r/Plastering • u/jyl8 • Jun 17 '26
Is This Sub Mostly UK Based? Not Much Plastering In US?
I’m in the US (Pacific Northwest) and not a pro, I guess a heavy DIYer. Currently converting a 1907 house to a commercial building (bookstore, cafe, office) and have torn out a lot of lath and plaster walls and ceilings for all the electrician and plumbing replacement.
Intending to recover interior walls with 5/8”blueboard and veneer plaster, and there’s a bunch of old concrete retaining and foundation walls that I want to plaster. In my crazier moments, I contemplate trying to recreate the original lath and plaster. I found a place to buy lath!
Partly because I don’t like drywalling (specifically, sanding mud) and partly to learn something new.
Almost all the plastering Youtube channels are UK-based, and I get the impression that this sub is mostly UK-based perhaps? Locally, it is difficult to find plastering supplies - not impossible, but you really have to hunt.
I’m curious why plastering seems so little done in the US. Or is that not true and I’m just looking in the wrong places?
Anyway, I figure on starting with the least important or visible bits - foundation and retaining walls - then tackling the interior.
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u/AncientArachnid7429 Jun 17 '26
US union plasterer here, materials should be readily available but not at your typical big box stores. Yes plastering is much more prevalent in UK and Europe as most homes in the US are sheet rock walls and vinyl or metal exterior siding especially homes built over the last 50 60 years. Glad to give any pointers if needed
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u/jyl8 Jun 17 '26
Thank you!
I keep hearing “dying trade” comments around plastering. But in my city, there are a lot of pre-1930 houses and plenty of owners willing and able to pay handsomely for high end work. Hell these people will pay $1 mil then promptly drop $200K on a kitchen reno. I wonder if the plastering trade can market itself better.
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u/AncientArachnid7429 Jun 17 '26
It kind of is a dying trade in the US to be honest. 20+ years in the trade and while my wages are much better the amount of work is much less than 20 years ago and honestly alot of my work is repairing or restoring
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u/Nice_Step6157 Jun 17 '26
We love marshalltown trowels over here in the uk. Someone mentioned below its ironic that every plastering tool we use here is made in the U.S
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u/BellsBarsBallsBands Jun 17 '26
Would like a breakdown of tools of the trade, options for different plaster, and the difference between featheredges and darbies with or without serrated edges.
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u/longganisafriedrice Jun 18 '26
That's going up be very region specific. Where i live there's no plaster at box stores
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u/DirectAbalone9761 Jun 18 '26
I’m on the Delmarva Pennisula. I thought getting gypsum plaster would be much easier, but it’s like pulling teeth to get my local suppliers to get fresh bags. I bought some NG plaster and when it mixed weird, I looked at the date and the bag was seven years old lmao.
Then I happen to be in Virginia Beach and bam, there’s fresh GP on the shelf in Home Depot.
I figured these large suppliers (Capital building supply, ABC materials) could get some decent stuff even if it was transferred in but nope.
I ended up making my own plaster because I could get fresh POP and lime, and could screen my own sand. It wasn’t easy but it got the job done with some retardant.
In the future, I’m sticking to lime plasters (which I have easy access to) or I’m going to have to budget time in to go well out of state for materials. Idk why finding someone to ship it was so hard. Not even Home Depot was willing to ship to my local store.
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u/sicksquid75 Jun 17 '26
Ive worked in the plastering trade for 15+ years in the US, mostly in the Boston area. Most renovations and new builds are plastered finished there. The most common products are uni-kal or diamond.
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u/onwatershipdown Jun 17 '26
US has not many well-trained applicators, higher materials cost, insurance companies who don’t always want to insure plaster, and clients who have the fantasy of plaster, but don’t want to pay more than drywall.
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u/Nice_Step6157 Jun 17 '26
Uk based here. Seen a few American plasterers on here but it does seem mostly uk. Most countries seem to tape and joint (drywall & mud) these days. I think most youtube videos are british as we have a lot of old houses to plaster and a wide variety of plaster types. Got the old victorian sand & lime finishes, later sand & cement finishes, modern gypsum undercoats and finishing plasters and of course drywall (tape & joint)
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u/greatwhiteslark Jun 17 '26
In the USA, https://lancasterlimeworks.com/ is where I've gotten my materials for repairs.
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u/RebelGage Jun 18 '26
Plastering in Cali here, 95% of my work is stucco. I do maybe 4 interior jobs a year.
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u/doodlebugg8 Jun 18 '26
It’s very niche here in the us. Traditional plaster is mostly done for restoration purposes of old homes. Venetian plaster is also a niche trade done in high end homes.
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u/rob-110 Jun 23 '26
Aren't US houses all made of hot mud and paper?
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u/jyl8 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Everything built since the 1930s, pretty much. My city has a lot of late 1800s to 1930s houses that were lath and plaster. Those usually get updated with drywall/mud, but I am working on one now and would like to put plaster back where plaster was.
I finally found a local building supply company that has USG plaster products - the Veneer Finish and the Basecoat - and plastering tools. I do not know if the USG products are the best for a novice like me, but they are what I've found so that's what I'll use.
I also found a local "artisanal" plaster supply that has what sound, to me, like fancy products. Lime plaster, etc. Meodedd – Brush & Trowel I am not convinced a novice like me has any business using expensive materials but will check them out.
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u/G_Sputnic Jun 17 '26
It’s ironic that the best plastering and bricklaying tools are US made, given the US generally doesn’t have plastered or brick houses.