Our shed (in Switzerland) has an outdoor wall that is finished with plaster texture called crépi here which Google translates as roughcast. The plasterer here says it is impossible to replicate today. We have added to the building and would very much like to put the same texture on the new walls.
Does anyone recognize this finish and know how to achieve it and what tool is needed? The plasterer refers to it as style papillon or butterfly style if that helps.
I just got an answer by email from the owner of a company in France that specializes in artisanal plaster work. He recognizes it as a very thin lime-plaster that was applied with a bundle of leaves like these:
with a whipping motion. He calls this type of finish an enduit fouetté which translates as whipped lime-plaster. He suggests that we mix a very thin lime plaster and use a bundle made of olive leaves to achieve this finish.
Here is a pretty good explanation of how these enduits fouettés are prepared and applied (including some videos). I don't see my exact pattern, but some of them come pretty close.
Most stucco/plaster patterns/textures aren't/weren't created by any particular tools but rather by incredibly highly skilled craftsmen. In other words, the pattern was created via decades of experience and skills rather than a particular tool.
We have a stucco house and over the years I've talked to a few contractors and they all said the same thing...good luck finding anyone still alive that knows the particular texture we have on our house.
I eventually had to patch part of it myself. Fortunately, it's on the side of the house few people see. ;)
That said, here's an idea:
You can purchase silicone mold forming material (often used for replicating architectural plaster mouldings and ornamentation). You could purchase some of that and make a cast of maybe a 2'x2' area. Once the mold form is created, patch the area you need to patch with a sloppy-ish mix of stucco. Apply the mold on top of that, let sit, then remove.
It's a long shot, but maybe any option.
Barring all of that, get some plywood, get some stucco, and start practicing. See if you can replicate it.
I'm almost confused more by the latest image, as in this one, the middle section is so much larger than the size of the ring around it. And my first guess of it being done with a bag are right out, due to the scale.
So, assuming that the dark sections are the highs, and not the lows, I'm going to guess that even if it's not the right thing, you might be able to get a similar texture with something similar to a yarn mop ... but the thing is, you need it to have a series of knots or tangles in the middle, and then the rest of the yarn ... I think you'd almost want it to come out and be tied back, so the ends aren't loose.
You might also have to experiment with types of string, as wool yarn might be too absorbant, and have problems trying to use it repeatedly as a stamp.
