Venetian plastering in Bedfordshire

Zavoré offers Venetian plastering in Bedfordshire, from the market towns to the village cottages and country houses. We are based in Birmingham, and our own applicators travel to install authentic Italian lime based Venetian plaster, Marmorino, limewash and other decorative finishes. Email photos, rough measurements and your postcode to sales@zavore.co.uk, or order a sample board to begin.

Bedfordshire is a good way from Birmingham, so a job is planned as a block of days. Our team stays on site, lays each coat in order, and dates are agreed once the sample and price are signed off.

The shape of Bedfordshire housing

Bedfordshire is a modest county with a lot of variety. Bedford and Luton are the two largest towns, and each has its own page, Bedford and Luton. Outside them, the county is a patchwork of market towns, estate villages and fast growing new communities.

Ampthill is a Georgian market town, with brick houses lining its main streets, and Woburn is a small Georgian estate village beside Woburn Abbey, the home of the Dukes of Bedford. Leighton Buzzard, on the Grand Union Canal, has a High Street of Georgian and Victorian buildings, and Dunstable lies at the foot of the chalk downs on the Chilterns edge. Biggleswade, Sandy and Shefford in the east are market towns and large villages with older cores, and Old Warden is known for its picturesque thatched cottages.

Brick is the county’s signature material, helped by a long brick making tradition in the Marston Vale. Newer development fills the gaps. Flitwick, Houghton Regis and Kempston have large amounts of postwar and recent housing, and the Wixams, a planned new settlement near Bedford, is entirely modern.

Behind all that brick you find very different walls. Cottage and town house walls in lime plaster, interwar semis with sound plaster, and new houses and flats with plasterboard. The best finish depends on which one you have.

Finishes for Bedfordshire buildings

• Limewash for thatched and brick cottages in villages such as Old Warden, where a breathable, matt surface lets old walls dry.
• Marmorino for the Georgian brick houses of Ampthill and the older town centres, with a soft sheen that suits period rooms.
• Venetian plaster for a hallway, living room or stair in a Victorian or interwar family home.
• Polished plaster for new builds around the larger towns, once the plasterboard has been prepared and flattened.
• Sculptural plaster for a statement wall in a barn conversion or country house with room to show it.

In bathrooms and en suites we advise tadelakt or microcement, not Venetian plaster inside a shower.

Planning a job across the county

We begin with photos and a conversation, and survey the walls before pricing. We check what the surface is, whether it is flat, any cracks, damp or movement, how the room is used, and how to reach and protect it. For a rural property, tell us about the lane, any gates and where a van can park.

When the sample is approved, we tint the plaster to that colour in Birmingham before it leaves us. Pick from 48 house colours, or give an NCS reference. Plasterboard needs reinforced joints and the right primer, and old plaster that is flaking or damp has to be dealt with first. Cold rooms slow drying, which matters for unheated barns and outbuildings.

All our finishes are listed on the installation page.

Supplies, trade and learning

If you are a decorator, builder or plasterer in Bedfordshire, we sell tinted material for tracked delivery across the UK, run courses in Birmingham and offer trade accounts. Designers can read our specification page.

Two useful reads are our guides to drying and curing and repairing Venetian plaster. See every area we cover.

Questions about Venetian plastering in Bedfordshire

Do you travel to small villages in Bedfordshire?

Yes. Our own applicators travel from Birmingham, and we plan the work in blocks of days. Tell us your postcode and about access.

What suits a thatched cottage?

A breathable lime finish such as limewash. We survey first for damp and movement, which are common in old cottages.

Can you finish the walls of a new build near Bedford?

Yes. New plasterboard needs reinforced joints and the right primer, and the base coats level the surface before the finish goes on.

Can I buy materials only?

Yes. We tint the plaster to your approved colour and send it tracked.

Call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, or email sales@zavore.co.uk. A sample board is the best first step.