Re: Gypsum plaster for dummies...(long)

[rob_tom@freenet.carleton.ca (Robert W. Tom)]

Nails wrote:

>I suppose I should have clarified that what I really was wishing for was a
>book on How to Plaster SB Buildings, more an artisan plaster guide.  I do
>have Van Den Branden & Hartsell's _Plastering Skills_.  It's actually a
>1984 edition, and probably was definitive 16 years ago.
>
>It's chock full of info on the "true plane" method, making everything level
>and square.  Like boring old textured drywall, which replaced it and the
>trade it represents.  It does have a few good tips, like [snip]


In defense of Van Den Branden & Hartsell's books I would steal
from the ads which say :

	"First you get good
	 Then you get fast"

except that I would change the last line to "Then you might become
an "artisan" ".

Or to put it another way, 

	"If you wanna sing the Blues
	 You gotta pay your dues"

VDB & H's books outline the basics required to provide one with a
knowledge of how to properly select, mix, apply , finish and cure
the materials necessary to achieve good plaster.

Without this knowledge, the novice plasterer is doomed to repeat
the mistakes of others ... and *many mistakes are possible.

When one has mastered the basics, then artistic innovation and
embellishment is based on an understanding of the material and its
capabilties.

In this day of Internet-Everything, it seems that there is an
expectation that one can instantly become an expert on any subject
related to building (structural engineering, architectural design,
building science, craftpersonship etc) merely by reading a few
blurbs or books here and there.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. With these "practical arts"
there is much that can only be learned by "doing" and IMO, there
is no substitute for that.

Given the above, I would suggest that if there is such a thing as 
"An Artisan's Guide to Plastering", it would more appropriately be
titled "Imitating the Work of Artisans in Plaster".

And that being said, I would suggest that books like "Spectacular
Vernacular" would provide examples of the work of people who have
developed their craft or plastering/finishes into the realm of art. 

---------- * ----------
Rob_Tom @ ncf.ca
Kanata, Ontario, Canada