Once cured, Bardini typically treats the plaster with natural beeswax to further protect the surface without altering its beneficial qualities. “You rub it in with these hard, semi-precious stones, pebble-like, polished stones, and that gives the plaster that polished, smooth surface.” The chemical reaction between the olive oil soap and the carbonating lime - the so-called saponification - solidifies and waterproofs the plaster. “For the tadelakt, for example, we use Marseille olive oil soap, a traditional, ancient type of soap that is made in Marseille, France,” the skilled artisan says. That’s why an additional step becomes necessary to make the finish waterproof.
Once the lime plaster dries, it begins to absorb water again. He applies the plaster with a small trowel (called a “cat’s tongue”). Other components, also all natural, can be mixed in. In Italy, the lime putty has been produced the same way for thousands of years: Earth-abundant limestone is fired in wood-burning kilns at 900 degrees Celsius for several days before it gets slaked and aged in open-air pits for a minimum of three years.Ī time-consuming, intricate process that requires the skills of a “maalem” - a tadelakt artisan: The application of Marseille olive oil soap and polishing it with small semi-precious river stones gives tadelakt its silky feel.īardini makes his tadelakt primarily from the Italian lime putty, sand - silica sand or marble sand - and water. “When you use the lime putty, it will begin to carbonate and the material itself reabsorbs all the carbon dioxide released from the burning of the limestone, so it has a very low carbon footprint.”Īnything built with lime, whether it is tadelakt or Venetian plaster or any kind of plaster made from the lime putty, is the ultimate green material. “Anything built with lime, whether it is tadelakt or Venetian plaster or any kind of plaster made from the lime putty, is the ultimate green material,” he says. Tadelakt is based on an aged lime putty Bardini imports from his home country of Italy.
He experimented with the original recipes to revive the lost art of true Venetian plaster and other traditional lime plaster finishes, including a technique called “tadelakt.” Now living and working in Salem, Massachusetts, the native Italian is one of only a handful of artisans in the United States who master the ancient tadelakt technique.
#TADELAKT PLASTER SERIES#
A rare artisan and ambassador of tadelaktĪs part of our series on Clean Building Solutions for Slow Spaces, we spoke with Fabio Bardini, who has spent many years studying original texts about different traditional lime plaster techniques.
#TADELAKT PLASTER FREE#
Traditional lime plaster, which is free of toxic compounds, slowly reabsorbs carbon dioxide from the air and is 100% recyclable. The all-natural material is antibacterial, hypoallergenic and regulates moisture - essential properties for a healthy living environment. Tadelakt, an ancient lime plaster finish, is a three-millennia-old clean building solution that originated in Morocco.
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