Heritage finish
A life in Venetian plaster
One material, learned properly: lime putty, marble dust and the Italian techniques that turn them into a wall.
I'm Alex Dodgson — twenty years on the trowel, and Venetian plaster is where it all comes together.
I came up through the trade the traditional way: rendering, floating and skimming houses across Manchester and Cheshire until the trowel felt like part of my hand. That grounding is why my Venetian work sits flat, true and seamless — a polished lime finish is only ever as good as the substrate underneath it.
Today my work is almost entirely hand-applied Italian Venetian plaster: Stucco Veneziano, Marmorino, Grassello, Spatolato, Travertino, Encausto, Sabbiato and Scagliola. I handle every job personally — specification, colour sampling and application. No subcontracted crews, no shortcuts between coats, and the site left clean each evening.
I work right across the UK, not just the North West. One of my favourite projects so far is at Newcastle Airport, and I've also completed a couple of restaurant interiors in Telford. I travel for the right job anywhere in the UK, and I regularly head to Italy for courses to keep up with the latest Venetian techniques and materials.
Alongside the Venetian work I still take on external rendering (sand and cement, monocouche and silicone through-colour systems) and standard plaster skimming — useful when a wall needs preparing properly before it can take a Venetian finish.
Free consultations, honest advice on which finish suits your room and its light, sample boards prepared on site, and fully insured work throughout. If you'd like to see what I'm working on week to week, my latest jobs go up on Instagram.
- Coverage
- Nationwide across the UK
- Notable projects
- Newcastle Airport · Restaurant interiors in Telford · Private homes across Manchester and Cheshire
- Direct line
- 07857 626215
- advenetiandesign@gmail.com
- Also offering
- Rendering & standard skimming
- Follow the work
- @venetianplasterdesign