Royal Recipe Plaster

[Not fauxnee]

Hi all. On several posts I have seen the words "Royal Recipe Plaster" or a version of the same. Can anyone tell me what this is? It sounds lovely. Thanks.

[katzuke]

Don't have a clue, but I'd like to know also

[Jodi]

I have never heard of it.

[Paint deZiner]

Melanie's recipe...jc strengthened with glue or caulk or both, I forget. Google it with her name, it may come up. It may be on her website as well

[sonol'artista]

Royal Plaster Recipe
Youíll find everything you need for ìRoyal Plasterî in the paint and drywall departments of your local home/hardware store. This plaster mix will keep for up to several days in an airtight container, but we recommend that you just mix as you go. When very fresh, the plaster will ìround offî around the edges of your embossing, which is actually a very nice look. If you prefer a harder edge, let it set up for a few hours. The glue in the mix helps to create a quite hard, durable, semi-sealed material. You can sand it and it will be slightly porous, but it works more like one of the many resin-based materials on the market than traditional joint compound. Experiment with it! 2 parts pre-mixed joint compound 1 part Elmerís Glue 1 part powdered drywall compound (90 minute set) Mix the 2 parts pre-mixed JC and the glue together and stir well. Slowly add in the powdered drywall compound as you stir. For a more fluid medium simply add less powder.

[strongv]

I love it that it has a name now.... Go Mel!

[Not fauxnee]

thank you. I think I've used a version of this without knowing what it was. I used the pre-mixed J/C with the glue to smooth walls in a bathroom. It was wonderful to work with (until I didn't seal it and ended up with a disaster requiring starting over). I didn't add the compound mix. I definitely like this recipe. Gonna use it in a hallway next.

THANK YOU for the recipe!!!!!

[MishiWinks]

Does anyone have any pics of this finish? Sounds like what I am looking for

[Jersey Girl]

[Surfempress]

AKA poor man's plaster

[sonol'artista]

Don't overthink this stuff! This is not a *miracle potion* Yes, it will crack if applied up to an inch thick in one application. It won' t crack as much because the caulk helps with the elasticity.
What does it look like? Smooth plaster. You could wax it for a burnished look.
This concoction costs less than twenty dollars.....make some and play with it. Make it your own tool, learn its boundaries. Play in the mud people!!



...sorry if this sounds a little terse....I had a long day on the scaffolds todayl

[Marlow]

This is now a couple years ago that I had this page on my web site. Works well, strong and inexpensive. 45 min., with bonding adhesive. You can skip the coarse look but it does give it the look!

I had a recent job that required an old plaster look. With areas as though pieces were missing and visually you could see the rougher “scratch” coat, an irregular surface yet smooth with a somewhat color wash type glaze look with darker glaze hanging out in the rougher areas.

So I ordered 3 of the leading professional products to give them a “test” drive. They were expensive. To my surprise, none of them worked well in my opinion. Put them on slightly too thick and they would crack and none were that hard when cured. To the studio I went to see what I could create since having a little bit of plaster background.

For that undercoat or first random pass to create the rough look, (some of which was completely covered but it didn’t matter) I used a mix of Structo-lite with setting Joint Compound with concrete bonding adhesive used for concrete, plaster and mortar mixes. You can also skip the Structo-lite and use course sand.

The mix is:

1 part course sand or (struto-lite)

4 parts setting lightweight joint compound (45 minute or 90)

mixed well with water (cold) and the bonding adhesive (found at any store with concrete and plaster like big box stores) (also adds strength)

To about a gallon of the mix use about a cup of bonding agent. Mix thoroughly with drill and paddle mixer. (Bonding agent gives the mix a longer open time) Trowel on or use large chip brush.

You can let this set up before continuing or not. I chose not to.

My next layer was the same but minus the course material. I kept it smooth and troweled on, leaving random spots uncovered where the first layer was applied. This mixture as the first can be tinted with UTC’s or pigment powders.

Because it was tinted, I applied a coat of clear sealer (Gardz by Zinsser) then my glaze finish which was softened with a large sponge. We also used the sponge (large square one) to apply the glaze, and by lightly wiping, it would leave the deeper areas untouched but give the majority of the surface that color wash look the client wanted.

The end result was a very durable surface at a fraction of the price. It saved the client over $800 in material cost and made life easier for us as all our materials were local. This finish is in a restaurant and looks great!

[Jersey Girl]

Thanks for the suggestions/tips! I have been knee deep in the mudd and have discovered solutions but they're not perfect, is anything? Below is a pic of the sample stones I've created with JC & 20 min.mudd along with a concrete product rolled on top afterwards then of course colored and sealed. I'm still searching for that perfect solution though, one that comes pre-mixed and/or can be mixed in large batches without drying out too fast and doesn't crack and can be sanded somewhat after it dries.


... to be cont'd

[sonol'artista]

Would love to see pictures Marlow!

Susan-good luck with the experimentation. I think the room you did in stones is great. I do not know if you will be able to get it down to a simpler technique, but, that is what experimenting is all about

We are all alchemist in a way....just keep good notes on what you mix together and always be aware of possible chemical reactions.


Theresa

[sonol'artista]

Here is a wall I just finished using combinations of joint compound and sand and embossed wall paper.

[Eli Lucero]

Hey Mishiwinks, if you every need anything done...the lawn the bushes sweep throw out the trash, plaster whatever ......lol. Daaaaa M

[Dream]

lol wot


wow sonolartista that is probally the hottest finish ive ever saw. so sick. i want it !!!!

can you teach me?

those rocks look amazing!!! You would be dangerous with decorative concrete

I love "ghetto" plaster. My first job ever was with mud, glue, caulk. I have no clue why i added the caulk. It is in my home and still rock hard. May I add in a very damp bathroom

[Not fauxnee]

wow sonalartista....I am drooling over this finish. Way gorgeous! Care to share at all about how you did this?

[Jersey Girl]

Love the look Theresa, one of my favorites! I'm assuming you just placed the embossed wallpaper randomly on the wall not everywhere, right? Would you be able to post a room photo of your project?

Great suggestion in another post Ryan about using a Sea Sponge roller to add more texture on the second pass randomly and then knock-it down! This is a great design for those boring knockdown walls we're surrounded by here in TX.

[sonol'artista]

Yeah, I just randomly tore the embossed wallpaper into sections and used clay based paste to adhere to wall. I just pasted it in a balanced pattern on the wall. The wall was already orange peel and I left some of that to show through. I then slip troweled joint compound on the wall covering about 60 percent and embedding the wallpaper edges. Next,troweled jc with sand mixed in covering about 30 percent. Let dry and glaze out. easy

[cleta]

Theresa, that is a fantastic wall finish! Love it.