social media, but also make sure you check in here for all the details.

One of our goals with wall finishes was always to create unique spaces that raise tone and enhance the overall look and feel of the room.


OK, time to shut up and break out the trowel.


So I conjured up this board. It's a very luminous plaster in a warm cheerful color. This board is pretty cool as I have created a layer with texture which I skimmed over to create a smooth feel while still revealing the depth. This is a great finish to do on an accent or feature wall, or as we like to call it, a character wall. (The wall which gives the room character. ) A character wall is a great way to enhance the look of a space without doing the whole room. Or if you do it and really love it, then bombs away – do the whole room. Note: we steer clear of using the words “ accent “ or “ feature” wall as they tend to give the idea of a painted wall in contrast to the other painted walls, and these finishes are far from a paint job in terms of complexity and aesthetic impact.

OK here's how to do this finish:



TOOLS/MATERIALS

Primer ( tinted)
Trowel
Sandpaper 220,320,440 grit, soft rag


APPLICATION

Now there's a big difference between doing a finish as a sample, and doing a few hundred feet or more of wall surface. I'll be going into detail on wall prep, application tips etc. in a later post,but here's the breakdown on this finish:
  1. The wall is correctly prepped and primed (2 coats). Tint the primer close to the plaster color ( just a bit lighter. ) You can usually get a paint store to tint it for you. This makes it easier for the plaster to cover, requiring less material or coats.
  2. Apply Lusterstone ( From Faux Effects- you can order on line where the store will give you an idea of the coverage rate of a gallon to figure out how much you need. Color used is “cantaloupe”).
  3. Apply a thin even coat with a trowel, let dry.
  4. Apply a second coat creating movement and texture with your trowel. Practice beforehand with wet material to get a feel for how much or little texture.
  5. Let dry.
  6. Lightly sand surface with 220 to knock down all high areas.
  7. Last layer is very tightly skimmed over the whole surface. You can even thin the material down a bit with a little water. Cover whole surface. This will fill in the low points and leave it pretty smooth. Optional step is to add some gold Micaglow powder mixed into this final coat. But don't overdo it. This just adds a bit more glow to it.
  8. Lightly sand with 320 or 440grit to make even smoother. 
 

And there you go. As a tip always buy a small amount of material and create samples, then leave it in the room so you can see it at different times of the day as the lighting will be different. Do this BEFORE buying a bunch of material.



So like/ don't like?
 
Best room for this?

Like to see it in another color?

Let me know.

Ciao,

Kevin

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