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Where Artistry Begins
Breathable lime Venetian plaster, Marmorino and cornice, tinted to your colour in Birmingham and laid by our own applicators in St Albans.
Zavoré provides Venetian plastering in St Albans for period houses, new apartments and commercial interiors. We are based in Birmingham, and our own applicators travel to Hertfordshire to install authentic Italian lime based Venetian plaster and other decorative finishes. To start, email photos of your walls, rough measurements and your postcode to sales@zavore.co.uk, or order a sample board.
St Albans is some distance from Birmingham, so we plan each job in blocks of days. The team stays and lays every coat in order, and we agree dates once the sample and price are signed off.
St Albans is built on the Roman city of Verulamium, and its great abbey church, now the cathedral, dominates the hill above the river. The medieval clock tower and the market place still anchor the centre, and streets such as Fishpool Street and Holywell Hill are lined with timber framed buildings and Georgian town houses. Much of the old city is protected as a conservation area, so changes to the outside of a building are controlled, though interior decoration is a different matter.
Beyond the historic core, the Victorian and Edwardian city spreads out in terraces and villas. Fleetville and the streets near the station are largely terraced, while Clarence Park and the roads around it have Victorian and Edwardian houses. Marshalswick and other suburbs to the north and east were built mostly in the interwar and postwar decades, with semis and detached houses on wider plots. The city is a popular home for London commuters, with direct trains to London on the Thameslink line.
That adds up to three broad kinds of wall. Old timber and lime walls in the centre, brick Victorian terraces with decades of patching, and plastered or plasterboard walls in twentieth century houses. We choose the finish to suit the wall, rather than the other way round.
In bathrooms we recommend tadelakt or microcement over Venetian plaster, which we would not use inside a shower.
Older houses deserve a proper survey. We examine the substrate, how flat and sound the plaster is, any cracks, damp or movement, and how the room is used. Period walls often hold surprises, and we say plainly if something needs stripping, skimming or a damp fix first. Acrylic look alikes form a film, so we advise against them on breathable solid walls.
When you approve a sample, we tint the plaster to that colour in Birmingham before it leaves us. Choose from 48 house colours or give an NCS reference. In the historic centre, parking and loading can be tight on narrow streets, so tell us early about access, permits and the route to the room.
Thin coats need drying time between layers, and a cold house dries slowly, so keep the heating on gently. Our installation page lists every finish we can lay.
Interior designers working on St Albans houses can find specification help on our designers and architects page. Decorators can buy tinted material from us for tracked delivery, learn the finish on a course in Birmingham, or open a trade account.
For period rooms, you may find our guide to Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian coving and the comparison of lime plaster and Venetian plaster helpful. See also every area we cover.
Yes. For old lime walls we usually recommend a breathable finish such as Marmorino or limewash. We survey first, because period walls can hide cracks and damp.
Conservation areas mostly control outside changes, but listed buildings have extra rules inside. Check with the local council before work on a listed home.
Yes. We install plaster cornice and coving and can finish it to match the wall beneath.
Yes. Our own applicators travel from Birmingham, and we plan the work in blocks of days so the team stays on site.
For a conversation, call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, or email sales@zavore.co.uk. A sample board is the best first step.
Order a sample board tinted to your colour, or send photos and rough measurements of the walls in St Albans and we will come back to you with the right finish and a clear quote.
For a quote, email photos and measurements of your walls to sales@zavore.co.uk or call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.
Venetian plastering nearby in Harpenden, Brentwood, Watford and Essex. See every area we cover.
Want to lay it yourself? Read about Venetian plastering training for St Albans, or see every course at the Zavoré Training Academy.
We also supply the trade by post, wherever you are. The shop ships tracked across the UK, and the Academy teaches the finishes in Birmingham.
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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