Fake surface techniques and Gilding

Yesterday I visited Mr.Luís Castro, which works in restoration, at his workshop here in Guimarães.
I already knew Mr.Luís because he was one of the artisans I covered in the chapter I wrote for the book about the House of the Lobo Machado family (currently belongs to the Comercial and Industrial Association of Guimarães). During the building restoration, he did the gildings and the paintings for the “fake surfaces”* , showing me his techniques and a few tricks. 
Next time he’s going to show me a few things about making paints with natural bases (like water, egg and oil) and also the gilding technique.

* the “fake surface” technique was used when there wasn’t any money to buy rich materials, like marble, granite or even some types of wood. On a plaster surface, a “fake” painting would be made to look exactly like the real material.