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Where Artistry Begins
This is a guide to Venetian plastering training for Armagh. The training itself takes place at the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham, so it is aimed at people from Armagh who are happy to travel for a three or four day course.
If you are a decorator or plasterer, a builder who handles restoration, a designer, a homeowner with a period house, or someone looking for a skilled trade to move into, you will find a course that fits.
Armagh is one of the more distinctive places in Northern Ireland for period architecture, and that makes lime based and traditional plaster finishes especially relevant.
The city is known for its two cathedrals, both named after St Patrick, and for its Georgian streets, most famously around the Mall. Georgian rooms were designed with generous proportions and thick masonry walls, and finishes that let the fabric breathe tend to suit them. Marmorino and other lime based plasters give a soft, mineral surface that sits comfortably alongside original cornices and panelled doors.
The surrounding county, nicknamed the Orchard County, has farmhouses, orchards and country houses of all ages. Renovation of these homes is a steady source of work for builders, and a trained applicator can offer a hand finished wall as a considered alternative to flat paint.
Newer homes in and around Armagh have clean, modern walls where polished plaster looks sharp, and bathrooms of any age can be finished in tadelakt or microcement.
If you work on period property already, learning Venetian plaster means you can understand the materials you are asked to match or imitate, and advise owners with confidence.
The Beginner Course is the natural starting point for anyone new to the material, the Advanced Course extends it, and 1 to 1 Training lets you set the programme.
Sessions are held from 10am to 5pm and each group is capped at six. Detailed pages cover the Beginner Course, the Advanced Course and 1 to 1 Training. Upcoming dates, or a way to register interest, can be found on the training page.
Our look at the Beginner Course shows what happens on each of the three days.
From Armagh you will need to cross to England, then continue to Birmingham, which is central in England and can be reached by train or by car.
The course takes three or four days, which means you should arrange a place to stay at the start. Zavoré holds a partner rate at a hotel close to the Academy and asks that you quote Zavoré when booking. Pickup from your arrival airport or station can be added with your course booking.
To keep things simple, a bench can be held by paying half the price, with the other half paid on the day.
After the course you will have panels of your own to use in a portfolio, and a certificate to show you have trained.
Trade pricing on Zavoré materials follows, along with a private group and a helpline that does not expire. Advanced students are given help to find, price and win a first paid decorative job.
The page on Venetian plastering in Armagh shows what Zavoré installs, and the shop supplies materials with tracked UK delivery. If you are weighing up a change of career, starting a decorative plastering career is worth reading.
The courses are not held in Armagh. They run at the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham, and students from Armagh travel there.
Lime based finishes and Marmorino are breathable and suit period walls well. The course teaches how the materials behave so you can choose the right system for each wall.
No. The Beginner Course is designed for people with no experience, and you leave with finished panels to take home.
A builder new to decorative plaster can begin with the Beginner Course. If you want to focus on a particular finish or technique, 1 to 1 Training can be built around it.
To book Venetian plastering training from Armagh, phone 07592 929191, email sales@zavore.co.uk or use the training page.
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