Technique N.01 — Classico
Romanus – Classico Effect
Romanus is a professional decorative clay plaster for an authentic Classico finish: a calm, even clay surface.
Technical information
Primer for decorative plasters
Romanus – Classico Effect
How the effect is created
About the material
Clay is one of the oldest building materials and one of the healthiest. It is fully natural, acoustic and antibacterial. Its greatest strength is the way it regulates the indoor climate: clay releases moisture into the air when a room is too dry and absorbs it when the air is too humid. So the wall does not just look natural – it actively makes the room more comfortable and healthier for the people in it.
Character of the effect
Classico is a flat, calm clay finish – no pronounced texture, just soft traces of the trowel.
Application technique
- Primer for decorative plasters – apply with a roller or brush over the whole surface. Leave to dry for 6–8 hours before the first coat of Romanus.
- First coat of Romanus – apply with a Venetian trowel to the thickness of the plaster's grain. Leave to dry for 10–12 hours before the second coat.
- Second coat of Romanus – also applied with a Venetian trowel to the thickness of the grain. Two rules matter here: keep a steady pace so that no edge is left to dry for more than 5–10 minutes, which prevents visible joins and lines between sections; and keep the thickness even across the whole surface, because an even layer is what gives a uniform colour and texture once dry.
Spread the plaster gently, without leaving visible texture or irregular patterns. As with every clay plaster effect, keep refreshing the joins as you go – do not work in squares or large areas, but in passes the width of the trowel. Working this way keeps the joins invisible and leaves the dry surface even and calm, with no stray streaks or scuffs.
The second coat takes 24 hours to dry fully (at 20 °C and 75% humidity). It may take longer depending on how thickly the plaster was applied.
Please note: this is a natural product and it is very sensitive to water – contact with water can change its colour.
Protecting the plaster
We do not recommend sealing this product.
You are applying a material that breathes, is natural and regulates the room's climate. Closing it under a sealer defeats the reason for choosing an ecological material in the first place. We want the wall to breathe and the clay to balance humidity freely.
There is a very practical side to this too: if an unsealed wall is damaged, a section can be repaired (especially in light colours). Once a wall is sealed, a repair means sanding off the whole sealer coat with a dust-extracting sander – a costly job that many contractors are reluctant to take on.