By the time the IRS decides to step in and actually give a TAX BREAK to people who have Chinese Drywall, you know you’re in trouble. After all, you’ve just joined a very select group of that include survivors of Hurricane Katrina, Disabled Veterans, and America’s Farmers. Not a good sign.

But this corrosive stuff really is that devastating to hearth and home. If you have it, change it. Then join the other 3,000 households who are suing someone. Engineers from all over are being called in to report on the damage done to infected properties. But this phenomenon presents challenges. Each answer yields a dozen more questions. Specifically, questions related to “what exactly are we looking for?”

As usual, Chinese state media has painted a freaky, totalitarian smiley face on the issue, claiming that “Somewhere along the distribution cycle of drywall that originated in China, American investigators have raised suspicion an infection may have taken place.” While tainted factories in Guanzhoun province continue to pump out thousands of metric tons of this toxic drywall.

But state-side, American engineers are trying to tackle this latest problem from China’s ecologically adverse, industrial architecture. Figuring out whether or not a home has the drywall is easy. Figuring out exactly how deep the damage goes is another problem altogether. How do you do this in a cost-effective way? In a manner that can adequately translate into modifying home value? This Chinese product might affect intricacies as subtle as wiring and building studs. Problems that won’t surface until years later. Do you tear apart a home and ship each wire and building stud to a lab, in order to run a predictive regression on its stability over time?

The way American legislators answer this question will have a huge impact on the question everyone wants answered right now: Who is responsible? Who is liable? Under the New Home Warranty Act, you can strike back at the seller. Under WHO conventions, the manufacturer might be responsible.

The courts are already beginning their typical procession of back-and-forth rulings. Judge Medley, New Orleans, issued a ruling striking policy exclusions used by a home insurance company to deny a Chinese drywall claim. The plaintiff’s motion has set the issue on fire because it is almost certain it will get appealed on the 4^th circuit. The reason for the exclusion is highly technical, having to do with insurance contracts being a matter of law, and an interpretation of policies to effect, not deny coverage.

If you own a home and have an “all risk” policy, you only have a light burden to show property damage. After that, the insurance company has to prove its own exclusions.

In other words, don’t wait to file your claim. Do it now before your insurance agency goes out of business working with Chinese drywall claims.

METALLIC PLASTER

We love this comfortable, modern loft for its metallic plaster. The finish leaves a soft reflection which helps illuminate the room.

TADELAKT

Tadelakt is one of the most challenging and time-consuming forms of plaster. It is the traditional plastering of Morocco. This bathroom has a great sense of depth and is highly inviting.

REFLECTIVE

Reflective plaster has completed this San Francisco beach mansion. The vaulted ceilings and use of Venetian technique creates an increased feeling of space.

COLORED

Another great example of a modern finish.

BROWN COAT PLASTER

An old-world look brings this room together with use of brown coat.

PATTERNED

Using the plaster to add a pattern instead of simply finishing a solid wall can produce a moving effect, such as the one in this parlor.

If I had a time machine and could use it go anywhere, I would choose to go back to New York City last Thursday. And put my life savings into Energizer and Charmin stock. Oh, and whichever company is the lead distributor of duct tape. Of course I probably would have already been beaten to the punch by the CEOs of New York City’s local news stations. This was going to be the worst storm ever, their analysts told us, a disaster of epic proportions. The streets were going to be flooded, and the storm would spare no one– Least of all the poncho-covered, doom-saying newscasters who roamed the streets looking for some evidence of damage.

By Sunday morning, there were two New Yorks: The relatively calm city we woke up in. And an imaginary wasteland of power outages, flooded streets, and terrible damage in which, apparently, every newscaster, spent the rest of their day.

Instead of scheduled programming, we saw cut-and-paste shots of scattered “destruction.” A camera narrowly zooming in on some trash in the gutter. Piles of sticks suggesting debris. And an anchorman who tied himself to a bench.

Of course the hurricane was no laughing matter, New England and North Carolina took a beating. Those locals channels rightfully performed their due diligence, while New York City’s media just postured, hoping to be part of the action. Apparently no one wanted to return their storm gear without trying it on once.

Rather than stating the obvious: That things could have been worse, and that damage was trivial, they decided to hype it up. It’s what they do, they’re the media. And the only lasting damage in New York City from this storm was the damage to their credibility.

Plastering has been around for a long time. Since the first sedentary communities began plastering mud over sticks, to the Pharonic moulding of ancient Egypt. Many of the world’s best-known architectural wonders, such as the pyramids, and the Sphinx, are known to have been decorated with plaster. This handiwork was so exceptional, that it is still durable today.

