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Traditional Plastering
From the earliest times until the advent of comprehensive transportation systems, plastering was always done with local materials. by Rory Brennan
There was lime plaster in early New England homes and in ancient Rome, plaster of Paris in medieval France, gypsum stone mortar in early Egypt, and earthen plaster in Native American pueblos. The better the transportation, the wider the distribution of plastering materials.
A case could be made that plastering is the oldest trade, although masons really came first, giving the plasterers something to plaster.
In the United States, traditional plastering means lime plaster. The oldest plaster for which there is evidence is in southern Turkey and Syria, and that plaster is also lime. The age of these plasters suggests that lime plaster is a great material to use, a great material to maintain and repair, and has a track record of longevity second to none.
A little history
The earliest plaster found to date was found in the Levant section of the Middle East. The area includes parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria. The plaster was applied to the houses around 12,000 B.C., which means that it predates pottery technology. While these people were still hunter-gatherers, they were plastering their houses.
