WT16 " Tulle off white"
TUTORIAL
The concept behind the « tulle off-white» decor
This decor is a fabric imprint, reminiscent of the world of “haute couture”, with its assembled pieces, its delicate finishes and details such as overcasting.
The textiles are deliberately placed in a flexible way, making sure to counteract the directions and give an impression of light movement.
The prints are clear, the seams are neat,
the result is a subtle, elegant and feminine decor."
Caroline Perrin
STEP 1 : Study the architects drawings and understand the layout
Study the plans/drawings to understand the number of panels, their sizes, their direction, and the overall layout.
If you have joints because the decor is made of several panels, make sure the joints are hidden behind a shelf or behind a screen or video panel.
STEP 2 : Gather the material
Stucco Veneziano white
is a masonry covering for interiors
Yield : 1,5Kg per sqm
LOCAL SOURCING – Burlap natural fiber
Pre-cut pieces about 2 or 3m long; and dust them because jute is often fall of dust and small pieces of fiber jump easily.
LOCAL SOURCING - Transparent acrylic varnish in matt finish
LOCAL SOURCING - Washable matt off-white paint in a color that matches the color card we have send ( a mix of pure white and of 9010 RAL)
STEP 3 : Order the tools
Coating knife
Clean wet clothes
Spatula
Spalter brush
Table Hoover
Tailor’s scissors
Wedge and sandpaper (120 / 240/400)
Masking tapes of different widths
(including 3mm or 5mm tapes)
Paint roller Medium-long coat
STEP 4 : Prepare the panels
1. The panels – whether in MDF, plywood or dibond - should be primed several hours before you start working. Use an acrylic primer for stucco. Make sure to remove all the dust from sanding before you apply the primer, with a vacuum cleaner and a wet cloth.
2. When the primer is fully dry (carefully respect drying times as indicated by the supplier), apply a very thin coat of white stucco on the whole panel.
3. A few hours later, when the stucco is completely dry, use sandpaper (240) to even the surface. Remove the white dust with a table hoover and finish with a slightly wet cloth.
This decor is necessarily done on flat horizontal tables. Make sure these are very stable.
STEP 5 : Prepare your drawing
Create a preparatory drawing of a jigsaw puzzle of the full dimension of the decor, having in mind how you will handle the joints.
The drawing is organic, with light curves, like the nerves of a leaf.
Indicate the pattern direction for each form. Look for variation, make sure that all forms have a different direction, so that it will play well with light.
Exemples:
STEP 6 : Drawing with masking tape
To avoid leaving pencil marks on the white stucco, we prefer to use thin masking tape and draw directly with the tape: chose 3-mm-wide masking tape and make sure your gesture remains soft and flexible.
Once you have finished drawing the lines, pick up the areas that you will start with. You must consider and organize the schedule (day 1, day 2, day 3) as you can only do the décor on one area once the adjacent shapes are completely dry. Put wider masking tape on the outside of the shapes that you will do first.
Step 7: preparing the burlap
Cut out rough shapes of burlap and place them on each shape of the pattern, checking the weft direction in relation to the desired direction and that each fabric is large enough.
Shake each canvas very vigorously. Do it outside to avoid leaving little pieces floating everywhere in the workshop.
Cut each fabric to fit the shape, keeping a margin of at least 5 cm all around. Once the fabric is in place, tape one side so that it does not move during labor.
Clean the table meticulously to remove all dust and small pieces of fabric.
STEP 8 : First imprints in stucco
Position the fabric precisely again, tape it to one side to fold it down. Dust once again before starting to coat the panel with the white stucco. Apply a coat of stucco over the entire shape. Fold the jute so that it settles gently on the stucco.
Delicately smooth the canvas by hand, starting from the centre towards the outside, so that it does not crease. Apply stucco again, this time over the canvas, following the main direction chosen for the shape. Be careful to coat the edges well. Then always scrape in the main direction, for example from left to right. Be careful, scraped stucco contains burlap dust, so it is impossible to reuse it; throw it in the trash. Once the stucco is well shaved (almost no material left on the knife), scrape in the perpendicular direction. Finish with a scrape in the main direction.
Remove the canvas in the opposite direction to the last scraping. Hold the fabric with at least 2 people, gently pull it upwards, and don't stop until the end (no breaks along the way). Put it in the trash immediately. You cannot reuse a fabric. The grid should be very clear and the pattern visible. Very small pieces of burlap may remain, they will be removed after drying.The material cannot be touched up. If the imprint is not clear everywhere, and if there are gaps, you have to scratch everything off and start again with a new piece of burlap.
Finish by removing the small green tapes of the shape we just made. Be careful to cut the ends with a small cutter, so as not to take the rest of the design away. Yellow tape is handy, and we keep it in place to signal the fresh material that has just been made. They can be removed at the end of the day or as soon as you have finished working on a similar form.
Once the textured shapes are completely dry, you can start working on an adjacent shape. Run a 240 sandpaper gently around the edges of the dry shapes. Tape the shape to be worked, flush, with a very small overlap (less than 1mm). Protect already textured areas well, to avoid damaging them.
Final step: varnish and paint
1/ Sand-paper + cutter
Use a small cutter to remove the largest fibers that dried in the stucco as well as tiny dark chunks that might be found in the stucco
2/Acrylic varnish
Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush to take off the dust from sanding. Apply a coat of varnish with a roller and cross directions.
3/ Paint
Once the varnish is fully dry (respect drying times), apply one coat of matt paint (RAL 9010) and cross directions.
Touch ups on site and hiding joints
After the panels have been installed on site, it will be necessary to fill the joints between the panels to prevent the gap line from coming out.
To do this, apply a thin coat of semlight (or equivalent), using your finger or a small plastic tool. First tape on both sides with gold tape.
NB - You may need to add a new coat of matt paint on site, if need be.