For the most part plasters are for interiors only. You do have some other alternatives. If you have unlimited money to spend, look into tadlect. This is not a DIY material. I am a professional faux finisher and worked with a tadlect applicator and I decided not to do it any more. You have several other practical alternatives. You could simply have the wall parged or stuccoed. You can have pigment added to the material and it will maintain it's color. You can paint it a dark color and cover it with trellises and grow vines on it. Made sure to have some evergreen vines if it is visible from your windows in the winter. If it's a prominent feature in your garden, consider doing your own mosaic on it. You could also include a wall fountain made from the mosaic material. If you are on a tight budget, you can make the mosaic out of marble and tile scraps that people get rid of on Craig's list. If the top is really ugly, you can get slabs of stone from a stone yard cut for you, and just mortar them on yourself. Have them cut the pieces into lengths that you can pick up yourself.

If he didn't use wax...he OUGHT to be able to paint it with any good primer once he's knocked the gloss down. It worries me that whatever Lowes sold him wouldn't hold after he'd sanded... I would be tempted to try priming with one of the serious lacquer based primers...like kilz or zinzer or somesuch.

LOL ok i'm finally recovered from the weekend, which ended up being a total of three parties...sheesh we're too social. And the 500 was at our business office heh heh I think we'd have to stack them in our kitchen if we tried for that many. OK Venetian plaster 101 Iggy style....First, it's ok to be used as a kitchen surface, but I highly recommend that you do a final two coats of paste wax (this will allow you to be able to wash the walls easily...I'd actually like to see the commercial quality wax used, verses standard paste wax, but that's up to you). Ok, so for use of real (made with marble dust) venetian plaster, yes it's a great surface for kitchens. It's relatively easy to apply, but I'd suggest you practice on some spare drywalll to get your technique down. On the artsparx website there are great instructions, and be sure to invest in a couple of good plaster knifes. I don't like the larger ones myself, but instead prefer about a six inch flexible with rounded edges. Apply the plaster slowly and with great care to get a really thin later on A good first plaster layer will show lots of wall board. You should be on coat 3 before you don't see white anymore if you're doing it right. Burnish and sand between layers (after totally dry) if you end up with any bubbles or cracks (this is what happens if you have an area that gets too thick). It takes some time to finish a VP room, but when finished you won't regret the time spent. The walls will feel like silk, and you'll constantly see guests petting them (they do in my powder room all the time). You could go one step further and do a marmarmino finish if your walls are going to be close to any moisture areas (ie not protected with a backsplash in water areas). Marmarino is suitable for bathrooms and kitchens. The difference between it and VP is only that it has lime in the mixture, which repels future mold growth. It's overkill in most kitchens, but worth mentioning. I personally was using just VP in my kitchen and saving the marmarino for the bathrooms. Now onto Valspar and similar products. They're made with sillica, not marble or lime. Frankly after using the real stuff, I'd never use fake VP again. The finish is not as nice, very dull, no luster, and it's hard to apply. It gets dry on you in seconds (this is really hard to deal with when plastering). I practiced with it twice and hate it, really just hate it. Applying real VP is a moderate skill, applying that crap is an advanced skill. There are a few folks who sell VP, but I do like both the price, and the quality of the stuff on artsparx. They shipped mine up on a pallet (I was doing a whole house) and were very accomidating given my difficult location. A year later and it's still in great condition (meaning it hasn't dried up in the can which your other products will often do). Their custom color mixes are great (they'll match anything, or you can order a wheel and pick your own). And the price is quite reasonable. Don't underestimate the work involved. You need to commit to doing layers and layers of plaster, applied by hand (you get good muscles heh heh) and then sand, burnish and check every inch between coats for a quality finish. But it's not brain surgery. Slow, thin and patient and you'll have a gorgeous wall.

Looks good but imo the photos are too small. Also, I would like to see more detail on the finish.