Existing comment:
While the technique for plastering has changed since the nineteenth century, the craftsmanship involved in the process has not. Today, metal wire is nailed to the wall, then plaster is applied. In the 1830s, strips of wood or a coarse brick wall were used to create a bonding surface for the second, leveling coat, called the brown coat. The brown coat contained horse hair to provide a natural bond for the finish coat, which was made of sand, lime, and soot. When worked with a trowel, small pieces of soot were broken up to create a marbleizing effect. |