The Lost Art of Plaster Molding - We Had to Teach Ourselves

[@DaRealCalavision]

Awesome vid!! I like that you guys had fun doing that 😂

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

Thank you! we definitely enjoyed the challenge. Feels like one of those things that if when we do a second time will be twice as fast and 3x better

[@dougz31]

Very well done video, appreciate the time and effort of sharing this.

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

Thank you, and thanks for watching. We genuinely had a lot of fun doing it (once we got the mix right 😂)

[@smitcher]

In situ is great but trying to build up such a thickness with what is effectively pancake batter is always going to be difficult. The best way i've found is: Make your template fit perfectly Scan it on the computer into Photoshop and select the profile edge Expand that edge by about 3-4 mm so that it would leave too small of a moulding Cut that one out on a steel blade - a plasterers trowel will do Make a box mold on the table and build up the layers so that you make a "skeleton" for the moulding Once dry, stick that onto the ceiling and check with the modified profile that you can run it along the whole length without snagging - you can use it as a scraper blade to scrape back any high spots Then you apply your final mix on top of this skeleton and use your original profile. Since you are only applying 3-4 mm of wet onto the ceiling then you will get very little splatter

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

This is awesome and useful advice. Thank you!

[@smitcher]

@ good luck 🤞

[@nates5703]

This deserves way more upvotes. They should use that template they cut out for finishing and for feathering into the existing profile. Would have saved a lot of plaster and mess. The one trick would be getting your plaster skeleton to release from the mould. I assume you'd use glossy-faced MDF or similar here. I see from other videos that they add some sort of fibrous material (like shredded fiberglass) to add strength.

[@tanis634]

In France and Europe, a lot of plaster has been done in the past. But you can find tutorials on KZbin. The key words are: "Staffer une corniche" "trainer une moulure" "trainage de corniche" "Staff : Réalisation d'une corniche"

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

Thanks for sharing this. very much appreciated!

[@Lukasz10000000000000]

I seen some ppl do deco the "old way" but never directly on the wall/ceiling. The method was and imo is doing it on a flat surface like a table, and plaster it afterwards to the ceiling :)

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

i think that's what we'd try the next time. we went back and forth about if we were gonna do it on a bench or in place. I think the bench would have made dealing with waves in the wall a little easier!

[@Lukasz10000000000000]

@@GreenBuildingNetwork XD and made gravity a less mess factor ;) anyway great vid have fun and good luck!

[@theorozier]

Deserves more views

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

hopefully we'll get there! thanks for watching!

[@seanwilson471]

There's is company near me in England that specialise in plaster moulding exclusively in lime plaster restoration and traditional lime render. From what I have seen all the moulding is done in the workshop and then taken to site to fix in place.

[@marlinbundo2409]

Thanks for showing mistakes as well, i hope an expert can comment on what you did well vs where you can improve 😊

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

Us too! we're by no means experts and are interested in getting better. We got some nice feedback on our instagram, one of the best tips was to "screed the walls and ceilings, otherwise it's gonna look like a roller coaster. . I think when we do it next, we'll rely only on the ceiling rail and make it a little more rugged. maybe something more like a festool track so we only have to worry about pushing up rather than up and against.

[@HappyTyke25]

Hi guys. I really admire your patience, well done! it really is highly skilled job running cornice in situ and thats why its so expensive. Simply because of the time it takes and the cost of the materiials, Ive been a plasterer in the UK for over 35 years but very rarely do i do any of this kind of work these days maybe just the odd patching up job, so hats off to you for even attempting this job. It used to be taught when doing an apprenticeship to be a plasterer over here years ago, but im not sure if its still is now. Its become a seperate specialized job in itself. Maybe try adding some synthetic fibres to your mix to help bind it together a little more, it will also make it stronger, make sure theyre alkaline resistant though because of the lime content, its the same as adding horse hair to plaster like they did years ago. Best of luck with the rest of it, cant wait to see the finished job.

[@RylanceStreet]

I want to do this for some arched mouldings. Still unsure whether to try in situ or make them up on the bench and then fit to the wall.

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

for us, the hardest thing was the walls being out of plumb, followed by the corners. . If I was doing an arch, I would make a rail out of layers very think plywood on the inside of the arch!

[@josephsiegel7084]

Why not use a sponge to put some petroleum jelly on the existing plaster, then put silicone over that to make a mold, and fill the mold with the plaster mix, then stick the set plaster on section by section? It just looks like you're putting it on in the most difficult way possible. I like the recipe a lot though, and will definitely try it. You may want to touch things up with sandable gesso. Gesso, scagliola and pastiglia fall into the same sort of art sphere. No art degree needed, it's all white mud and glue. -R

[@adrianwjmnz]

Everyone makes it look so easy though! /s

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

😅😅

[@dustpan2000]

I've always wondered how they do that. Now I know to not try it myself!

[@Christopher_T_Paul]

When it comes to this type of work, there is no right or wrong way, just do what suits you best. I have a 9 bedroom 1890's house with a lot of original features, including dado, picture rails and coving. I had to make my own coving to repair and replace missing areas, but I was fortunate that I could form mine on a bench as the coving was quite robust. I made a simple wooden jig in a form that allowed me to make a 1 metre length every day, then simple to install with glue and nails. The picture and dado were wood, so I had to have special dado heads made for them so I could replicate them quickly using my router table.

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

thanks for sharing your experience with this!

[@diveinnjim]

old French plasterers would urinate into their plaster of Paris to lengthen the curing time,

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

lol that's wild. I got a haircut mid project and was thinking about my clippings instead of horse hair 😅

[@a.k.3659]

Nice. So again, how many grams is a teaspoon and how many millilitres a cup? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@olafbigandglad]

1/ - aluminum is not the best material for your former. use a fairly heavy gauge steel instead. 2/ get a trowel. those knives are stupid.

[@GreenBuildingNetwork]

thanks for sharing. the aluminum wasn't really our issue. the waves in the wall were!