At Disneyland and in the big Las Vegas theme hotels, there are six-foot-tall
"statues" of Mickey Mouse, Greek gods and goddesses frolicking by a fountain
and more.
Did you know that those great replicas are made of plaster? This is just
one of many types of projects that a plasterer might specialize in.
Thomas Battersby's favorite project was working with his dad to restore
the ornamental plaster on the Majestic Theater in San Antonio, Texas. This
project was particularly special because Battersby's grandfather, also a plasterer,
worked on the theater when it was built in 1928.
"Then in 1989, my dad and I worked together to do the restoration. Most
of these old atmospheric theaters are gone now."
Battersby's career began when he was a teenager. "I started helping my
dad and my grandfather in 1966. At first, I was a laborer, then I moved up
to be a plaster tender. That is someone who mixes the mud," he says.
"Later, I did my apprenticeship through a union program and I became a
plasterer myself. Plasterers have always made decent wages for construction
work, but it is hard work and it is messy work. That's part of the deal."
When the union closed its doors in the late '70s, Battersby decided to
go into business for himself.
Since Battersby specializes in ornamental work, much of what he does involves
restoring old buildings. Doing ornamental work presents its own unique rewards
and challenges.
First, it is creative work. Each project is different and each project
requires a different approach. Some people claim that ornamental plastering
is a dying art. The old masters who specialized in this work in the 1920s
are not around anymore, and it is difficult to find teachers or even written
material explaining the techniques.
Plus, since ornamental casting is both time-consuming and costly, ornamental
plastering is beyond many budgets.
"Since there's not a lot of work for ornamental plasters in this part of
the country, I can't keep an apprentice or an employee. By the time I get
one trained, the work will fall off and they will go somewhere else," he says.
"I have to train people over and over. Right now I have a university student
who is helping me on weekends."
Battersby spends some of his days in the field and others in the shop.
When he works on a project, he first goes to the site and tries to detach
an ornament that he can take back to the shop and use as a guide. "I detail
it and then I make a rubber mold. Next, I cast the piece, then I take the
piece to the site and install it. Occasionally I make a mold on the site."
On occasions when Battersby can't detach a piece of ornament, he has to
make the mold from scratch.
If you are interested in becoming a plasterer, Battersby recommends that
you understand what you are getting into.
"It's hard work. But if you are interested, the most important thing is
to find a qualified teacher and pay attention to the quality of his work.
It's very important that you learn to do good work and that you pay attention
to detail. When you are finished with a project, you want to be able to 'print
your name on it' and be proud of what you have done."
Reggie Bullard operates his own plastering business in Falls Church, Virginia.
He became interested in the occupation at age 17 when a stranger came up and
asked if he would be interested in learning to plaster.
"I was tall and I could reach high places. That's important. And when I
saw some good plasterers working, I thought that plaster was a beautiful material,
so I wanted to work at it."
Bullard worked for plasterers while he was taking his apprenticeship. He
later opened his own business as a self-employed contractor.
"We stay busy. I like it a lot. It's not work for 'wussy' people. We have
to carry around 100-pound bags. We work really hard and we get dirty."
Bullard has five employees. Some are plasterers and some are laborers.
A typical day starts early and ends late. "I get up early. I fax invoices,
do paperwork. I usually get to the site by 7:30. I work all day doing whatever
has to be done. I work on the truck. Maybe I build scaffolds.
"Right now we are busy fixing holes in walls in occupied houses. At the
day's end, I go home and do more paperwork and bookkeeping. There is a lot
of paperwork and forms to be filled out for the government."
Dealing with contractors and struggling to get paid for work is the stressful
part of the job. "That and working in the cold. I really hate working outside
if it's cold," Bullard says.
However, the rewarding aspect is helping to keep an old tradition alive.
"At one time, there was a lot of recognition for plasterers. When you came
on the job site, the other construction trades paid you a lot of respect.
That's not so much the case now. Still, it's rewarding when you do something
that involves a lot of skill -- such as getting walls nice and straight,"
he says.
Bullard is particularly proud of the work he did at a hospital in Washington,
D.C. "We put an ornamental ring on the ceiling. It took three days and we
were paid $4,600 for doing it. I have a picture of it on my website
explaining how it was done," he says.
"If anyone is interested in becoming a plasterer, it will help if they
are big and tall and if they are not too cool to get their clothes dirty.
Being creative is good too."
Hope Cohen works with the National Plastering Industries Joint Apprenticeship
and Training Fund. "We are doing our best to attract women. We don't think
women understand the opportunities and advantages," she says.
"Women are often very attentive to detail, and that is very important for
a plasterer. Besides, plaster is a lovely substance to work with."
Ralph Westermeier is a foreman with a drywall and plastering company. He
says it's a creative occupation.
"It's an excellent trade -- a very artistic trade. Plastering is something
to be enjoyed. I like the physical challenge. And we are outside in the summer
and inside in the winter, which is also nice."
Westermeier learned the trade from his father, a master plasterer.
Since Westermeier is now a foreman, part of his job involves teaching the
trade to the young people who come to work for his employer. "They are willing
to work and they are interested in learning. I enjoy teaching them," he says.
"We all learn from one another and we function as a team."
Every day is different, depending on the type of job that the team is working
on.
"In plastering, we don't really stick to one application. We do stucco,
texturing, taping, anything you can do with a hawk and trowel. The more things
you know how to do, the more likely it is that you will always have work.
Taping means taping over cracks and joints in drywall so the paint will go
on smoothly.
"I'm also doing a little ornamental plastering at a government building.
Ornamental is the dying part of the trade. It's difficult to learn. If anyone
gets an opportunity to learn it, they should jump at the chance."
Westermeier is excited about a project that is coming up in the near future.
A museum has asked for samples of ornamental plastering that will be used
in a traveling exhibit. The exhibit is an Egyptian display with pillars and
columns. An artist has carved rock out of foam, and now the museum is looking
for a finish that is durable and flexible.
"We showed them a new product that is on the market and they were overwhelmed
by it. It is just fantastic doing work like this. It is a piece of art."
The opportunity to work with a variety of people and on a variety of projects
is one of the things that Westermeier likes about plastering. "We might be
working with artists who produce the molds, or with the figures that we have
to mold ourselves. There is such a wide variety of avenues to pursue in this
trade. You learn something every day."