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Where Artistry Begins
Venetian plastering training for Glasgow takes place at the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham, because the courses are not run in Scotland. Glaswegian decorators, plasterers and homeowners who want to learn the craft book a place, travel south for the 3 or 4 days, and bring the skill home.
The courses suit painters and decorators looking for a premium service, plasterers who want to try decorative work, designers, career changers and anyone with a love of beautiful walls. You can start with no experience at all.
Glasgow is a city of stone, and its buildings give a decorative plasterer a lot to think about. The mix of old tenements, grand terraces and new flats means one skill can meet several different needs.
The tenement is the city's signature home, built from sandstone with solid walls and often tall rooms with cornicing and decorative ceilings. These walls were designed to breathe, and a lime based finish such as Marmorino works with that, rather than trapping moisture behind a sealed coat. Tenement flats in the West End, around Hyndland and Dowanhill, and across the Southside attract owners who take pride in period detail.
The city also has fine Victorian terraces and villas, including those in the Park area near Kelvingrove and in Pollokshields. Larger houses give room for dramatic finishes such as polished plaster in a living room or a deep coloured wax in a hall.
Merchant City and Finnieston have attracted bars, restaurants and converted commercial buildings, and new apartments have appeared along the Clyde and in the centre. Smooth modern walls and bathrooms in these buildings point towards polished plaster, tadelakt and microcement.
A Glasgow decorator who adds Venetian plaster can offer a finish that suits the character of the city's sandstone buildings and stands out from standard paint.
The Beginner Course is the usual starting point, with the Advanced Course and 1 to 1 Training for people who already have some skill. Dates are published on the training page, and if none are listed you can register your interest there.
Teaching runs from 10am to 5pm with no more than six students in a group. The Beginner Course teaches how a wall is built up coat by coat and how the systems protect the finish. The Advanced Course goes deeper into artificial rock, textured Marmorino and polishing to a high gloss. For a specific project, such as a finish you plan to offer first, the 1 to 1 option keeps the focus on you. Our article on choosing a Venetian plastering course goes through the options in more detail.
Birmingham is central in England, and students from Scotland come by train or by car. A course that lasts 3 or 4 days means you should plan where you will stay for those nights.
Zavoré holds a partner rate at a hotel near the Academy, which you can ask for by quoting Zavoré. Airport or station pickup can be added to your booking, with the price depending on where you arrive. Students join from across the UK and abroad, so the group is often a varied one.
You can reserve a bench by paying half the course fee, then pay the rest on the day. Call 07592 929191 or email sales@zavore.co.uk. Full payment is possible if you book online.
You return with your own finished panels, a Zavoré certificate and trade pricing on Zavoré materials. Panels are a very effective sales tool in a city of tenement owners and designers who like to touch a sample.
A private course group and a helpline stay with you for life, so a question about an old sandstone wall or an unfamiliar substrate is never far from an answer. After the Advanced Course, Zavoré also helps you find, price and win your first paid decorative job.
Should you want a wall installed rather than learning to do it, see Venetian plastering in Glasgow. Materials are available from the shop with tracked UK delivery.
The Zavoré courses are not held in Glasgow. They are taught at the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham, and Scottish students travel there by train or by car.
Yes. The Beginner Course starts from the theory, so a painter does not need plastering experience, and the helpline continues after the course.
Because the training is hands on, taught by working applicators, and includes all materials and tools. You also leave with panels, a certificate and trade pricing.
Group courses take up to six students, which keeps the tuition personal. 1 to 1 Training is just you and the tutor.
To book, ring 07592 929191, email sales@zavore.co.uk, or check dates and register interest on the training page.
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