Decorative Wall Finishes

Introduction to Seta Stucco

This is one of the most elegant lime-based wall finishes. Its slightly rough, opaque but with pearl reflection and very fine glitterings.

Flat finish is silky to the touch. In Italian Seta means silk and it mimicks this soft textile fabric. With the typical silky chiaroscuro appearance which changes with the reflection of the light.

Seta Stucco – yellow

Seta Stucco – green

The product is white and can be tinted with our Color System.

Product information

Surfaces suitable for applying Seta Stucco

Type of surface	Preparation required
New plaster, lime based	No priming necessary
Gypsum	One coat of Quartz Primer
Plasterboard	One coat of Quartz Primer
Medium density	One coat of Quartz Primer
Old plaster	Brush down thoroughly and one coat of Primer Normal or of Quartz Primer
Limewash	Brush down thoroughly and one coat of Quartz Primer or Primer Normal
Polished lime finish	Brush down thoroughly, light sanding, dust off and one coat of Quartz Primer
Washable paint	One coat of Quartz Primer

Technical data
Application	by hand, with a steel trowel
Dilution	none: ready-to-use paste
Theoretical Yield	- gr/m2 1,500 ÷ 1,800 in three coats
Drying	3 hours at 20°C to the touch
Carbonation	48 hours at 20°C below the surface 180 days – stable
Application Temperatures	min. 5 max 30°C - U.R. < 85 % ca.
Specific weight	1,750 ± 50 (gr/LT.)
Volumetric Mass	1,670 ± 60
Viscosity	200,000 ± 25,000 – CPS = 20°C (white)
Fade resistance	resistant/non-resistant (ASTM norms)
pH after 30 days	12.5 ± 0,20
Vapour resistance	∞24 ± 2 average (ASTM norms)
Vapour permeability	gr/m2 x 24 h = 260 ± 30 (ASTM norms)
Coat Thickness	1.4 ÷ 1.6 mm. total 3 coats
Inflammability	non-flammable
VOC Classification	As per Dir. 2004/ 427 EC, Cat . A/c: Paints for exterior walls of mineral substrate. Eu limit 75 g/l (2007) 40 g/l (2010). This product contains 0 g/l of Voc.
Shelf Life	24 months
Storage Suggestions	Product maintains its characteristics best if protected from extreme heat or cold. Avoid freeze.
Safety Norms	Lime products are caustic. In case of contact with eyes or skin, rinse thoroughly with water. Keep out of reach of children.
Disposal	Product must be disposed of according to norms and regulations in force. Containers must be sent for recycling.

How to apply Seta Stucco

Tools necessary for application: Normal big trowel, good big trowel, plastic trowel, sponge float.

Before application

Protection of the work area: Masking tape and protective material over the baseboards and around windows and doors.

Primer application

One coat of Primer Quartz is applied with roller or brush to a uniformly smooth, clean surface and allowed completely to dry (3-5 hours).

It is necessary to apply the primer on all surfaces with the exception of plasters made of lime and sand. These have a similar composition to marmorino.

Preparation of the Marmorino material – colorization

After opening the container of Stucco Seta, remove any water on the surface, and mix for about 30 seconds using an electric mixer until homogenized. Add the coloring pigment and mix until the color is completely uniform. To correctly choose and mix the color read “General Rules for Correct Color Mixing” described in our Color System.

Application

Remember to have a strong light parallel to the wall and situated on only one of the two sides of the wall you are working on (usually on the same side other sources of light come from such as the windows). In this way the shadow of the trowel allows you to see the actual state of the finish. Every so often, during the second and third coat, the light should be moved so that the wall doesn’t dry out too much in one spot from the heat of the lamp.

Don’t apply in temperatures below 5°C / 41°F.

During application be sure the work area isn’t too damp or warm to avoid problems with application times.

