We were thrilled that our colleague, Jean Pascal Bach of Whistler Contracting, wanted to write a piece about 5StarFinishes and products. Here is the story: In 2020, I embarked on a journey into the world of micro cement, a niche yet burgeoning industry. My introduction to this fascinating field came through a partnership with Trevor […]
There are many companies around the world selling plasters and, in my experience, very few offered much help in the way of knowledge for fireplace use etc. I always found myself using thin set as basecoats or other random cement polymer based products such as EIFS basecoats and they were terrible for workability, covering over
How to Venetian or Concrete-Look Plaster your Fireplace Read More »
This is a custom built one of a kind fireplace with an extremely powerful BTU rating. The builder asked us for some advice on this fireplace as it would run too hot for most marble tiles they wanted to use. We designed and made our own custom heat resistant plaster to help create a finish
This was a challenging job as the one fireplace upstairs had huge stones and protrusions that would make it harder to cover with plaster. We designed a system of covering this fireplace using reinforced EIFS fiberglass corner beads, EIFS Mesh, a special cement and glue primer, as well as a lime and sand basecoat, cement
This is a custom fireplace using a fine marble grain and a travertine style application where we get some beautiful striations across the plaster surface. Due to the install technique we also get a lot of light and dark movement. This was a small but fun project in a custom home that has led to
There is a new system being used for fireplaces where vent kits are added to the fireplace enclosure to bring the heat up and away from the face of the fireplace and out the top of a vent located near the ceiling. There is also an option for two smaller vents to be placed on
This fireplace was to be a feature of the living room, but the client did not want the color or finish to be too overbearing. We chose a light blue gray, and an old world style plaster with a medium polish. This plaster is lime, marble powder and fine marble grains that create a much
This fireplace is a combination of 50% hydraulic lime and coarse marble, and 50% white cement and coarse marble, along with a tint additive to create the concrete color. This particular product creates little air holes in the finish, has a stamped overlay after an initial full wall application, and has a very light compression
This is an old world fireplace install in a brand new home in Coquitlam. An Old world finish usually means it is having small holes or rips in the finish exposing the layers beneath, or it can be other finishes that all have some sense of inconsistency among them. Again we were given a paint
This project was done in conjunction with a renovation company that wanted to change the hearth and brick fireplace for their clients. The clients wanted a beautiful cream color in a Travertine finish along with a charcoal matte microcement hearth. The hearth was made of slate, and the fireplace was old brick. We used Nocacolor’s
