Plaster construction has existed in various forms since 7500 B.C.E., when ancient peoples in modern-day Jordan used a crushed limestone plaster to cover walls, floors, and other large surfaces in their homes. The Ancient Egyptians used a gypsum-based plaster to create a paintable surface on the interior of tombs, and in Ancient China, plaster was used to create a smooth finish on walls made of rough stone or brick.
As plasterwork developed, more refined and elegant techniques emerged. This gave plasterwork an artisan- or craft-status. Such techniques included marmorino (the direct application of plaster to masonry), scratchwork (two layers of contrasting plaster are applied, then the top layer is scratched away to create designs) and a variety of techniques for blending the plaster with pigments in-order-to imitate marble. In this way, plasterwork developed from a practical, almost primitive, construction technique into an expressive, artistic craft. Until recently, interior finishing was a highly skilled trade, requiring artisans to mix and match a wide-variety of techniques to create textures, colors, and custom designs.