Welcome to the second edition for the new year. Relax and see if you find something interesting here!

Features:

--- plaster or drywall

--- what will you be when you grow up?

--- resources for your special Valentine

--- texturing DVD

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1. Plaster vs Drywall - what's the difference and why it can be important

Plaster is an old, old product, going back many centuries to the early days of western civilization. Gypsum plaster has even been discovered in the tombs of ancient Egypt. Plaster was common in the Greek and Roman Empires. And it was not unknown in the empires of the East.

So what is it that makes plaster so useful to civilized man?

Plastering provides a practical system for creating beautiful interior ceiling and wall surfaces, that can be left smooth ... or textured in a wide variety of styles and looks. They can be decorated with solid colors or be covered with gorgeous murals where the artist can show his stuff. Michelangelo painted his famous frescoes on newly applied plaster ceilings.

In short, plaster is gorgeous stuff. And it's basic natural components, lime and gypsum, cement and sand, are abundant across the world and easily accessed. It doesn't take elaborate tools to apply it. It does require some time for a person to develop the skills to do it well, but many people are quite capable of learning how to plaster.

In Europe and the United States, most traditional interior plaster is either based on a slaked lime component or on commercially prepared gypsum plaster products. The first is the old fashioned way, not done much anymore - at least in the US. It is more labor intensive than gypsum plaster systems and requires a long curing time after application.

Gypsum plaster is what I normally encounter in my own jobs here on the west coast of the US. I work in houses as old as a hundred years or more - not old at all by European standards, of course - but old enough to require lots of fix-up attention.

All plaster systems require a substrate of some kind - in other words, some kind of backing to take the plaster and hold it in place. That can be stone, cinder block, brick, wood lath, rock lath, wire mesh or expanded metal, or some variety of plasterboard - a drywall product with a special paper so the plaster will stick well.

In old (US) houses and commercial buildings, I most frequently encounter decrepit plaster over wood lath. This is not a terrific system for a variety of reasons, and so plaster over wood lath usually gives the homeowner lots of grief. I really like working over old plaster of this sort, because with a relatively modest amount of time and materials, I can make it gorgeous once again.

Contrary to the way most people think of it, drywall is also a plaster product. It's basically a plaster sandwich. But instead of applying plaster wet and sloppy directly to the wall or ceiling, troweling it out and leveling it with two or three coats, with drywall you apply the plaster already preformed and hardened into sheets.

Putting up and finishing drywall goes a little faster than plastering does, and so it costs less.. That is why it is used more in the US and some other places - economy rules. But for myself, if I were having a new house built, I would go with veneer plaster, even though it costs more.

Does plaster have advantages over drywall? It certainly does. Despite the increased cost, gypsum plaster is basically a tougher product. It handles abuse better than drywall because it is harder. If the plasterboard seams are treated properly before plastering, plaster is also more resistent to cracking than drywall, I believe.

For the homeowner with little or no experience in plastering, using gypsum plaster to repair plaster doesn't make a lot of sense. As a repair material, it is more difficult to utilize than drywall finishing materials. Yes, when I say this, I am going to get flack from plasterers. But I am drawing on my experience - I have been hired by plasterers to come in and blend their plaster patching so it doesn't show.

The main problem is this. When you repair plaster, you are usually working over a painted surface. New plaster won't stick to old painted plaster unless you first paint on a bonding agent. That in itself is no big deal. As a matter of fact, I sometimes do that even when I use hot mud to patch, for extra insurance. But it is hard to feather out the plaster on the edges of a patch. Drywall mud works better here. You can sand it and otherwise fuss with it to get what you want.

If you have to do extensive patching on a wall or ceiling, or you are skim coating over an area to hide the old texture, you will end up with a softer surface when you are done- using drywall compound. If you are really concerned about that, you would be better off to hire a plasterer to come in. He will paint on the bonding agent, fiberglass tape all cracks, and apply gypsum veneer all the way around.

Still, though drywall and its finishing materials ARE softer than plaster, when you put on a good coat of PVA primer and paint it well, you do harden your wall or ceiling to the extent that it is serviceable.

Actually, there are varieties of drywall that are harder than normal, and if you are willing to pay a premium for them, you will have an advantage over standard wallboard.

Schools and other public buildings now often use the harder drywall in their construction, especially in high traffic areas like hallways. One new type of drywall has a denser core of material, so it is more dent resistent. Another has a fiberglass skin instead of paper. Some big box home improvement stores have this one.

If you think you may want to engage the services of a reputable plaster contractor, you can easily find out who in your area is available, and even get no-obligation bids from several for your project. You can do it all from the convenience of your home computer. Check out the form on this page of my website: http://www.plaster-wall-ceiling-solutions.com/plaster-contractor.html

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FOOTNOTE

And don't forget about venetian plaster. This is a speciality product, absolutely stunning, and quite a bit more expensive than regular plaster. But if your budget will stand it, another option. http://www.plaster-wall-ceiling-solutions.com/venetian-plaster.html

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2. What are you going to be when you grow up?

How many times did you get asked this question as a child? You may have had a ready answer, or maybe not. But I believe the question is still relevant at any age.

Relevant in a different form, anyway. What are you going to be (do) when you get old? Or older?

Life moves along and carries us with it. Be that as it may, We do have a lot of control over how we turn out. Decisions made - or not made - do exercise a real influence over the shape of our future lifestyles, health, etc.

Yes, and professions too. You may not think about your future profession very much, but as you age, you can find yourself thinking about retirement and whether you will ever really be able to afford a lifestyle to your liking.

Retirement too can involve a profession, in a sense. In fact, you may find that you need more income than your job pension (if you are fortunate enough to have one), savings and Social Security can provide. What then? How will you manage?

There is one option that many folks are not aware of. One thing that years of work and living give you is experience, lots of it, and very often real areas of expertise to go along with it. What do you know a lot about? Where is your expertise, your passion?

Would you like to put that to work - for the good of society - and yet earn you an income besides? Without ever leaving your home? Whether you are 35, 45 or 65, this can be your choice.

If you have an interest in shaping your future, and not simply letting the future shape you, you can take concrete steps now.

If you are willing, let me share with you something I am doing to provide for my own retirement. I think it is exciting and I hope you will read, watch and enjoy. (Look for the videos.)

http://www.plaster-wall-ceiling-solutions.com/website-builder.html

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Well, it's come around again. You know, Valentine's Day.

If you're a guy, you will probably be scrambling around again this year at the last minute looking for a gift for that special someone. By thinking ahead, you can choose more wisely perhaps and give her something really different and special. See if this will help.

http://www.abbeypress.com

And for you girlfriends or wives of that special guy, you can expand your range of ideas and get that surprise he will truly appreciate.

Here's a resource that may help. http://www.amazingclubs.com

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3. DVD report The texturing DVD that I brought out last fall has been selling well. I have kept the low price in place for now. Are you ready for texture on your project? Or maybe a friend or relative is ready to roll? If so, take a look at http://www.plaster-wall-ceiling-solutions.com/wall-texturing-techniques.html

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Well, that's enough for now. I sincerely hope that all is going well with you and your projects. May the still young new year of '07 be all you want it to be!!