What’s more amazing, is that even working in modern-day New York, our tools are not that different from what the ancient Egyptians used. Their best plasterwork was made from calcined gypsum, which is the same thing they use in parts of New York today. The way they applied it is similar as well, even though they plastered reeds, which strongly resembles plastering on lath.

Ancient Greek plastering was even more exceptional, especially their stucco. Indeed, it is the Greeks who originally came up with the word “plaster,” which means “to smear,” or “to coat.”

They were pioneers in cleaning up their cities with plasterwork. The thickness of it, as well as the smooth and easily cleanable surfaces, provided both protection and decoration. They went on to combine sand with mortar to cover reed lath and their walls and ceilings. When they started using lime as an antiseptic, it helped prevent the spread of disease.

As history went on, it became clear that plaster is also an effective way to protect a building from fire. The fires which struck New York over the last 300 years, would have had a much more devastating impact if the buildings did not contain plastered walls. And as early as the 1500s, there was a law in Medieval England stating that houses without plaster were to be torn down– Due to their risk.

Plastering in New York and across North America really saw a boom in the 1800s, when local plasters used lime and sand to cover walls and ceilings. This mortar took two weeks to set and was much cheaper than the Gypsum plaster imported from Europe. This was saved for ornamental work such as Scagliola.

Later, New York and the Eastern Seaboard saw an improvement in processing methods, and gypsum has all but replaced lime as the binding agent for mortar.

Today, we frequently use synthetic finishes in a continually developing industry. And find ourselves looking forward as well as looking back, when maintaining the skills necessary for this emerging market.

Gachbori is the plastering of Iran, or Persia. Muslim countries are known for their exceptional architecture. Islam limited the ways in which local artists could express themselves, so many of them turned to the development of structures to channel their creative energies.

In Persia, we see amazing plasterwork. From tea houses, to regular houses, to grand palaces. The variety is exceptional, and is individual to the region. In both form and scale, it screams inventiveness. Especially plastering in vaults and domes, due to the fact that the main theme in Iranian architecture is that of cosmic unity and being united with God.

Plaster in Iran was often made out of gypsum, while stucco was used for windows and balconies. Iranian craftsmen often took this simple material and transported it on donkeys, over long distances. Then they worked it in traditional, desert kilns, pounding it with small hammers until it was in tiny pieces. Afterwards they used an edge-runner mill to further grind it down. After mixing it with water, Persian gypsum becomes quickly solidified, so it must be constantly stirred. In Iranian, the word for this plaster is gach-e kosta.

They apply and re-apply the gach-e kosta to floors, ceilings, and walls. For finer work, they even dust it with more powdered gypsum and add talc. Then, they soak it with lindseed and sandarac oil before applying colorful, Iranian paints.

This technique was invented in the dynasty of Achaemenid, thousands of years ago. Persepolis, the ancient Persian capital, had halls painted with earth colors and finished with this plastering technique. Later, due to Greek influence, they started applying it columns as well.

Today, Iranian tourism is still mostly centered around exploration of these sites and showcasing the techniques of their ancient artisans. As late as last year, archaeologists have been amazed by innovations in plastering found at ancient Parthian excavation sites. The complexity of repeat designs suggest technological innovation exceeding their neighbors. Although we work with plaster and drywall in New York, we are still amazed by the innovations and complexity of the plaster at these sites.

The geometric, floral, and epigraphic designs continue to inspire our work to this day.

To view more, stunning examples of Persian Architecture, check out

http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Iranian_Architecture.htm

Sean Hennessey is a DC-based artist who has done some amazing work with plaster. Above you can see a set of plaster door castings. Plaster is powerful medium for art, and I always appreciate when I stumble across someone who can give it a creative spin.

Being based in New York, I ran across Sean’s work on Google and started reading about his muse: Which appears to be mythological consciousness as well dream data. His works seem to me semi-formed elements of his personal, psychic economy- And although it was the medium that first attracted me, I now find myself writing about his works- Those with plaster, and those made with glass, metal and other materials.

PREVAILING THE TEST OF WILL

This piece speaks to perseverance. I can only equate it to what we do, which is plastering work. It seems to echo the diligence needed to be a craftsman, especially in a city like New York, which is not known for appreciating old world craftsmanship.

WE CREATE OUR CREATOR

This one I thought was just kind of cool. There is something quite primitive about it, as if it was found etched on an ancient cave wall somewhere. I like it because it seems to initiate inspiration, with the light bulbs symbolizing a good idea.

A PRECIOUS GIFT

The main thing that attracted me here were the colors. Not quite sure what he used here, but the appearance of a man coming out of that red cloud certainly leaves an impression.

Sean Hennessey’s exhibit will be on August 29^th at John Hopkins. If any of my readers are in DC at that time, I highly recommend you go!