Concrete effect plaster in Reading

Concrete effect plaster in Reading is a fine mineral plaster, beton stucco, worked with a steel trowel so the wall carries soft cloud and the faint drift of the blade. It is a thin decorative skin, not cement render. Zavoré supplies and installs it, and our nearest showroom and training centre in London is open by appointment. It suits the clean lines of the town's newer buildings far better than its period rooms. A sample board is the way to start.

Modern flats, converted buildings and where concrete does not belong

Reading has changed a lot. Flats and offices have gone up around the station, and along the Thames and the Kennet there are blocks of apartments, some of them built into the shells of the town's old brewing and biscuit making buildings. Kennet Island is a newer neighbourhood of modern homes. These interiors have square walls, big windows and a plain palette, and concrete effect fits them.

It does the opposite to a period house. Georgian townhouses near Castle Hill and Victorian villas in Redlands and Caversham have cornice, picture rail and panelled doors, and concrete fights those rather than sitting alongside them. In those rooms we would point you to clay plaster or marmorino.

Underneath matters most. The finish is a few passes thick and it behaves like a skin, so the wall behind it decides how good it looks. Plasterboard needs reinforced joints and the right primer, and a wall that moves or is damp will let you down. If you want one flat even colour with no variation, this is the wrong finish.

Where concrete effect plaster works in Reading

Our concrete effect finishes suit these places.

• Open plan kitchen and living walls in new flats and extensions.
• Chimney breasts and feature walls in loft style apartments.
• Office reception walls and meeting rooms.
• Restaurant, bar and retail interiors that want a cool, calm backdrop.
• Gallery style spaces with clean architectural lines.

Left as it comes it is matt and cool to the touch. Sealed, it takes a light sheen and becomes wipeable, which helps in kitchens and busy commercial rooms.

How a concrete effect job in Reading runs

We survey before we price. That covers the substrate, flatness, cracks, damp, movement, how the room is used, access and protection. Photos often answer small questions first, and we say plainly if a wall needs skimming or a damp problem fixing.

The sample board shows the cloud and the colour, and the material is tinted to the approved sample before it ships. Look at it on the actual wall at different times of day.

Where the work needs the team to stay on the job, it is planned in blocks of days so the thin coats go on in order and the cloud carries across a long wall without a join. Dates are agreed once the sample and price are signed off. See the concrete effect installation page.

Buying the material, trade and training

The materials are in the shop with tracked UK delivery for people using their own decorator, and trade customers can ask about a trade account.

You can lay this yourself, and whether you should depends on the wall. A small alcove or a chimney breast is a fair first job. A long open plan wall with a return is not, because the cloud has to carry across without a break. Decorators can learn it on the concrete effect course at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester.

More finishes in Reading

If you like the seamless look but need a floor or a wet room, see microcement in Reading. For warmer walls there are clay plaster in Reading, limewash in Reading and marmorino in Reading, and for shine polished plaster in Reading and liquid metal in Reading. Showers call for tadelakt in Reading. Everything is listed on the page for a decorative finishes specialist in Reading, with the classic family under Venetian plastering in Reading.

Questions about concrete effect plaster in Reading

Is concrete effect plaster the same as microcement?

No. Microcement is a cement, polymer and aggregate system, often used for floors and wet areas. Beton stucco is a fine mineral plaster for walls. We install microcement and sell beton stucco as a material.

Can it go in a Reading period house?

We would usually advise against it in rooms with cornice, picture rail and panelled doors. It suits clean, modern lines far better.

Is it wipeable?

Sealed, it takes a light sheen and becomes wipeable. Unsealed it is matt and mineral. We agree the finish on the sample board.

Will it work in a rented flat?

Take care. Someone may want to roll emulsion back over it later, and that is hard to do cleanly. It is better suited to homes and spaces you plan to keep.

To talk it through, call 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or email sales@zavore.co.uk with photos, rough measurements and the postcode. The sample board is the place to start.