We’re proud to be co-hosting an interior earthen plaster workshop by adobe masters Kurt Gardella and Ben Loescher. The workshop will take place at the home of John Zapf and will thus be your chance to meet the architect of our chicken run and yet to be built man cave. Here’s the info on the workshop–hope to see some of you there:
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014, 9am to 5pm
Location: The class will be conducted in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles and will be hosted by John Zapf and Root Simple. Coffee and nibbles will be provided at the beginning of the day; lunch is included.
Workshop Description: Earthen plasters are a great way to finish just about any wall substrate in the home. They create a soft, breathable final plaster layer which regulates humidity, odors and sounds like no other wall finish can. This May, Kurt Gardella returns to California for a one-day intensive workshop to teach you how to finish your existing wall substrate (red brick, poured concrete, concrete block, drywall, old plaster finishes) with an earthen plaster mix using affordable, off-the-shelf bagged clays and sands. Attendees will leave the class with the knowledge necessary to finish their own walls using inexpensive materials that can be easily found at any pottery supply store. The class is suitable for homeowners, building professionals and do-it-your-selfers. No prior experience is necessary.
Topics Include:
- clay sourcing, testing and preparation (bagged clay screening & soaking)
- sand sourcing, testing and preparation (bagged silica sand screening)
- importance of aggregate grain variation in plasters
- finish coat straw selection and preparation (fine chop)
- finish plaster tool overview and usage
- strength additive overview, preparation and mixing (wheat paste)
- earthen plaster finish coat mixing, application with hawk and trowel
- earthen plaster finish coat surface finishing techniques (sponge, hard metal trowel, plastic trowel)
Instruction Type: This is a hands-on class. Attendees will have the opportunity to get dirty and use tools and equipment typical of earthen finishing. Due to the course format, enrollment will be limited to 10 individuals. Instruction will occur primarily indoors.
Instructors: Kurt Gardella teaches adobe construction at Santa Fe Community College, is Director of Education for Adobe in Action, and is certified as an earth-building specialist by the German Dachverband Lehm. Ben Loescher is a licensed architect, founder of adobeisnotsoftware and principal of golem|la, an architecture firm specializing in adobe construction.
Registration: $50 per person (click here to pre-register online)
Questions: Please do not hesitate to contact Ben by email at [email protected] or by phone at (760) 820-5326.