Since the first humans began to settle down as an agricultural society at the very dawn of civilization, continuing for thousands of years until the middle of the 19th century, only five mineral binders were used to create plasters and mortars.

In the past few decades, hemp has been increasingly grown as a principal material in construction.

Imagine not just applying plaster as a protective and decorative finish but as the primary material for the walls themselves.

Many plasterers make a good living with rendering skills alone. However, once mastery of rendering has been achieved, a plasterer may progress on to run molding work.

In our two previous articles, Ryan Chivers and I considered the means, methods, and materials of traditional Tadelakt in Morocco, aspects of which extend back to Roman times.

Clay is a simple word for a very complex material. 

In our previous article, Ryan Chivers and I considered the tradition of Tadelakt in Morocco that extends back for many centuries. 

Enigmatic, exotic, artisanal, rustic, seductive—just a few of the superlatives that attempt to capture the essence of Tadelakt, the plaster of Marrakech that has in recent years fascinated the imagination of the Western design world.