Essential Natural Plasters - (Sustainable Building Essentials) by Michael Henry & Tina Therrien (Paperback)

About the Book

"Essential Natural Plasters is the most comprehensive guide to making and using natural plasters for all types of buildings. It covers clay, lime, and gypsum plasters; waterproof tadelakt plaster for bathrooms; fibers and additives; interior and exterior use; substrate preparation; mixing, testing, and tinting; and practical application tips. Included are hard-to-find recipes from leading natural plasterers from around the world."--

Book Synopsis

Create Beautiful, Durable Finishes with Natural Plasters That Last for Generations

Part of the Sustainable Building Essentials Series, Essential Natural Plasters is the definitive hands-on guide to working with clay, lime, and gypsum plasters for healthy, high-performance interior and exterior finishes. Learn how to create breathable, low-impact surfaces that regulate moisture naturally and deliver timeless beauty.

What You'll Learn

• Healthy, High-Performance Finishes: Use breathable plaster systems that manage moisture, improve indoor air quality, and contribute to long-lasting buildings.


• Materials and Recipes That Work: Source site soils, sands, fibers, and binders, and learn proven recipes for clay, lime, gypsum, and specialty plasters.


• Interior and Exterior Applications: Apply plasters in dry and wet environments, including durable exterior finishes and specialty plasters such as tadelakt for bathrooms.


• Substrate Preparation Made Clear: Prepare surfaces ranging from straw bale and cob to lath and drywall for reliable adhesion and durability.


• Step-by-Step Techniques: Learn how to set up a safe, efficient worksite and master mixing, testing, tinting, repairing, and applying plasters with confidence.


• Expert Recipes and Real-World Insight: Access coveted plaster formulas and techniques from leading practitioners across North America and Europe.

Richly illustrated and deeply researched, this guide functions as both a practical how-to manual and a trusted reference for ongoing projects. It is ideal for owner-builders, natural builders, designers, and professionals seeking beautiful, durable, and low-impact finishes.

Written by Michael Henry and Tina Therrien, respected practitioners with decades of hands-on experience, Essential Natural Plasters distills hard-won knowledge, experimentation, and best practices into a clear, accessible resource.

Explore the full Sustainable Building Essentials Series for highly illustrated, step-by-step guidance on natural materials, resilient construction methods, and high-performance building systems.

From the Back Cover

A veritable cookbook of natural plaster recipes and techniques for beautiful, durable finishes

NATURAL PLASTERS made of clay, lime, and other materials mixed with sand are beautiful building finishes. Fun to work with, low-impact, and allowing infinite creativity, they are high performance and provide proven, centuries-long durability.

Yet until now there's been no resource that has pulled together the best North American plaster recipes and how-to into one place. Essential Natural Plasters cover it all:

• Sourcing and selecting materials, including site-soils
• Clay, lime, and gypsum plasters as well as fibers and amendment
• Interior and exterior use and specialty plasters such as tadelakt for bathrooms
• Preparing substrates, from straw bales and cob to lath and Sheetrock
• How to set up a safe, efficient worksite
• Mixing, testing, tinting, repairing, and applying plasters
• Coveted recipes from leading plasterers in Ontario, Vermont, New Mexico, France, and New Zealand.

Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Essential Natural Plasters is the must-have resource for owner-builders and professionals alike.

Michael Henry plastered his way across Ontario for a decade. His research, attention to detail, and mad-scientist plaster experiments have made him a noted expert and teacher in the field. Michael lives in Peterborough, Ontario, with his wife and two children. He shares his knowledge at thesustainablehome.net.

Tina Therrien started plastering in 1997 with Camel's Back Construction, Ontario's firs straw bale company. A founding member of the Ontario Natural Building Coalition, she is co-author of More Straw Bale Building and operates Shelter By Hand, a timber framing company, in Low, Quebec, where she lives with her partner and daughter.

About the Author

Michael Henry has researched plasters and plastered his way across Ontario for the past decade, plastering for Camel's Back Construction and Straworks. His attention to detail and mad-scientist plaster experiments have made him a noted expert in the field and a sought-after workshop leader on plasters at the Endeavour Centre. Michael is co-author of Ontario's Old-Growth Forests, and he lives in Peterborough, Ontario, with his wife and two children. He shares his plastering knowledge at thesustainablehome.net.

Tina Therrien started plastering in 1997 as part of Camel's Back Construction, the first straw bale building company in Ontario. One of the founding members of the Ontario Natural Building Coalition, Tina has made numerous contributions in the natural building world and has plastered in France and Haiti. Passionate about food, gardening, and chickens, Tina lives in a modest timber frame home with her spouse, daughter, their flock of chickens, and their slowly expanding gardens. She is co-author of More Straw Bale Building, and she operates Shelter By Hand, a timber framing company, with her spouse. She lives in Low, Quebec.