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Hawk-n-Trowel - Index

Hawk-n-Trowel - Hawk & Trowel - Index

The metallic-style fi nish on these walls was achieved by applying a VOC-free glaze containing mica over a textural primer and a textural tinted base.
Photo courtesy of Stonelace Designs
and act almost like stone rebar.” Other
materials she and Hudak use in their
plasters include sawdust, rice chaff , and
coconut fi bers.
Durability and endurance
“One of the main issues with
plasters is what happens when there is
a ding in the wall,” says Yanai. “You
normally see the repair in all other
plasters, but when you work with earth
plasters there are techniques to do a
touch-up fl awlessly.” She dismisses the
concern that earth plasters are too easily
marred. “Even though earth plaster is
softer than gypsum, it’s not softer than
joint compound,” she says. “If your
child throws a toy against a sheetrockand-joint-compound
wall, it will injure
exactly the same as the earth plaster, if
not more. It may need a bit more force if
you have gypsum-based plaster, but once
the wall is dinged there’s no way you can
repair it successfully.”
“Another thing to consider would
20 ◆ www.Hawk-n-Trowel.com ◆ Spring 2008
be the life cycle, or how long it’s going
to stay up and how often you’re going to
redo them over the life of the building,”
says Nurit Regev of TexSton Industries
in Canoga Park, Calif. “Th e lime-putty
plasters last the longest. Th ey have quite
a long lifespan — much longer than
most buildings are up in this country,
unfortunately.”
Yanai places the lifespan of earth
plasters on par with lime plasters, saying
that both kinds “will last forever.”
Another kind of green
Last but not least, is there a
cost penalty for using the most
environmentally friendly plasters?
Again, it depends on how you look at it.
First, there is no need for special tools.
Second, ease of application may reduce
labor costs. “Technique-wise, I would
say earth plasters are the easiest,” says
Yanai. “When I teach contractors, they
can’t believe it’s so easy. It’s a lighter
material, so you don’t have to carry as
much on your hawk. It’s much more
pliable, and it doesn’t have the crazy
setup time.”
As for product costs, Baumgartel
says lime-based plasters are the same
price or maybe cost a little more than
her clay plasters. Natural gypsum
plasters cost somewhat less, but additives
increase costs. Yanai says synthetic
plaster costs less than earth or lime, but
won’t last as long. “Th e whole idea of
a green building is to think of the big
picture,” she notes.
Dealing with waste, or the lack of
it, is part of that picture. “Contractors
know that when they work with gypsum
plaster, some of it is going to dry too
fast, and they’re going to have to throw
it away, so they calculate that into the
bid,” says Yanai. “When you use earthbased
plaster, there is no waste. If it falls
off your hawk, you either pick it up and
reuse it, or you can let it dry on the fl oor
and crumble it back into your bucket the
next day.” ◆