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Where Artistry Begins
Venetian plastering training for people in Lancaster is taught at the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham, not in Lancaster itself. If you live in or near the city and want to learn the craft properly, this page explains what the courses involve and how to fit them around real life.
The courses welcome painters and decorators adding a skilled service, plasterers who want to try decorative finishes, homeowners restoring a period house, interior designers who like to specify with confidence, and anyone changing career.
Lancaster is a historic city with plenty of period property, and that is where traditional lime based plasters and Venetian finishes feel most at home.
The streets below the castle include Georgian townhouses that date from the city's days as a busy port, and there are converted warehouses on St George's Quay. Solid old walls of this kind should be allowed to breathe, so a lime Marmorino or a lime based polished finish is more suitable than a sealed surface that traps damp.
Beyond the centre you find Victorian terraces climbing the hill and larger villas in quieter streets, plus stone cottages and farmhouses in the Lune Valley and around Morecambe Bay. Many of these have deep window reveals, chimney breasts and uneven walls that look beautiful in hand trowelled plaster once the base coats are right.
Lancaster University and the city's visitor trade also mean steady work in hospitality, with hotels, cafes and restaurants in Lancaster and along the Morecambe coast that need interiors to stand out. A well made feature wall behind a bar or in a dining room gives a venue real character.
For a Lancaster decorator, the practical benefit is simple. You can offer a premium option alongside your normal work, and quote it for owners of older houses who care about the finish and are willing to pay for it.
The right course depends on where you are today, and there are three routes, each with a clear purpose.
On the Beginner Course you work through the theory, wall preparation, base coats and a range of textures, then build up Marmorino, polished plaster and metallic finishes from bucket to burnish. The Advanced Course adds tinting, coloured waxes, sanding, polishing to a high gloss and decorative effects such as artificial rock and stencil work. If you have a particular finish in mind, such as liquid metal, 1 to 1 Training is the most direct way to learn it.
Group courses take up to six students. Current dates and the option to register interest are on the training page. You can reserve your bench by paying half now and the remainder on the day, or pay the full amount online.
You will need to travel to Birmingham and stay for the length of the course. People get there by train or by car, and Birmingham's central position in England keeps it practical for those coming from further north.
Because a 3 or 4 day course means nights away, sort your accommodation early. Zavoré has a partner rate at a hotel close to the Academy, available when you quote Zavoré, and a pickup from the airport or station can be arranged with your booking, priced by where you arrive. Each day runs from 10am to 5pm with lunch and refreshments provided.
Once home, you can order Zavoré plasters at trade pricing and ask questions in the private course group, which comes with a helpline for life. The panels you finish during the course go home with you and make a useful portfolio to show prospective customers, along with your Zavoré certificate. Advanced students also get help to find, price and win a first paid decorative job.
To see how a professional team approaches the work, read about Venetian plastering in Lancaster, or browse the Zavoré shop for materials.
If you are weighing up whether to learn alone or in a group, the guide on group course or 1 to 1 training sets out the differences.
The nearest option from Zavoré is the Zavoré Academy in Birmingham. Students from Lancaster travel there by train or by car and stay for the 3 or 4 days of their course.
It can be, particularly in a city with so many Georgian and Victorian homes. It gives you a higher value service to offer alongside decorating, and the skill stays with you once the course is over.
Yes. Group courses have up to six students, so you can book more than one bench.
Tuition from working applicators, all materials and tools, lunch and refreshments, your finished panels to take home and a Zavoré certificate are all included. You also get trade pricing on materials afterwards.
Ready to book a place? Call 07592 929191, email sales@zavore.co.uk or look at the training page for the latest information.
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