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

http://www.trim-tex.com

Hawk-n-Trowel - Index

Hawk-n-Trowel - Hawk & Trowel - Index

Gibson looks for workers who are
interested in becoming a plasterer as a
career move. “My company is diff erent.
I hire people who want to make the
plastering trade their livelihood and
make a commitment for their lifetime, so
when we teach someone it’s not wasted
time.”
While encouraging his workers,
Gibson emphasizes that they can go as
far as they want in his trade. “I tell them
they can take my job,” he says. “Th e
opportunity is always available, and I
tell them, ‘If you want, go ahead and start your own company
someday.’ It’s all about how hard you want to work.”
Besides training his crew in the craft of plastering, he also
teaches excellent work habits. “Th ey take pride in their work,”
he says. “I don’t allow anyone to remain on the crew who is
going to slop up anything or leave go-backs. Th at’s why we can
do a big project like this with so few men.”
24 ◆ www.Hawk-n-Trowel.com ◆ Spring 2008
On the ground, a plaster pump does its job.
Cement vs. new materials
In recent decades, cement plaster was pushed aside in
favor of synthetic materials such as EIFS. Gibson notes
that the dominance of EIFS is beginning to give way to
old-as-dirt cement. “Our trade has been kicked around by
synthetic products,” says Gibson. “Now people are reeducating
themselves on the plastering trade. It’s been a tough 25 years
trying to teach and communicate to people that the old way is
still the best way.”
Gibson is sold on cement plaster in part because of its
durability. “Cement has been proven for thousands of years,”
he says. “If you get the right man and the right materials and
it’s put in place the right way, it will last for hundreds of years.”
However, he says, cement plaster has not been popular in
the eastern United States, except in Florida. “Th e use of stucco
was perfected in California where they got it down to a science
in the 1950s, but that didn’t carry over to the east side of the
Mississippi,” he notes. “In Florida a skim coat over block is a
typical plaster job.”
In any event, Gibson believes his success hinges on
a commitment to plastering today. “Th is is going to be a
trend,” he says. “Cement plaster (stucco) is back and being
rediscovered, and in the trade, it should never have been
substituted.”
Gibson is very interested in sharing his plaster experience
with others in the trade. “It is our duty as plasterers to pass
on any tips or information about our craft to our fellow
plasterers,” he says. “I encourage and welcome anyone who
is interested in obtaining any information regarding the
plastering trade to e-mail or call me.” ◆
J. C. Gibson Plastering Co. Inc.can be reached at (407) 654-1211
or gibsonplaster@earthlink.net.