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Where Artistry Begins
Learn metallic plaster and pearl glaze, from stroke direction and ground colour to burnishing and waxing. Taught by working applicators at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester.
The liquid metal course is taught at our training centres in Birmingham (the Zavoré Academy), London and Manchester by working applicators, and it is about one thing, making a wall catch the light. You learn how mica and pearl pigment behave under the trowel, how to burnish them, and how to finish the surface so it lasts. It suits decorators, plasterers, builders, designers and homeowners who want to add a metallic wall to what they can offer or do themselves.
Liquid metal on a wall is a polished lime plaster or pearl glaze, not a spray of metal powder. That difference runs through the whole course.
A metallic finish records every movement of your hand, so the course is built around control and direction.
You also learn what to leave alone. Long hallway walls, the area behind a hob and rooms with flat, even light are poor homes for metal, and knowing that saves you from a difficult job.
Liquid metal is taught as 1 to 1 Training. It is 3 days, 10am to 5pm, for £1,500. It is open to any level and shaped around what you want to learn. You might spend the days on a mirror bright burnish, on pearl over a tinted base, or on laying a metallic wall from start to finish.
If you are new to trowel work, the metallic finishes are also part of the Beginner Course, which is 3 days at £750 and takes metallics from bucket to burnish. You can take it first and book 1 to 1 days afterwards for liquid metal in more depth.
To hold your bench for a 1 to 1, pay half (£750) by ringing 07592 929191 or emailing sales@zavore.co.uk, with the balance on the day. You can also book online and pay in full. Dates are agreed after booking and shown on the Training Academy page. Teams can ask us about private group training.
The liquid metal course runs at our three training centres, in Birmingham, London and Manchester, at the same price. Mica and pearl finishes depend on stroke direction and burnishing, which you practise 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.
After the course you can buy metallic plasters, pearl and waxes from the Zavoré shop at trade pricing, and see the trade page for how that works. Your finished panels also double as sample boards to show clients, and a labelled sample board kept with a job is how repairs are matched years later.
Decorators who are asked for a metallic feature wall can learn to offer it properly. Plasterers who already lay polished plaster will find the trowel work familiar and the forgiveness much smaller. Designers see how light, ground colour and placement work together. Homeowners get the chance to learn on a board rather than on the living room.
Read more about liquid metal as a finish or the Journal guide to metallic plaster walls. If you would rather have the wall done for you, see metallic finishes installation.
Other finishes taught at our three training centres, each with its own focus.
For polished lime, see the Venetian plastering courses.
No experience is needed to book, but metallics are less forgiving than a matt plaster, because the flakes record every stroke you make. If you have never trowelled a wall, the Beginner Course is a sound first step, and your 1 to 1 days can follow it.
Liquid metal is taught as 1 to 1 Training, which is 3 days from 10am to 5pm. The Beginner Course is also 3 days and covers metallic finishes from bucket to burnish. Dates are agreed with you after booking.
No. Cold cast metal, which is bronze or brass powder in a resin binder, sprayed and patinated, is a separate trade. The course teaches lime plaster and pearl glaze carrying mica and metal toned pigment, which reads as brushed bronze, pewter or gold.
Yes. The liquid metal 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 ask a question or hold your bench, ring 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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