Category

Clay Plaster

Mar 09
Love0

Japanese Plasterwork: History of Plaster Craft in Japan

By Video, Clay Plaster, Japan

I’m a big sucker for the series Begin Japanology / Japanology Plus. It’s a long-running TV series that dives into specific aspects of Japanese culture, hosted by the mild-mannered Peter Barakan. The premise and delivery are very simple, and there’s an episode for seemingly everything Japanese.

Recently, an episode devoted to Japanese plastering was released. It’s an informative, inspiring look at the history of plastering craft, and some of the newer work being done today.

One word: storehouses. Check it out!  

Feb 26
Love12
sugita kogyo jigane trowel

Making a Forged Plaster Trowel with Sugita-san

By Japan, Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster

Now that the episode of “Who Wants to Come to Japan?” (世界ニッポン行きたい人応援団) has aired, I can talk about my experience during the filming week. The first thing I want to share about is my visit to the Sugita family, a very generous family who run a top quality trowel business. Started by Sugita-san senior, the business (Sugita Kogyo) is a small operation and is now mostly handled by the son. During my two day visit, I had the privilege of observing Sugita-san’s process for making a hand-forged jigane trowel.

Plaster, trowel, and tool geeks — read on.

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Jan 11
Love8
kurashiki canal street

Beautiful Japanese Storehouses in Kurashiki

By Clay Plaster, Carpentry, Lime Plaster, Japan

kurashiki canal street

I’m back home from Japan. I can think of no better word to describe the trip than ‘whirlwind’. It was very full and varied, and it’s taken me over a week to feel settled back into home life and routine. (The jet lag on the way there was almost nonexistent, but it hit me like a sack o’ potatoes on the return trip.)

It’s hard to summarize such a long trip, so I won’t really try. I’ll say this, though — I definitely want to return, and plan on it at some point. My goal right now is to document some of my trip highlights in a series of blog posts. I can’t share much about the first week (yet), so things will have to be out of chronological order. Not that it matters.

Enough jabbering, let’s get on to the good stuff. Here are some pretty pictures of clay walls and kura (storehouses) in the lovely city of Kurashiki, a small historic city I loved exploring.

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Nov 14
Love6
clay manure plaster finish: straw bale house

Essential Natural Plasters: My New Favorite Book for Plastering

By Resources, Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster

essential natural plasters book reviewThe world of natural plasters runs deep. Despite the seeming simplicity of plaster, there’s a lot of depth to explore. Materials, recipes, tools, and application can vary widely from project to project, person to person, and place to place. Although there are some good resources on the subject, there haven’t been a lot of in-depth publications focused on plastering in North America specifically.

Luckily, that’s changed with the release of Essential Natural Plasters. This is easily my new favorite resource for natural plaster recipes and techniques. The authors Michael Henry and Tina Therrien (and a host of contributors) shine a bright light on the sometimes mysterious subject of clay and lime finishes.

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May 08
Love3

Finished Home with Earthen Floor and Clay Plaster

By Clay Plaster, Earthen Floor, Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster
clay plaster faswall block home

A white clay plaster finish meets the earthen floor made with site soil

This winter, I had the chance to revisit a home that I worked on last spring. The homeowners have moved in and it was very sweet to see the house in a finished state. It’s a great feeling to contribute work and then see everything tied together in the end. The finished look is great — the earthen floor looks smooth and feels soft on the feet and the clay plastered walls add brightness and texture. Look ahead to see more pictures.

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Apr 11
Love13
benito: polished clay plaster

Polished Clay Plaster How-To Video

By Resources, Video, Clay Plaster

Did you know that you can polish clay plaster so that it has a reflective mirror finish? It looks spectacular, and Benito Steen (son of Athena and Bill Steen, straw bale experts of the southwest) has a new video describing his process for achieving the effect. Benito has done a great job describing the process in clear, simple term. The video is beautiful to watch, too.

Check it out above and learn for yourself how to make a polished clay plaster finish with very simple ingredients. Hope to see more videos like this soon!

Mar 03
Love5
Clay Plaster Benefits

The Unique & Beneficial Properties of Clay Plaster

By Clay Plaster, Straw Bale Building, Light Clay Straw, Cob Building
Clay Plaster Benefits

Clay plaster base coat application in process

Clay soil is one of the most ancient, rudimentary, yet effective building materials on the planet. Besides being naturally abundant across much of the earth, clay has unique properties that make it not only suitable but very desirable as a natural building material. Clay is used for the production of fired brick, sun-baked adobes, cob, and natural plaster finishes.

In this very basic introduction to clay soil, I will highlight some of the unique water-loving features and other useful attributes of clay when it’s used as a natural building material, particularly as a plaster finish.

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Oct 11
Love1

Clay Plaster in Japan: Inspiring Video Documentary

By Video, Clay Plaster, Resources

I was excited to find this video documentary about Japanese clay plaster as it’s currently being practiced by sakan (a.k.a., traditional plasterers). From what I gather, clay plaster is a niche craft in Japan, but the tradition has been unbroken for hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s not practiced as widely as it once was, yet the quality of the work that is done is exceptional. It’s serious business, and absolutely beautiful and inspiring too.
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Sep 27
Love1

2017 Natural Building Essentials Workshop Photos

By Cob Building, Natural Building Workshops, Cob Oven, Clay Plaster, Photos

cob stomping mixing

We recently wrapped up our September Natural Building Essentials Workshop. Fourteen folks came out to participate, traveling from Texas, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, and beyond. It was an enjoyable ephemeral community for the week — everyone was eager to jump in the mud and help out. I enjoy this workshop format because it’s a chance to spend some quality time with the basic building blocks of a natural home — clay, sand, and straw.

Read ahead to view a photo gallery of the workshop!

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