Plasterer's daily routine and work procedure

As a stucco worker most of your work takes place on the building itself where the stucco must be. Only preparatory work is done in the workshop. This means you must both be able to plan in peace and perform precisely on a construction site where conditions are rarely perfect.

§It starts with measuring

Before you shape anything, you must understand the space. You measure up, record where cornices and rosettes should go, and check if walls and ceilings are square. When restoring, you draw and measure the existing profile so the new one fits exactly.

§Two main methods: drawing and casting

Stucco can be made in two basic ways. By drawing you guide a template along a soft mass so the profile is drawn out. By casting you pour or press mass into a mould and let it harden before you remove the piece. Straight profiles like cornices are often drawn on site, while repeated details like rosettes and figures are typically cast.

Pulling cornice

With a drawn cornice, you first make a template that has the profile's shape as a negative. You guide the template along a batten while filling fresh mass in several passes. Bit by bit the profile emerges until it is filled completely and smooth.

Casting of repeated details

If you need many identical pieces you make a mould from a model. Once the mould is ready you can cast the same element again and again. This saves time and ensures that all pieces are the same.

§Setup on site

When the pieces are ready, they're set up on ceiling or wall. You ensure good adhesion, fill joints and fine-tune so transitions can't be seen. A good installation job is known by the fact that you can't see where one piece ends and the next begins.

“A successful piece of stucco goes unnoticed. It just looks like it's always been there.”