The Perfect Earth Plaster Course

"I'm really enjoying your earth plaster course! I particularly loved it when you gouged into your wall and replastered so confidently. Brilliant!" Kim Fraser, The Hideaway Under the Stars.

Perfect Earth Plaster, and More!
Earth plaster is one of the most satisfying, useful and beautiful things I've ever learned to master. It costs next to nothing to create, and opens up a world of construction, artistic and decorative opportunities. Once you get the hang of this art, you can not only render houses, but restore ancient stone work, make earthen structures like cob ovens and chicken coops, create paints, sculpt reliefs, make wall mosaics, wattle and daub, and more. Your imagination is the limit.

I'm not going to lie though. Earth plaster can be tricky at the outset if you don't know what you're doing. Recipes often don't work because earth plaster is notoriously dependent on local climate, soil make up, and the surface you want to render.

"I started the course and I think it is guaranteed money well spent, thanks so much!" Nick R in Mexico.

Do you want to create a beautiful clay plaster from the clays around you? One thing I’m proud of in this course is that it will show you how to forage for your own clays in your surroundings, and create beautiful plaster from the dirt beneath your feet, rather than just relying on shop bought products. This Perfect Earth Plaster Course will teach you step by step how to make plaster just about anywhere, and very inexpensively. It empowers you by giving you the tools and understanding to eventually become a plaster master yourself, with some practice. In this course, I share with you my personal techniques and discoveries too.

"Very informative and good instructions in the text and videos! Absolutely helpful, thanks for putting it together." Nanda Doornik, cob oven builder in Ireland.

"We definitely found this course helpful when we plastered our sandbag wall." Luke and Kath in New Zealand.

One of the reasons for this online earth plaster course was my own experience. Back in 2011 I was stuck on a remote hill unable to buy books on earth plastering. My plaster was failing me, and I couldn't understand why. What I wouldn't have given for a decent online course!

Now I see: Teaching earth plaster works far better in a digital context than in book format. Videos are crucial for seeing exactly how plaster is mixed and applied.

Who is The Perfect Earth Plaster Course for?

1. Beginners: This course is perfect for those wanting to try their hand at plaster for the first time and play. It takes you through the entire plaster process from finding materials to maintenance.

2. Natural builders needing to plaster a house. If you're about to embark on a house rendering mission, you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration by taking this course before you start.

3. People having issues with their earth plaster. Oh I've been there! And that is why I've devoted an entire section to solving what is going wrong with your plaster.This course is not a surface skim. It gives you the nuts and bolts of plastering to help you work out why your plaster is failing, and what to do about it.

4. Creative people wanting to make beautiful things. This course will unleash a world of creative and artistic possibilities in you, many I haven't even thought of no doubt. Mosaic, sculpture, interior design, and more.

5. People who want to try and use the clays on their land. One of things I'm proud of in this course is that it will teach you how to find your own clays, test them, and build without buying in lots of ingredients.

This entire painted wall sculpture was created from clays I found on my land.

Who is The Perfect Earth Plaster Course NOT for?

Earth plaster experts and professional plasterers. If you are already an expert, this course is not going to meet your needs.

People who want to theorise and geek out on lots of extraneous details, or who want the whole history of clay plaster. This isn't for you. This is a simple practical course for people who actually want to plaster.

What will you learn? This multi-media course will teach you the function and properties of each ingredient in the plaster, and how to decide the proportions of each ingredient. It will take you through the testing process, mixing and application. Each of these stages include details which when missed can cause issues with your plaster. (See the curriculum below)

The course will also show how to make your plaster water resistant, how to protect it and maintain it. There are extra educational videos on burnishing, how to make a plaster board, how to use a trowel for beginners, and more.

Here's a list of what's covered in the course:

• How to find clay for free (it's all over the place).
• Understanding which ingredient does what in your plaster.
• How to mix your plaster; tricks and tips.
• Testing your plaster and understanding the results.
• How to prep various substrates. Do you need a primer?
• How to apply your plaster so that it stays firmly on your wall.
• Climatic considerations.
• Trowels, sponges, and hands.
• What went wrong? Troubleshooting guide.
• Other ingredients you can add to your plaster.
• Lime, what kind and how to use it in plaster, or as a lime wash.
• Maintaining and protecting your plaster.
• Making plaster water-resistant. And do you really want to?
• Sculpting and mosaics.
• Burnishing.
• Insulating plaster.
• Creating clay paint.
• How to make beautiful finishing plaster.
• An extra section on using earth plaster to build (mud as mortar, wattle and daub, and cob).

Updates

I improve and update this course regularly. Once you are enrolled you will have access to all future updates for free. DON'T OPT OUT OF EMAILS AT THE CHECKOUT IF YOU WANT TO BE INFORMED OF UPDATES.

The New Section on Creating Beautiful Finishes

A new advanced section on finishes has been added recently. It currently includes a video on making mosaic and earth plaster sculptures set in my mud home in Turkey and takes you around all my earth plaster creations, plus step by step lessons on sculpting and mosaic. It also includes lessons on how to make clay paints, fine plaster finishes, and more.

The New Section on Using Earth Plaster to Build

This is not a cob construction course, and won't teach you how to build a house. But...an extra section on using earth plaster to build (mud as mortar, wattle and daub, and cob) has just been added, which will help you take your earth plastering even further.

Any issues or questions?

I will reply as soon as I can (usually within 48 hours).

Success Stories

Camilla's farmhouse in Germany, "I've fallen in love with clay."

Camilla used clay plaster with clay paint on gypsum and drywall.

Cath Coffey's earthbag house in London. Cath took the Perfect Earth Plaster Course before applying this render. "This course was invaluable," she said.

"Thanks Atulya! I am going through your videos and finding them very useful!" Muriel Kakani, plastering a school in India.

FOR THE FULL CURRICULUM CLICK ON THE ARROW AFTER SECTION 2