1. Apply a thin, even coat of "SETA Stucco' over the entire surface with a metal trowel. Avoid making too many ridges and allow it to dry completely (6-8 hours). The first coat can be white even if you plan too have a colored finish. If the final color will be dark it is best to remove the masking tape from around doors, windows and baseboards and reapply it; otherwise, a strip of white may be visible when the tape is finally removed. Therefore, remove the tape and replace it approximately 1/16” distant from the original position of the tape.

2. Second coat: if you apply the second coat as evenly as possible with a metallic trowel you will get little or no dark and light effect, but if you apply it “badly”, that is with area with more material close to areas with less, you will get more dark and light effect, specially with dark colours.

To do this coat make sure the blade-edge of the trowel is always clean and free of imperfections. The edge can be cleaned with P360 sandpaper. Usually the second coat is applied over the entire surface before applying the third coat. But on large surfaces in hot, dry conditions it might be necessary to have a second person begin to apply the third coat while the first completes the second coat.

3. The third coat should be applied before the second coat has dried completely. To recognize when this is, you should observe that the water that was on the surface has been absorbed, but the plaster still appears slightly damp. The second coat should have almost completed the shrinking process that typically occurs with lime-based products. With ideal room temperatures, this occurs after about 20 minutes, the time it usually takes to apply the second coat to a medium-sized wall.

4. The third coat will be applied over this even surface. No undue care need be taken when applying it since this final layer will be smoothed out almost immediately with a dry sponge float. It is difficult to say how much time you need to wait before using the sponge float because it depends on how absorbent the wall is and what the temperature and air's humidity is. You’ll know if is too soon because you will see small ridges forming as you use the sponge float. Generally the plaster should be damp enough to be able to smooth the surface moving the sponge float in opposite sweeping directions several times. This will fill in pits and flatten ridges without leaving marks on the wall.

5. The sponge float will need to be cleaned from time to time of excess marmorino which has accumulated on its surface. To do this, gently scrape the surface of the sponge float on the edge of a metal trowel, and then scrape the excess stucco into a container to be reused later.

6. Before it dries completely, go over the wall with a plastic trowel which has smooth, rounded edges. As when using the sponge float, you will know when to perform this phase of the smoothing process by observation. It is too early to use the plastic trowel when you leave small ridges in the plaster and too late when you are unable to smooth out the roughness left from using the sponge float.

7. The plastic trowel should be pressed almost flat on the wall (with a 25-30° angle) moving it in opposite sweeping directions to avoid making ridges. It is advisable to use a strong light source parallel to the walls when smoothing out the surface to detect imperfections you may create while moving the trowel over the surface. The wall will be finished when it appears almost shiny when viewed against the light. You will observe - especially with darker colors – that the smoothest parts appear the darkest.

8. Remove all tape and protective material before the plaster is completely dried to avoid chipping and cracking along the taped edge. In fact, the tape can be removed right before the last phase where you use the plastic trowel.

Application variations

In alternative at the previous exposition you can apply the first coat with Marmorino Velvet which is a cheaper material and good for this purpose.

Some people doesn't apply the third coat and finish it in just two layers.

Maintenance of Seta Stucco

Interiors

Apply our acrylic wax for EpoFloor which guarantees waterproofing and protection against all types of dirt. There are three kinds available: Flat, Semi-gloss and Glossy, we suggest to use the Flat one.

To water-proof it, you can apply our lime-based plaster waterproofing.

Applying water based product on dark finish be careful to not soak to much it to avoid that salt coming from the bottom could stain the color

For exteriors: If the finish needs protection, we suggest our waterproofing for lime-based materials.

Dirty from smoke (fireplaces) can be cleaned with our "Rinfresca", cleaner for Venetian Plaster and lime based finishes.

To clean natural finishes with no protection: The most practical way to clean this type of finish is with a white pencil’s rubber eraser or sand paper (P 220-320). It’s very easy to clean most dirty areas by simply using sand paper and dusting off the powder residue.