Summary
Credit: Adrien Lapointe
Chris Magwood from the Endeavour Centre in Ontario, Canada takes us on a virtual
workshop of natural plasters.
He thoroughly explains the different types of natural plasters and the way they work, where they can be sourced, what their embodied
energy is, and their advantages and disadvantages.
There is a long section explaining the composition of the most commonly used base layer -sand,
straw, and
local clay soil.
Chris also covers the importance of preparing the substrate, and describes the meshing process of transitioning from one material to another. He illustrates many of the concepts with both a straw bale substrate and a wooden lath substrate.
The DVD also covers the logistics of preparing large amounts of plaster: the mixing, transportation and application.
There is a whole section on the tools required to do natural plasters.
He covers a wide range of finishes that include pigments and protective coatings to add some weather resistance to the wall. He emphasize the fact that some natural finishes are actually very toxic.
The last section of the
video covers repairs. Chris takes us around the outside of a house where he did natural plaster 10 years ago. He shows how well the walls held up to the cold harsh Ontario winters, and where some repairs would be needed. He does a demonstration on how to repair a crack and how to match colors.
Throughout the video, we see the evolution of the interior of a strawbale construction from the raw walls to the almost finished ones.
Where to get it
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk
Plaster Science Website
Related Books and Magazines
The Natural Plaster Book
by Dan Chiras
The Natural Plaster Book thread
Related Videos
Related Threads
The Art and Science of Natural Plaster thread
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