Transition Culture

Natural Plasters Book - Guilberth & Chiras (2004)

**The Natural Plasters Book Review - Guilberth and Chiras. New Society Publishing. (2004)**

The various techniques of natural building, strawbale, cob and so on, are well covered in a number of books, and although some of them touch on the subject of plastering, this is the first publication to focus entirely on natural plasters for natural buildings. Clearly, the plastering of a natural home requires a fundamentally different approach than conventional construction. Cement renders are out, due to their high embodied energy and to the fact that cement’s lack of breathability would make most natural materials fail. The options that remain, lime based plasters and earth based plasters, offer the benefits of breathability, durability, beauty, affordability, and require skills that are easy to learn. While the art of lime plastering has enjoyed a revival lately and many books and workshops offer this knowledge, the art of making earth plasters has all but died out in these Isles. People came to associate earth plasters with poverty and inferior durability, whereas the natural building agenda has put them firmly back on the map. One of the reviews of this book describes it as being “to mud what the Kama Sutra is to sex.� It is a wonderful book, as comprehensive as all the other natural building books published thus far by New Society Publishers. It starts with as good an overview of natural building as you’ll read anywhere, laying out the philosophy and the techniques with great clarity.

The rest of the book is basically everything you could ever want to know about natural plasters, with the main focus being on earth plasters. It covers what earth plasters are, their components, how to mix them, apply them and finish them. It also goes into natural paint finishes and making your own paints. It gives specific details on the different requirements of the various wall types in terms of plaster. Rather than being a collection of specific recipes, the authors give you the principles and encourage you to experiment to find different mixes that work for your soils. The tone throughout is encouraging and supportive, and the book is very well illustrated, including a gorgeous collection of colour plates. It also rounds off each chapter with a ‘quick recap’ which summarises anything important you might have missed (something other more dense publications might like to consider).

This book is a comprehensive guide; it left me with no outstanding questions, rather with a burning desire to get out there and get plastering. I’ve done some clay plaster work in the past, and it is lovely work, akin to giving someone a massage with oils. Although more labour intensive than industrial plasters, the numerous other advantages of natural plasters make them first choice over cement for me anytime. Beautifully presented, copiously illustrated, encouraging, supportive and richly informative, this book is a must for any natural builder’s bookshelf.