Modern Plastering Tools

By  Brent Murdoch

Plastering has been around for thousands of years and was skillfully mastered as early as the ancient times. The process and procedure has remained generally the same and the raw materials used today have no great differences from the ones that were used back then. Probably the biggest innovations are in the plastering tools themselves that were blunt and flat rocks in the past, but have now been replaced largely by automated plastering hand tools and machines.
Most of these innovations are invented by expert plasterers themselves who aim to create a tool that will allow them to get the job done faster and with greater ease than using traditional hand tools. From automatic trowels to extendable handles, automatic tapers and corner rollers, even pumps, boxes, laser measuring devices and many others have vastly evolved from their early predecessors.
In the midst of all these innovations, there are noted advantages and disadvantages that are quite evident in the outcome and final appearance of the plasterwork.
Advantages

• Ease of Use - Although most of the essential plastering tools are fairly basic and already intuitive and easy to use, innovations have been made to further simplify their use. This enables the plasterers to maneuver easily in hard to reach areas, as well eliminating the use of ladders when measuring distances by using such equipment as laser measuring devices.
• Faster work time - With equipment so easy to use, the time to finish a specific job is often cut down dramatically, allowing workers to do more in a smaller amount of time. This is beneficial to both workers and employers as speed and quality of work can be both maximized for an increase in overall efficiency.
• Better output quality - With state of the art equipment, the risk of human errors and miscalculations will be significantly diminished thereby leaving a very elegant finish with top quality workmanship.
• Cheaper over all cost - Taken into consideration the overall cost of the materials that are used to finish an entire project with less errors and less wasted materials, due to precision mixing and measuring, one can easily see the increase in savings.

Disadvantages

• Breakdowns - All automated and electronic devices are bound to break down at one time or another. When this happens, a delay on finishing the job could prove costly and might cause a domino effect on all the pending jobs on hold. Unlike the basic plastering tools and equipments, which are usually simple one piece manual tools which when damaged can easily be replaced.
• Loss of Art - It said that manual labor enhances the expertise and attention to detail of an individual. Some people may say that plastering was more of an art form in ancient times, with plasterers produce magnificent work of arts. Being too dependent on automated tools may deter the creative mind and cause loss of interest in the art of plastering.
• Life span of plasters - The modernization of raw materials and equipment in plastering can significantly shorten the life span of the finished project. This is due to the fact that chemicals and additives are most likely the main ingredients on most of the plasters used nowadays. This is evident when we see plaster peeling off within just years of being finished in modern buildings, compared to the wonderful plaster works on old churches, castles, and mansions that were made hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

Innovations when abused and not used properly will still provide less than satisfactory results. Modern plastering tools and equipments are made to increase efficiency and lower labor and material costs, whether we use it to our advantage or not is completely at our discretion. Much of this depends on the skill level and work ethic of the plasterer. In the hands of an expert plasterer, modern tools and high grade materials will provide the ability to create works that rival the detail and durability of the ancient classics, but with half the completion time.

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