Scottish Traditional Building Skills Audit Scoping ... - Historic Scotland

PLASTERWORK
The main qualifications covering the plasterwork skills wish-list are the
apprenticeship in plasterwork, advanced craft plasterwork and HND Architectural
Conservation (which contains a practical unit on introductory plastering techniques
and theory).
74% of the skills wish-list is covered overall, but the main omissions at
apprenticeship level (listed below) relate to lime-specific work and traditional
techniques (for example use of expanded metal lath is covered, but timber lath and
plaster is not mentioned in the TAPS, and the mixing of mortars is covered, but
not specifically lime mortar).
Only 51 % of the wish-list skills are covered if an individual completes both the
TAPS and Advanced Craft (though a further 10% is partially covered).
Key skills such as understanding lime, the application and curing of flat lime
plaster, applied decoration, horse-hair plaster and papier-maché, scagliola and
compo are not taught as part of any currently available qualification.
Four colleges currently teach plastering apprenticeship courses, three of which offer
advanced craft.
FULL LIST OF WISH-LIST SKILLS: PLASTERING
Application and curing of flat lime plaster
Applied decoration
Applying plaster to lath-and-plaster walls
Barrelled and vaulted plasterwork
Cement castings
Drawing
Dub-out undulations in stonework, pinning back
Eliminate dust
External solid render finishes (reveals, bellcast etc.)
Fibrous plasterwork
Granolithic plastering
Horse-hair plaster
in-situ run cornice- using traditional method
Lime Plasterwork on masonry
Scottish Traditional Building Skills Audit Scoping Exercise
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