The plastering trade has, for thousands of years, passed down the knowledge and skill of the trade from one generation to the next. Except for the inclusion of modern machinery, the way and manner plaster is applied to a wall really hasn’t changed much since before the time of Christ. The early Egyptians were among the first to lay mud over stone to provide a level or ornamented surface, which could be painted or decorated to suit the whim of the owner. The Greeks and Romans, as they did with science, engineering, mathematics and all things related to architecture, propelled the use of plaster to grandeur seldom, if ever, equaled even today. The craftsmanship and artistry of the trade was never more evident than during the Renaissance Period, where plaster ornamentation was taken to almost obscene levels.
With this grand history, why is it that some in the trade now feel they should refrain from passing down the knowledge they themselves inherited from another?
