Crafty Plasterer

Back to it's former glory!

Aagaard Hanley not only manufactures new plaster products but it's team are experts in restoration. In my quest to learn more about the firm and what it does, I found a recent project which was the restoration of some old cornice which dates back 100 years.

Aagaard Hanley were subcontracted by a buliding firm working on this particular project and were on site for around 6 weeks restoring the cornicing in the entrance hall.

At the end of the project, it is clear to see the vast improvement, as the cornicing is restored back to its original state.

  The picture bottom left is the mould used to cast the new beam sections

that you can see were missing on the first picture.The beams were cast in leeds and transported to site to be fixed.

               

 

         

                                                                     

Plaster's past

I didn't know I was going to be an expert in plastering, but seeing as Aagaard Hanley is an award winning manufacturer of fibrous plaster and supplier of polished plaster and lighting products; I thought I'd better learn...

Yet, what is fibrous plaster and where does it come from?

Plaster is a relatively harmless dry powder made from gypsum rock. The mineral gypsum is commonly found. In Britain, the most frequently found type is alabaster. Gypsum is white or pale grey in colour and occurs in sedimentary beds or veins, these range in thickness from a few inches to 30 feet. Gypsum rock is fairly soft and it can be scratched with a fingernail. There are many uses for this, for example in plastic and also in food, such as baking powder. However, its uses as a building material and as a craft material are the most well known.

Gypsum plaster is not by any means a modern invention, there is evidence of it being used by the Egyptians in some of the pyramids. In Britain there are indications that shipments of plaster of Paris were being imported in Henry VIII's reign.

By studying the history of plaster and it's development over the years, it allows specialists at Aagaard Hanley to ensure that repairs on old bulidings, such as ceiling roses and cornices, turn out to the best possible standard.

Revenge of the builder

Builders have a reputation of not starting a job when they should, making a mess and charging over the odds. But is this fair? According to an article in the Sunday Times Homes supplement Builders Bite Back, builders tell a different story. Is it actually clients and homeowners who are not keeping their end of the bargain? Many job delays are actually beyond builders' control, such as bad weather, clients ordering custom made materials or being slow with decisions. Often builders are not good at communicating the way they work and this leads to misconceptions. It could well be the client who is the cause.

The ten simple rules to help you get your job done on time and stay on good terms with your builders are:

1. Give them space (clear up before they arrive)
2. Don't use their tools (especially filling the skip up) as this will cause delays
3. Make decisions quickly
4. Don't put them in the middle of differences of opinion of husband and wife
5. Don't change your mind
6. Don't ask for little extras
7. Don't hold back full payment at the end of the job only unfinished work
8. Don't be greedy and try to get 'summat for nowt'
9. Show some respect (shouldn't this be number one?)
10. Communicate what you want and show appreciation when the jobs right

It all boils down to common sense and courtesy at the end of the day!