In the beginning, our owners had initially struggled to find polished plaster artisans in the north west of England, so decided to set up a well-funded facility based initially in Blackburn with a structured investment plan to develop the business further in the UK.
After a lot of research we contacted IMPEX COLOR, who have more than 20 years’ experience implementing their range of products throughout the world, most of which are based on traditional Italian procedures and formulas. IMPEX COLOR is also at the forefront of developing new products and modern technologies. Establishing a relationship with Easyfloor in Spain followed this, giving the business a quality offering of Micro Cement finishes satisfying demanding client needs.
With the lack of a focused multi supply polished plastering business in the North West area, ApplicArt was born. We start by offering the best studio facility in the UK, the best training provision in the region, the largest stocks and computer controlled mixing facilities right here in the UK. We have the ability to provide architects designers and the like with the most advanced products and designs available on the UK market. With thanks to IMPEX COLOR who have trained our specialist teams of applicators enabling us to gain many quality projects.
The process of making the polished plaster involved cooking the mined limestone (calcium carbonate) in ovens or kilns at between 850-1300 degrees Celsius, producing calcium oxide (quicklime), which is then slaked with water to produce calcium hydroxide. The mixture is then left to mature or age. Roman law required the slaked lime to be aged for a minimum of 3 years. This process is called hydration. The result is lime putty or grasselo, also known as non-hydraulic (it will not cure under water), hydrated, because the lime is chemically bound to the water, or aerial lime because it requires exposure to air to cure. Next, the slaked lime putty is filtered and mixed with marble flour, kaolin, marble dust or quartz to produce a variety of decorative plasters. Atmospheric carbon dioxide cures the lime putty after application by reacting with it to produce calcium carbonate, thereby returning it to its original state and completing the cycle. This final process is called carbonation, and takes some weeks to complete.
Italian Polished plaster & micro cement, but also supply and install Easy floor products
We are specialist applicators of artisan wall decorations that create truly unique living spaces. Using our innovative range of polished plaster finishes and special paint effects we create bespoke, hand finished features to any wall.
Impex lime based plastering products tap into an age old Italian tradition of using marble dust, slaked lime and marble chip materials that make some of the most inspiring and innovative textured plaster wall based finished you will have seen.
Impex products replicate this technique and use a lime putty, that is then mixed with a range of colorants, such as ground marble dust to create the same venetian plastering effects.
Impex products are not only beautiful, but they are also eco friendly and therefore respect for the environment.
