http://www.Hawk-n-Trowel.com

Hawk-n-Trowel - Index

Hawk-n-Trowel - Hawk & Trowel - Index

project was plaster over metal. “We did
some of the plaster over masonry, but
the bulk was over self-furring paperback
metal lath over metal studs and
DensGlass sheathing as the substrate,”
says Gibson.
For most companies, the job would
have required several dozen workers. But
Gibson used highly skilled mechanics
and machine-applied the plaster. “What
makes this job unique is that the crew
consisted of only 23 men,” says Gibson.
“We employed 16 people on the plaster
crew — 10 plasterers, three apprentices,
two laborers and a supervisor. We also
had fi ve lathers, their supervisor, and a
project manager.”
Gibson identifi es the pump and
the skill of his mechanics as key factors
in keeping the size of his crew small.
“Without the use of a pump it would
have been 50 to 60 people,” he says.
“Everything we achieve is by using the
pumps and machine-applying the job,
and this is what resulted in our total
success. We took it straight from the
ground to the 16th fl oor, putting a batch
of plaster on the wall every three and a
half to four minutes.”
He notes that the pump saved
workers from having to use the elevator
to haul plaster to the high fl oors.
“Without a pump, laborers would
have had to use the elevator to carry
the plaster up through 16 fl oors of the
building. Running it up the elevator
would have taken forever,” says Gibson.
“So we attached the hose to the scaff old
and sent the plaster up the building.” In
all, Gibson used 600 feet of hose that
traveled 170 feet up the building.
“Th e whole key to the success of any
large plaster job is machine application,”
says Gibson. “If we didn’t have a pump,
the plasterers would have had to put
the plaster on the wall by hand. It’s like
going out in the woods with an axe
instead of a chain saw.”
Left: After a pass by the nozzleman, a plasterer
uses a feather edge to smooth the base coat.
Below: Patching a hole while standing on
a scaff old brace.
The value of
craftsmanship
Gibson points to craftsmanship as
critical to his success with plastering.
“We teach both lathing and plastering
to our apprentices so they can do both,”
says Gibson. “Becoming a journeyman
takes four years.”
Craftsmen are hard to fi nd, which
limits the size of his company, he says.
“Th e construction industry is in a crisis
situation in fi nding craftsmen. It’s hard
to fi nd a good plumber or mason. People
are not getting into the trades like they
did years ago.”
In fi nding raw talent for training,
Spring 2008 ◆ www.Hawk-n-Trowel.com ◆ 23