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Where Artistry Begins
A three day 1 to 1 clay plaster course at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester. Learn the soft, matt, mottled roman clay look in fine Italian lime, and the restraint that keeps it looking calm.
The clay plaster course teaches the soft, matt, faintly mottled wall that is sold in America as roman clay, and it is taught at our training centres in Birmingham (the Zavoré Academy), London and Manchester by working applicators who lay it in clients' homes. It is made in fine Italian lime, which suits British walls better than true clay, and it suits decorators, plasterers, builders, designers and homeowners who want rooms that feel quiet.
This is the course about restraint. Clay look walls are ruined by fussing, since burnishing patches gives you shiny islands in a matt wall. So you learn to lay the material, keep the mottle consistent and then leave it alone.
The skill is mostly in the second coat and in knowing when to stop, and that is where the tutors spend their time with you.
The route to learning a clay plaster finish is 1 to 1 Training. It is 3 days, 10am to 5pm, and costs £1,500 and needs no experience. You steer it. A decorator may spend the days on edges and consistent mottle across large walls, while a homeowner may want one bedroom colour tested on several panels.
You can book online, or hold the bench with half (£750) by phone on 07592 929191 or by email to sales@zavore.co.uk and pay the balance on the day. Dates are agreed with you after booking, and the Academy dates appear on the training page. For a team or business wanting private group training, ask us.
The clay plaster course runs at our three training centres, in Birmingham, London and Manchester, at the same price. The roman clay look in lime rewards a calm, steady hand, and you practise it on your own panels at whichever centre you choose. Choose London if you live in London or the South East, Manchester if you are in the North West, and Birmingham if you are in the Midlands, or pick the centre that is easiest for you to reach. You choose the centre and your dates when you book, by phone on 07592 929191 or by email to sales@zavore.co.uk.
If you are travelling to Birmingham, there is a partner hotel rate near the Zavoré Academy (quote Zavoré when you book), and pickups can be arranged for a price that depends on where you arrive.
Once home you can order intonachino, stucco suede, lime paint and primer from the shop, and the trade page explains trade pricing. Our colours page sets out what we need to match a reference.
It suits decorators who want to move beyond flat emulsion on bedrooms and sitting rooms, and plasterers who find lime walls a natural fit. Builders working on period cottages meet walls that will never be flat, and designers learn what the finish does in the hand before they promise it to a client. Homeowners with a favourite reference picture can learn which of the three materials it really is.
The finish is described on the clay plaster page. If you would like a room laid for you, our own artisans offer clay plaster installation across the UK.
A soft matt wall is only one of the finishes you can learn at our three training centres. These courses run in the same way.
Roughly, though neither term is precise. Roman clay is an American trade name for a soft matt, mottled wall. On this course you learn that look made in fine Italian lime, which hardens, takes a wipe and can be patched, where unstabilised clay stays water soluble.
Zavoré does not sell clay. The course teaches the clay look in lime plaster, laid with a stainless trowel in two thin coats. True clay plasters exist and are lovely, but they stay water soluble, and we would rather teach you what suits British walls.
Yes. Of the finishes we teach it is among the friendliest, with no burnishing to get wrong and a material that is patient. The challenge is scale and edges, which is what the three days practise, so a beginner and a working decorator both leave with something useful.
The clay plaster course runs at our training centres in Birmingham (the Zavoré Academy), London and Manchester, at the same price. London suits London and the South East, Manchester suits the North West, and Birmingham suits the Midlands. You choose the centre and your dates when you book. There is a partner hotel rate near the Birmingham Academy if you need to stay, and pickups can be arranged there.
To book the clay plaster course, or to send the picture you have been staring at and ask what it is, call 07592 929191 or email sales@zavore.co.uk.
Courses run at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester, 10am to 5pm, with every material and tool provided. Call or email to agree your dates, or book online.
Call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, or email sales@zavore.co.uk.
Rather have it done for you? See our installations, or buy the materials in the shop with tracked UK delivery.
Providing luxury finishes for the most prestigious addresses in the world
Venetian plaster, limewash, microcement, tadelakt, metallics, sculptural plaster and gold leaf, supplied and installed by our own team, with Venetian plaster taught at our Birmingham studio.
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