Stucco

The finest and whitest type of plaster used for modeling and molding. Stucco is made of a mixture of lime (often from marble), white-marble dust, and other ingredients, which might include wax, milk and other organic substances. A versatile medium in sculpture and in architectural decoration. Stucco can be either the material cast in a mold or the material of a mold, a material to be modeled in relief, or attached to something else. It is commonly used for covering walls and floors. Like all other dusts, airborne stucco is hazardous to breathe; every user must wear an appropriate face-mask. The surface of stucco must be sealed to keep dirt from building up in its pores; often accomplished with wax, shellac or linseed oil. Stucco lustro is a type of stucco with a higher ratio of marble dust, so that it can take a polish. Scagliola is another such variant.(pr. STU-koh)Also see gesso and slip.