Getting Plastered

Sun Herald

Sunday September 9, 2007

Cyndi Tebbel

A good cast will always put on a great show.

On September 2, 1666, a fire started above a bakery in Pudding Lane, London, that supplied King Charles II. The inferno lasted five days and reduced 176 hectares of the city (more than 13,000 houses and 87 churches) to ashes. Amazingly, few people perished in the Great Fire of London and some historians believe it put an end to the Great Plague.

The disaster also resulted in new building codes for the city; when the king's brother James visited France shortly after the fire and noted the fire-resistant qualities of gypsum plaster (or plaster of Paris), it became a major element in Christopher Wren's rebuilding of the city.

Modern art

Today, plaster work is still going strong. And, while there may no longer be a plasterer in every Australian suburb, enough remain to service those seeking both period and modern internal linings. There are designs to suit a variety of abodes, from terrace houses and Art Deco apartments to Californian bungalows, inner-city warehouse conversions and waterfront mansions.

Plaster work covers both plain and decorative ceiling and wall panels as well as cornices, mouldings, domes, rings, arches, corbels, fire surrounds, pedestals, columns and vents. There's a huge range of patterns and styles to choose from: opulent flora and fauna (not to mention cherubs) as well as more streamlined profiles. The best results are achieved with designs that are sympathetic to the original building.

Design choicesPlaster showrooms are a great place to begin your search. If you can't find a style that suits it's possible to commission custom-made designs for all ceilings and wall linings, and many suppliers can replicate existing patterns that may have been damaged. While plaster is the traditional material for interior linings, some linings are now also available in timber and synthetic materials.

As with any building material, plastering should be done by a licensed tradesman. Architects and interior designers can project-manage your plastering jobs. If you're managing it yourself, ask to see examples of the plasterer's work in situ and ensure that the contract includes guarantees on workmanship. While not a lot can go wrong, beware of cost-cutting measures that may result in mistakes such as mouldings being installed upside-down.

Bill Whiddon

Cooper Brothers

Most people don't realise that ceiling and wall lining patterns are still available in styles that represent most eras.

Prior to about 1910 cornices and mouldings were run in situ, but they're now made in a mould. If you have the money, you can have any profile you desire.

Ceiling panels are typically more ornate than wall panels, which tend to be of the wainscot variety. Both are available in sheets.

Ceiling centres were not originally intended as ornamentation; during the age of gaslight in the late 1800s, plasterers designed camouflage to conceal the necessary vents to allow the fumes to escape. You can still get those styles today.

A great selection of stock is readily available - millions of patterns have been made over the years. Many have been lost so it's not uncommon for patterns to be made to order.

Some suppliers make and install using their own modellers, moulders and casters, while others use sub-contractors.

If panels or mouldings are damaged some small repairs can be done on-site, but generally you need to replace the entire panel.

The biggest mistake people make is to replace period ornamental features with modern profiles.

© 2007 Sun Herald

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